Funders and African University Research Management

FUNDERS AND AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES: ENHANCING THE RELATIONSHIP  - 2010

This seminar was held on Monday 12th April as part of the INORMS 2010 congress (in Cape Town).  The seminar allowed us to bring together a small cohort of universities and donors to explore what could be done to enhance their relationship.  This informal event, which was sponsored by the Wellcome Trust and facilitated by the ACU, allowed for a free and open discussion, and identified practical measures that could be implemented by both groups. 

EVENT DETAILS

Date: Monday 12 April 2010

Event objective: The aim of the seminar  was to bring together a small cohort of universities and donors to explore what could be done to enhance their relationship. 

Event Facilitator: The Association of Commonwealth Universities

Venue: The Cape Town International Convention Centre

Organisations represented

Universities
Institute of Professional Studies, GHANA Islamic University in Uganda, UGANDA; Makerere University, UGANDA; National University of Science & Technology, ZIMBABWE; Obafemi Awolowo University, NIGERIA; Stellenbosch University, SOUTH AFRICA; University of Botswana, BOTSWANA; University of Buea, CAMEROON; University of Ghana, GHANA; University of Ibadan, NIGERIA; University of Jos, NIGERIA  

Funders
Initiative to Strengthen Health Research Capacity in Africa (ISHReCA); International Development Research Centre (IDRC); Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO); NIH Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development; NIH/FIC Fogarty International Center; Southern African Regional Universities Association (SARUA); Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA); Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA); UK Collaborative on Development Sciences (UKCDS); Wellcome Trust; West African Research and Innovation Management Association (WARIMA); WHO

Summary
The notes of this seminar have been complied into report  - please click HERE for a copy

FUNDERS AND AFRICAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH MANAGEMENT - 2009 
The Association of Commonwealth Universities and the Carnegie Corporation of New York,  staged a funder roundtable, in London, in November 2009. The event was hosted by the Wellcome Trust, in London.  A particular priority of the discussion was to be able to identify ways in which a research management culture could become better embedded in institutional structure in the longer term, perhaps working alongside regional research management associations, such as those that have already emerged in South and West Africa and is emerging in East Africa.

The roundtable was facilitated by the Association of Commonwealth Universities.  The event was both informal and highly participative, with the aim of identifying areas for aligned or perhaps even common activity in future.    The seminar was open to all funding bodies with an interest in strengthening research management in African institutions and who might be willing to work in an aligned or collaborative fashion with others in the field. 

EVENT DETAILS

Date: Monday 23 November 2009

Event objective: The aim of the seminar was to compare our activities and experiences, and seek to identify ways in which a more aligned approach could add value to all of our efforts as funders.

Event Facilitator: The Association of Commonwealth Universities

Venue: The Wellcome Trust Gibbs Building, 215 Euston Road, London

Organisations represented

• Association of Commonwealth Universities
• Carnegie Corporation of New York
• Department for Foreign and International Development (DFID)
• European Commission, Information Society/F3
• International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
• NIH/FIC Fogarty International Center
• Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association, (SARIMA)
• Swedish International Development Agency
• UK Collaborative on Development Sciences (UKCDS)
• Wellcome Trust
• WHO-TDR Networks and Partnership

Summary
At the seminar, the funders agreed there was already a high awareness of Research Management in African universities and that the universities they worked with, were all at the stage of embedding institutional structures. However, embedding institutional structures was proving to be a slow process.  This was in part, due to poor infrastructure (like in the area of ICT for example), staff attitudes, and the plethora of research management models to choose from.

Some of the funders gave presentations on their current programmes in Africa which was followed by a discussion where the group identified some common experiences/problems encountered when funding research/ programmes in African institutions such as: Retention of trained staff (in African institutions); Duplication in training efforts; Use/misuse of the institutional brand – and subsequent questions on accountability; How best to assess universities as some schools and colleges are relatively autonomous; and Keeping abreast of/ matching the recipient-country priority areas, and the funder priority areas.

The funders identified potential for collaboration  in the following areas: Sharing existing knowledge and creating new knowledge; platforms for dialogue; Capacity building; and Ability to pool resources

For further information contact:  resman@acu.ac.uk