Sustaining the next generation of academics: role of research management Jose Jackson-Malete

SARIMA

• Southern African Research & Innovation Management Association (SARIMA) - in existence since 2001 • Strengthening the research and innovation system to ensure that the R&I currently being implemented in Southern Africa is translated into relevancy and public benefit… to the sustainable social and economic development of the region.

• Focus on advancement of R&I for development, professional development, best practice and policy • Exec Member responsible for African Partnerships in R&I Management

What can research managers do?

• Creating a climate for the next generation to flourish and remain at African HEI’s • Strategic leadership for research – policies to support research – Appointment, review and promotion • Provide strong and structured support for research – Clear priority for doctoral students, early career academics – Remove red tape • Incentives for research

Challenges in HEI in Africa

Makerere UCT Ghana Wits 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Postgrad student % student / staff ratio % staff with PhD Private income / Total income Source: CHET, 2010

Who are the next generation?

Pipeline of the next generation at HEIs • Senior Undergraduate students • Graduate students • Early career academics

Challenges 1: Undergrad students

• Little opportunity for undergraduates to participate in research as not all universities have mandatory research project courses or research internships for undergrads • Limited chance to develop interest in research as an undergraduate student

Challenges II: Grad students

• Limited funding to provide tuition and research support for graduate students • Students enroll part-time • Completion dates extended • Little research skills developed

Challenges III: Early careers

• Too many courses, large classes • Little incentives • No mentoring • No research planning • No direction in turning capacity into productivity • Sink or swim!

Sustaining next gen: Senior undergraduates

• Talent identification / development programmes for senior undergrad students • Identify high-quality, challenging projects and recruit top quality interns to feed the talent pipeline – Get the very best candidates and can fully evaluate and identify any potential graduate students

Sustaining next gen: Graduate students

• Policies and guidelines on graduate supervision as well as mandatory workshops for supervisors • Structured support programmes for graduate students and new supervisors – Responsible conduct of research – Intellectual property rights – Managing time and relationships – Thesis or Dissertation Writing Workshop – Planning, Managing, and Funding the Research Project – Developing Communication and Conflict Management Skills – Negotiation skills • Teaching / Research Assistantship programme developed

Sustaining next gen: African Doctoral Programmes models- Graduate students

• • •

University Science, Humanities and Engineering Partnerships In Africa (USHEPIA)

at UCT - Develop science and engineering capacity in sub-Saharan Africa.

African Doctoral Academy

of Stellenbosch University -

Partnership for Africa's Next Generation of Academics (PANGeA)

– partnership between SU and other African universities to expand the Academy in Africa.

African Globelics Doctoral Academy (AGDA)

of the University of Nairobi - support the training of African PhD in science, technology and innovation for development

Sustaining next gen: African Doctoral Programmes - Graduate students

• Review staff development programmes that take staff outside for their doctoral training • Use part of the funds to support full time doctoral students at home university with a research opportunity with an international university to learn new techniques, interact with other scholars etc

Sustaining next gen: early career academics

• Workload allocation policy – Student to staff ratio – Specific time for research, teaching and engagement – Specific reference to early careers

Sustaining next gen: early career academics

• Must develop a strong structured research development programme for early careers so they develop good research habits early on – Induction programme for new, early career academics – Research support for early career academics

Early Career Researchers Research Development Workshop Series at UB

• Session 1: Importance of Mentoring in research • Session 2: Research Project Management • Session 3: Developing your research plan • Session 4: Getting promoted I: Key strategies for success • Session 5: Grant proposal writing • Session 6: Science Communication • Session 7: Presenting at meetings • Session 8: Identifying External Funding Opportunities (RA, cos.com) • Session 9: Manuscript preparation – Journal Quality & What do Editors look for?

• Session 10: Negotiating international collaborations • Session 11: Getting promoted II: What is required • Session 12: Understanding Intellectual Property • Session 13: Responsible Authorship

WITS Research support for ECR

• 'Structured support for Research Success' Programme was launched in 2007 to support academics at WITS • Year-long intervention • Mentoring and coaching is becoming a more common process

Mentoring committee

DVCAA Executive Dean Head of School Mentoring Committee Office of Int'l Programmes (International collaboration & exchange) Centre for Teaching & Learning (Teaching development and Induction Programme) Programme Coordinator in School (Professoriate) Office of Research Support Services (Research development) Mentee (Early Career Academic) Other Professors from outside School with similar interests

Sustaining next gen: early career academics

• Incentives policy – must include financial and non-financial rewards – Research leave – Conference travel – Sabbatical leave – Research Awards – Start-up grants for early careers – Course release time – Supplementary salary from external grants – Reduced teaching load for new early careers – Overheads policy – key account

Who should sustain

• Strategic leadership – DVCAA & DRIGS • Research support Offices • Graduate school • Foundation / Advancement Offices • Senior Academics • Research management associations – SARIMA, WARIMA and others • Government – must support research

Tensions

• Researchers and Research Managers • Entrepreneurial researcher (consultant) and University – Non-disclosure – Valued but need to ensure that mostly scholarly work and pubs allowed • Applications for external grants – Institutional vs individual • Research Agreements – Signing off

Next Generation Now

For info, contact

Jose Jackson-Malete, PhD Deputy Director, Research & Development University of Botswana Tel: +267-355-2903 / 2900 Fax: +267-395-7573 Email: [email protected]

UB Website: www.ub.bw/ord VP Sub-Saharan African Partnerships, SARIMA Website: www.sarima.co.za