MAKERERE-SIDA BILATERAL COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM (2010 – 2014) ANNUAL PLANNING MEETING 2014 10 th March, 2014 Prof Buyinza Mukadasi Director, Research & Graduate Training

CHANGE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Why Annual Planning Meetings?

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Discuss Activity plans for the coming year

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Discuss Procurement plans for the

•

coming year

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Discuss Progress and Results Agree on needed reallocations

Aim of the program

“To support the

existing structures and encourage the development of new structures that create an environment that is conducive for research and research training and in so doing assist to identify and improve upon structures that hinder university research

.” Under the slogan

supervise” “To support the supervisor to

through collaboration with universities in Sweden or elsewhere

How to fulfill the mission

• Utilise world wide and local human resources • • Utilise information and technology Collaborate with other institutions of higher learning, research and organisations • Mobilise financial resources 4

Hallmark of Sida’s support to Makerere

• • • • • • University setting its own research agenda Researchers identifying their own research questions University/researchers identifying collaborating Swedish and other counterparts University managing the financial contribution University owning the program Using the opportunities of the program to enhance research, teaching and management within the WHOLE university

Strategic Research Agenda

• • Health and Health systems Agricultural (crop & Livestock) transformation , Food Security, nutrition and value addition • Sustainable environment, Natural Resources Governance and Climate Change • Governance, Culture, Social Justice and Sustainable development • ICT for development • • • • Cross-cutting areas Biotechnology Knowledge transfer Gender Human Resource Development 6

Mak’s Strategic Objectives .

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Capacity Objectives

• • • • To produce qualified lecturers motivated to do more research and building research teams around themselves To increase the number of potential PhDs supported units To enhance research university at throughout the whole To enhance the capacity for research coordination and programme administration Directorate of Research & Graduate Training at 8

Approach

• • Support to individual units – Provide an environment conducive for research and research training Slogan: “ To support the supervisor to supervise ” – through collaboration with universities in Sweden or elsewhere 9

SWEDISH COLLABORATING INSTITUTIONS Makerere University

SPECIFIC GOALS AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO RESEARCH 11

Strengthening research coordination and evaluation

• • • • Policy for research coordination Strengthen the DRGT Improve research funding Review the research manual processes and guidelines with clear 12

Improving research skills of staff

• • Train university staff in research skills Integrate transferable skills and Internalize research training courses • Enhance professional & research-related academic programmes ( cross cutting courses ) 13

Increased utilisation of research results

 Publication of local newsletters and journals  Support participation at scientific dissemination conferences  Strengthen linkages with research users  Operationalize the research agenda identified priority areas in  Institute research related appraisal of staff ( Research Audit ) 14

Enhancing the quality of research

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Establish and strengthen research networks & linkages with local and intern. research centres

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Strengthen research infrastructure Strengthen the committee quality, IRB and ethics

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• • • • • • • •

Supported Units

Directorate of Research & Graduate Training (formerly the School of Graduate Studies) Directorate of Information and Communication Technology Services (DICTS) Gender Mainstreaming Directorate The University Library Agriculture (now CAES) Technology (now CEDAT) College of Health Sciences (CHS) Arts and Social Sciences (now CHS) 16

Level of Support

PHASE AMOUNT (SEK) (millions)

Preparatory Phase (2000-2001) Phase I (2001 – 2005)

15.0

104.11

Phase II (2005 – 2009)

181

Phase III (2010 – 2014)

181.0

Exchange rate – 1 USD ~ 7 SEK (Grant Total - 480million SEK)

AMOUNT (USD $) (millions) 2.1

15.0

25.9

25.9

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Forms of Support

• • • • • PhD training (tuition and research costs) Support to supervisors to link counterparts in Sweden with their PhD students /supervisors travel grants attend scientific conferences to Small Faculty research funds Competitive research grants , cross cutting courses, Demographic surveillance site (DSS) 18

Forms of Support

>> • • • • • • Support to GIS and Cross Cutting Biomedical Laboratory Support for ICT Infrastructure and Library resources Independent univ-wide research fund at DRGT Supporting dissemination strategies / conferences, publications Admin & Coordination of the programme (DRGT) Supporting regional collaborations and networks 19

Fruits out of the support

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Promoting Research

• • • • • • • 102 (61 Male, 41 Female) Ph.Ds ( 15 have graduated ), 67 Masters graduated) Masters , 20 postdoc research teams Research projects by supervisors in partnership with Swedish Faculty ICT and Library services (email, internet, online journals) More quality publications coming out (Improved University Rankings) More linkages: CARTA, DRUSSA, CAPREX, Carnegie, NORHED, Wellcome (Competitive grants) Faculty small grants to support junior researchers from Social sciences, Agriculture, Technology and CHS.

Supporting thematic research by providing for purchase of equipment, consumables, travel, subsistence and guest lecturers 21

DSS and Biomedical lab

• Demographic Surveillance Site (DSS) -Site now fully operational and data collection continues in an area of 72,000 people (old area) involving 16,000- households and another 90,000 people (new area for TB study) • Biomedical Laboratory - Dept of Pharmacology in CHS - Laboratory now fully functional and can be accessed by students and researchers 22

GIS Lab

• State of the art GIS unit set up in the CEDAT • Laboratory now fully functional and can be accessed by interested researchers & students 23

ICT

• • • • • • Optical fibre network covers main campus, Medicine, MUARIK, MUBS 132 computers and LANS set up in supported faculties 12 student kiosks with 165 various units computers set up in All (100%) Colleges/units have web presence compared to 5% in 2000 More than 30,000 e-mail users registered on the local mail system compared to 50 in 2000 Internet connectivity is well maintained to provide a rich global research resource 24

Library

• • • • • 171 data points (computers) installed in the main library and 28 points at Albert Cook Library A functional Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) More than 15,000 giving countrywide (end of 2012) journals on-line access to recent literature Now (2013) 40 e-journals databases, 22,000 titles subscribed & 16 free ones accessed With Bergen University, Library staff and EASLIS have trained University of automation (spin off) Juba staff and supporting library 25

Gender

• • • • • Increased – visibility , acceptability and upward movement of women into leadership positions 5 full professors cf to 1 in 2000 (as of April 2011) Commitment to Gender Mainstreaming committees, transformed to a by the university e.g. increased representation on various Directorate Continued implementation of Gender plan in the new strategic plan (2008/09-2018/19) Gender Policy and Policy & Regulation on sexual harassment, and to engender the HR manual Makerere is still recognised as a pace setter in gender mainstreaming in Universities in sub Saharan Africa

CROSS-CUTING COURSE CONDUCTED 2010 TO 2013

Course

Philosophy of methods Adv. Gender Research Statistical Computer applications Genes and genomes Supervision Research Management Scholarly writing & comm skills Information competence & mgt Research Methodology Grand TT 10 5 11 19 15

F 2010 M

8 12 14 5 23 25 11

F

13

2011 M

17 17 4 8 11 13 6 14 16 21 -

F

17

2012 M

25 9 7 6 8 15 13 3 12 10 8 10 14 12 9 17

F 2013 M

16 31 7 5 12 12 16 12 16 10 10 16 14 10 13 14

F Total M

54 85 43 47

139 90

21 29

50

6 39 27 29 45 14

20

65 28 22

104 55

51 68 108 43 42 543

Other skills enhancement courses, 2010-2011

Course Supervision and mentorship Research management RBM Financial Management for Coordinators, Admin & students on Sida prog (once a year) – Feb 2014 Males Females Total 65 39 104 28 27 55

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Enhanced research Culture (DRGT)

• More partnerships developed and funded – CARTA, CAPREX, DRUSSA partnerships – NORHED grant to 8 projects (Appx. $25m) to strength training – Next generation of Academics – CCNY ($2.6 million) – CCNY - Ph.D in Social Sciences and competitive grants • Benchmarking best practices from the collaboration – Ph.D now by public defence – Ph.D supervisors cease being examiners – Candidates can publish their work before graduation – Thesis can be submitted in form of papers/monographs 29

Creation of centers of excellence • • • • • Health – Malaria, TB, HIV, Mental health, Reproductive health Technology – and engineering Centre for research in energy and energy conservation (CREEC) – Innovation systems and Clusters Agriculture : Centre for Crop Waste Management ICT – regional center Library – e-resources 30

Impact

• Sida support to Makerere has: – Strengthened the position of Makerere as a leading provider of Science education and research – Enabled the development of centres of excellence i n health, agriculture, technology, humanities & social sciences – Research influenced Gov’t policies (malaria, energy, waste, land, conflict) 31

Impact (cont—d)

- Contributed to the modernisation of Mak through ICT and library facilities hence increased transparency in governance and efficiency in university operations (national benefit) - Improved the quality of academic staff and graduates through support for PhD training , enhanced capacity to supervise, to conduct research and to publish (national benefit) - Contributed substantially to the attainment of NDP hence reduce poverty levels and attainment of MDGs (nat. & Intern benefit). - Reduced the degree of brain drain (national benefit) 32

Challenges

• • • • • Procurement process delays – Decentralization may expedite the process Audit delays by Auditor General – Early appointment of auditors Low Consumption of funds by some units Delays in submission of Annual Reports Understaffing poses constraint to research coordination 33

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Challenges>>

Underfunding by the govt hence difficult to recruit and retain staff (50% establishment) • • Inadequate infrastructure including limited bandwidth Limited research funds to generate innovations and policies for poverty alleviation 34

Challenge: Procurement

• • • Remains problematic Failure of researchers to appreciate the law (sometimes stubbornness) Limited appreciation by procurement and disposal unit and contracts committee that researcher’s needs are unique

Recommendations

• • • Sourcing for more research funding and to build a strong environment to support innovations and knowledge translation Engage in multidisciplinary research teams/themes with greater focus on postdoctoral training, mentorship and innovations.

Strengthen scientific corporation with Swedish institutions to compete for research funding 36

Procurement recommendations

• • • Submit approved plans and costs in the project for speedy action by contracts committee Information about the Pre-qualified list of reputable companies/ suppliers Continuous sensitisation of researchers on procurement process

To Improve Management

• • Clear separation of roles among stakeholders (SC, PIC, DRGT Coordination office, Coordinators at units, Researchers, Accountants, Ph.D student Refer to Standard Operating Procedures that define how the funds and assets acquired are to be managed for the benefit of all interested individuals in the project

Recommendations>>>

• • • • Coordinators to stimulate their researchers to work following agreed time lines DRGT, PIC and SC to routinely liaise with coordinators and researchers to identify constraints and put in place corrective measures DRGT and Coordinators to follow up large procurements Need to increase involvement of Swedish supervisors in planning, reporting and dissemination of findings

Way Forward>>

• • • • • • Research coordination and management to be improved ( College Grants Office ) Communication both ways to be enhanced (especially financial information) Regular mini audits by finance dept and DRGT Coordinators and researchers to plan ahead (avoid last minute request from units) for their activities Researchers to budget properly for the activities to be carried out to avoid delays Funds are now centralised but budgets are managed by the coordinators . Are they really doing this well?

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Accountability

• • • • Nightmare for researchers, how can unit Accountants help?

Continuous re-fresher training of researchers in budgeting and accountability (Navision recently) No more advances for similar item unless previous one is accounted for All to appreciate that it is a requirement (travel: boarding passes, ticket stabs etc)

Communication

• • Has been stepped up, documents cleared very quickly , Information about accounts to be posted to coordinators via Navision software every month (accountants should regularly share information with DRGT accounts office)

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