Prof Eton Advises Universities to Produce Impactful Research
By Patrick Okino
Professor Marcus Eton of Muni University has urged universities to conduct research that directly improves the lives of communities.
According to Prof Eton, the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) has observed that much of the research produced by universities is not influencing policy or practice despite the institution’s role in ensuring quality, access, and coordination in higher education.
While delivering the keynote address at Lira University’s second Research Dissemination Conference held at the Faculty of Education, Prof Eton said many researchers fail to engage stakeholders early enough in the research process.
“You need to ask yourself: Are you proud that what you have done has impacted the lives of the community? If yes, thank God. If not, then try to reposition yourself,” Prof Eton said.
“Today (Thursday 7th), we gather not merely to present findings, but to connect knowledge to action, ideas to impact, and scholarship to societal transformation,” he added.
The university hosted a two-day research dissemination conference featuring studies on severe malaria among children under five in rural Uganda, mobile health applications for hypertension and diabetes self-management in the Lango sub-region, post-abortion care at Lira Regional Referral Hospital, substance use among university students, and intimate partner violence and antenatal care utilisation in Kampala suburbs among others.
Prof Eton urged researchers to move beyond the “ivory tower” mentality and focus on creating real societal change. He encouraged scholars to collaborate with stakeholders from the beginning so that research findings become practical and useful to communities.
“It is only you who will begin repositioning yourself. Once you come, share ideas with colleagues, then go back and continue improving yourself,” he explained.
He noted that the world is facing interconnected challenges, including health crises, food insecurity, climate change, governance deficits, and rapid technological disruption, all of which require integrated and socially responsive research.
Prof Eton also advised researchers to stop “pretending” to engage communities and instead genuinely listen to local people before designing studies.
“Modern universities must create knowledge with communities. Go to the community, learn from them, blend that knowledge with academic expertise, and take it back to them,” he said.
“You take what exists, improve it, and return it to the people. Then the community will appreciate the added value.”
According to Prof Eton, the true value of research lies in its impact on people’s lives rather than its existence within university libraries or academic journals.
He further encouraged scholars to align their work with national and global development frameworks such as Uganda Vision 2040, the Third National Development Plan (NDP III), and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in areas of food security and climate change.
Dr Bernard Omech, Director of Graduate Training and Research at Lira University, said NCHE had observed that despite the large volume of academic innovation in Uganda, research has historically had minimal impact on national policy.
He described this as a “painful” reality that should push universities to rethink their research approaches and ensure academic work becomes more relevant and useful to government and communities.
Dr Omech stressed that research should not be conducted in isolation, saying every innovation must begin and end with the community to avoid collecting data for concepts that do not reflect local realities.
Alcohol Most Abused Substance
Francis Mukaga Macho, a final-year Public Health student, presented findings showing that substance abuse among university students is increasing.
“I collected data from 415 students but analysed 403 because some did not complete the questionnaires,” he said.
According to the study, the lifetime prevalence of substance use among students stood at 56.3 percent, with alcohol identified as the most abused substance.
The study also revealed growing poly-substance use, where students combine alcohol with cigarettes or marijuana. Social influence emerged as the leading factor, with students whose friends use substances being twice as likely to abuse them. A family history of substance use increased the likelihood by 1.7 times.
Meanwhile, Walter Acup, who conducted research on severe malaria among children under five in 15 districts, said 1,886 participants took part in the study.
The findings showed that 83 percent of severe malaria cases affected children under five years.
“The rest had malaria, but the severity was not as high as among children under five,” he explained.
Acup said factors such as low caregiver education levels, poor housing conditions, and the type of health facilities visited were significantly associated with severe malaria cases.
He added that the Central Region was the most affected, followed by the Eastern Region.
According to the findings, children living in mud houses were more vulnerable to severe malaria than those living in grass-thatched or permanent houses.
