The Office of Grants and Research (OGR) was established in 2013 by Prof Peter Donkor and a team of experts, including Prof Ellis Owusu Dabo, Prof Robert Abaidoo, Prof Anthony Adimado, and Dr Nadia Tagoe, with support from Prof Joe Kolars and Dr Cheryl Moyer of the University of Michigan. The OGR aimed to provide high-quality research support services to meet the demands of KNUST's growing research enterprise and manage its grants and research enterprise. The OGR was established as a result of a research grant awarded to KNUST in 2009 for building capacity in Emergency Medicine in Ghana. The funding was from a supplementary award, the "Initiative on Research and Innovation Management (IRIM)" under the MEPI grant, USA. The OGR was approved by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. William Otoo Ellis, in February 2013.
Despite challenges, the OGR under Donkor's leadership saw significant successes, such as streamlining the university's research and grants enterprise, institutionalizing support for researchers, and establishing the KNUST Research Fund. Under Abaidoo's leadership, the OGR continued to gain prominence, developing the Research Management Information System (ReMIS) and Grant Accounting System (GAMS) to facilitate timely and accurate information on grants and research activities.
In August 2017, Prof. Robert Clement Abaidoo was appointed as the new Director of OGR, leading to the development of the Research Management Information System (ReMIS) and a Grant Accounting System (GAMS) to facilitate timely and accurate provision of information on grants and research activities. The OGR expanded its administrative capabilities for proposal writing and physical infrastructure to meet the growing need for its services.
Over the past decade, the OGR has demonstrated significant achievements in various areas, including the production of the KNUST Research Report, capacity building initiatives, enhanced interaction between the OGR and researchers, and the organization of the maiden KNUST Research Week.