As pointed out earlier, these guidelines are intended to provide a broad, flexible set of ideas aimed at moving toward an overarching interdisciplinary vision that will enhance the University's value to our students, faculty, staff, the community and society. Thus, working under the oversight of the Academic Research Center office, and in collaboration with the University Council’s Academic Research Committee (ARC), the URCs will play an important role in broadening the knowledge base which leads to new discoveries and which informs new policies that ensure discoveries are incorporated into society in a productive and beneficial manner. We believe that through interdepartmental, interschool, and inter-institutional collaboration, our overall research agenda through the URC, will be able to cultivate a strong interdisciplinary and collaborative research culture that would make USIU-Africa a relevant local, national and global partner in the generation of new ideas.