The Fourth Annual Graduate School Conference of the University for Development Studies (UDS) in the Northern Region opened yesterday at the university’s Tamale campus with a strong call on postgraduate students to focus on producing research that carries real substance and societal value rather than chasing results.

Addressing Master’s and Doctoral students drawn from various UDS campuses, the Vice Chancellor, Prof Seidu Alhassan, emphasised that research has the power to “make or unmake a community,” urging students to choose thesis topics capable of shaping the future of their societies.

Held under the theme “Forging a Sustainable Future Through Postgraduate Research,” the two-day event aims to guide students on the relevance, feasibility, and wider impact of their academic work.

Prof. Alhassan praised the organisers for “thinking beyond the present,” adding that universities across the world are shifting away from results-driven approaches.

“Today, universities want to emphasise three things: learning, learning that transmits the heritage of millennia, and learning that shapes the future,” he said.

He stressed the need for postgraduate students to produce high-quality research capable of influencing policy, transforming communities, and contributing to long-term development.

In a major announcement, the Vice Chancellor revealed a GHS 500,000 research fund accessible to both students and faculty.

The fund, he said, reflects UDS’s commitment to promoting impactful research and urged beneficiaries to “take full advantage of this support.”

Prof. Alhassan also warned students against plagiarism, reminding them to uphold honesty and integrity throughout their academic journey.

The Guest Speaker, Professor Albert Luguterah, Vice Chancellor of CK Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences, told students that they were not only in school to pass examinations but to “pass on a legacy.”

Describing technology as a “double-edged sword,” he said postgraduate research offers society the tools needed to wield it responsibly.

He echoed the Vice Chancellor’s call for meaningful research, insisting that topics must reflect the needs, hopes, and aspirations of the communities they seek to serve.

The conference continues today with panel sessions, presentations, and research-focused engagements.