BRAD

Lack of institutionalized support for research, combined with limited career opportunities and poor remuneration, have contributed to weak research infrastructure and capacity and continuing brain drain to developed countries (Gomo et al, 2011). Yet, research generates new knowledge, promotes faculty development and retention, thus helping to build the scientific as well as teaching capacity at institutions of higher learning in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sponsored projects can help an institution enhance its quality of instruction, improve educational opportunities for students, support research and promote community service (Hansen et al, 2008). Strengthened institutional research systems such as research administration, and protected time for faculty research are factors that have been found to be associated with percentage of faculty involved in research at African universities (Mullan et al, 2011). Therefore, priority areas for investment to increase faculty research include provision of institutional support structures such as technical and administrative support. While research support offices are customary in high-income country institutions, the infrastructure to assist researchers in applying for, implementing and reporting on grants is not that well developed in most institutions in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs). Consequently, researchers must devote huge amounts of time and effort to research administration (Essence on Health Research, 2014).

As an institution of higher learning, Africa University (AU) views research as part of its mission to contribute to development and improvement of the quality of life within Africa. However, there was realization that there was a gap in management of research and fragmented approach to grants administration at AU, with minimum coordination as individual researchers or teams carried out their own independent grants management. This is not a unique situation for AU but has been noted in literature within many African countries that highlighted the frustrations experienced by many universities (Kasozi, 2016), the disorganization at institutions for lack of central office that records and document research. As noted by (Mashaah, et al., 2014), most universities in Zimbabwe have limited capacity for research governance and management hence AU’s need to establish grants and research management initiatives. The initiative of Strengthening Research Administration Infrastructure at Africa University, Zimbabwe came through the Clinical Research Centre’s Research Support Services Unit that received a 5-year grant awarded by Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development through National Institute of Health (NIH).

At Africa University, the Office of Research and Outreach Programmes (OROP)  now reconfigured to Office of Research and Innovation (ORI) was established in 2011 with the overall aim of providing centralized coordination, oversight and administrative support to the university research enterprise. However, with the director and a secretary being the only staff so far, this office is still in its infancy and needs to be developed to become fully functional and productive. This Biomedical/biobehavioural Research Administration Development (BRAD) project seek to provide comprehensive research administration services at AU by building the necessary capacity in the Office of Research and Innovation(ORI),  AUCRC offices, and among researchers at the university. Like many African academic institutions, AU has been depending significantly on international leadership and collaborators for its research agenda and administration support. Research funding has become increasingly competitive, with complex requirements for application and implementation, hence the need for more efficient research administration infrastructure and support at Africa university.

Objectives of the BRAD Project

1. To Strengthen the infrastructure and administrative research support services at AU
2. To Develop leadership in research administration at AU
3. To promote the development and sustainability of high output research programs at AU

BRAD Project outputs and outcomes

• Research Management and Administration support staff

Research Management Administration (RMA) support staff increased in Year 3 from three to five and in Year 5, RMA staff had increased to six. BRAD supported 3 RMAs and Research Support Services Unit (RSSU), funds from F&A supported 3 more staff.  All RSSU received training and mentorship from University of Zimbabwe –College of Health Sciences –Research Support Centre (UZ-CHS-RSC) and had benchmark visits to international institutions resulting in improved skills and competencies in RMA. RSSU staff subscribed to RMA associations for past 5 years – to keep abreast with new developments in the field of RMA.

• Research Management & Admin support staff capacity development

BRAD Supported Research Programs Coordinator’s assessment & certification as a Research Management Professional with International Professional Research Council (IPRC). Monitoring & Evaluation Officer was trained and mentored by UZ-CHS-RSC staff while Research Support Officer received training also at UZ-CHS-RSC on grants writing. The Finance Manager and Assistant both received training & mentorship from UZ-CHS-RSC. The Finance Manager is now a Certified Finance Research Administrator by the Research Administrator Certification Council (RACC) from USA.

• Capacity Development  of  other AU staff

Africa University Research Ethics Committee (AUREC) Secretariat received support for attachment to MRCZ for two weeks training and mentorship. While the Bursar and another staff from the bursar’s office received a 1-day, training from UZ-CHS-RSC on grants management. Thirteen Africa University –Office of Research and Innovation Awardees received 1-day training on project implementation and eleven Department of Health Science staff, attended NIH grant proposal writing Webinar supported by BRAD project.

RSSU trained 15 researchers on NIH grant proposal writing that resulted in 3 researchers submitting 3 proposal to NIH in June 2021. BRAD project facilitated training for thirty-nine AU reviewers and project supervisors. Seven research administrators’ champions from three colleges received training and mentorship from RSSU on RMA. Eleven CRC and AU-ICT staff received TOT training on RedCap data management training from UZ-CHS-RSC that was then cascaded to the whole institution through the TOT where forty-three AU staff and forty-five PhD/DPhil students received training also on the RedCap data management.

• Institutional Leadership Engagement & Training

Institution’s Executives, Deans and Directors received training on setting up of a Research Support Centre and Research Governance by the UZ-CHS-RSC.

• Research Governance and Management

AU’s Research Committee led the review of research policy where researchers, faculty & student Representatives Input to research policy that was approved by AU Board. All stakeholders within the institution were engaged in the development of Grants Management Manual that was also approved by the Board. Research database and grants managed by RSSU database were developed to capture information from 2016. Africa University registered with the African Academy of Science pre-assessment for Good Financial Grants Practice.

• Researcher Motivation

The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Mageto Initiated small grants scheme for early career researchers termed, Young Faculty Development Programme (YFDP) with call for proposals for a competitive award process, where applicants where to compete for awards of US$1000.00 supported by BRAD project. The research committee reviewed applications and nine awards of US$1000.00 were presented to the early career researchers. Pre-award, post-award support and mentorship was provided to junior faculty. Thirty-eight Brown Bag seminars in course of 5 years with an average attendance 80 per session for both staff and students were held. This motivated both the staff and students to disseminate their research results and learn from each other on presentation of research work. 

• Externally funded grants management

The capacity strengthening of RMA at CRC-RSSU, institutional leadership trainings in research governance and setting up of the RSC coupled with faculty and students research capacity initiatives; resulted in increased externally funded grants being awarded to the institution. A gradual increase of externally funded grants was noted towards the end of BRAD project. By 2010, CRC-RSSU managed only one grant but by 2021 at the we had 20 cumulative grants managed at CRC-RSSU.

• Inaugural AU Annual Research Day, 26 March 2021

Africa University appointed sub-committee of the research committee members to have oversight of the BRAD project as BRAD Steering Committee. This Steering Committee led the abstract selection and review process of the 29abstracts received from the institution’s three Colleges. Thirteen abstracts were selected for presentation. Three independent adjudicators were engaged to select the best five from all the categories of presentations. Five presenters received awards sponsored by BRAD project ranging from US$60.00 – US$100.00. Two of the prize winners were the early career researchers who had been trained and mentored under the VC’s initiative of Young Faculty Development Programme (YFDP) fellows. The BRAD project mentor, Prof. Gomo from UZ-CHS-RSC was the Keynote speaker for this Inaugural AU Annual Research Day held on 26 March 2021. One of the YFDP fellows had a publication of the research presented during the Inaugural AU Annual Research Day. More than 100 participants attended the AU Inaugural Annual Research Day, abstracts were only from AU as this was the first time AU held such an event.

The BRAD project achieved its objectives, now the institution has strong research support systems, collaborations and networking, which accelerates knowledge, and skills transfer. Strong research support systems have promoted research excellence within the institution