3. Research and Development (R & D)

What is Development
  • Development is a complex issue, with many different and sometimes contentious definitions. A basic perspective equates development with economic growth.
  • The United Nations Development Programme uses a more detailed definition- according to them development is ‘to lead long and healthy lives, to be knowledgeable, to have access to the resources needed for a decent standard of living and to be able to participate in the life of the community’. In other words, development has occurred if people are able to live a longer and healthier life, are more knowledgeable, are more able to access the resources needed for a decent standard of living and are more able to participate in the life of the community.
  • Achieving human development is linked to a third perspective of development which views it as freeing people from obstacles that affect their ability to develop their own lives and communities.
  • Development, therefore, is empowerment: it is about local people taking control of their own lives, expressing their own demands and finding their own solutions to their problems.
Research and Development
  • Let's begin with a question that has an obvious answer.
  • What's the difference between a wall phone (circa 1907) and an iPhone? Their functions, size and their composition are very different
  • A couple of things come to mind; email, digital photos, internet, Wi- Fi, GPS, texting, and mobile conversations. But, the real question is: how did we get from the wall phone to the iPhone?


  • The answer is, of course, Research and Development (R&D).

Research and Development (R&D) refers to a wide range of business, governmental, and academic systematic activities that organizations that organizations undertake to innovate, improve existing products or processes, and create new products, technologies, or services.

  • R&D is a critical component of progress in almost every field, from science and technology to business, healthcare, and social sciences.
  • Its primary goal is to foster innovation and advancement, often resulting in the creation of new knowledge, products, or solutions that meet specific societal or market needs.
  • The purpose of R&D is to expand the frontiers of human understanding and to improve our society as a whole.  This is the rationale behind the Motto of Newgate University Minna, Explore to Excel
  • In other words, to search and supply the innovations that took us from the wall phone to the iPhone 16 ProMax
  • R & D can be subdivided into three categories: Pure research, Applied research, and Development activities.
  • Example: Taking the research findings about new materials and developing a prototype for a new type of smartphone screen or designing a software tool based on new algorithms developed in research.