The Mbarara University of Science and Technology grants office (MGO) organized workshop with the project principal investigators (PIs) under the theme “Diversifying the funding landscape” according to Ms. Jackquline Karuhanga the MGO grants manager, the workshop aimed at giving PIs insights about how best to work with MGO and MUST administration, the burn rate of project funds and above all look for alternative sources of funding an departure from the traditions sources of funding from the global North. She added that the workshop was to also get the MGO office feedback from the PIs.
The workshop was chaired by the director graduate studies Assoc. Prof. Vincent Batwala who thanked members for turning up in big numbers. He emphasized the burn rate and the anti-homosexuality bill has caused anxiety in the scientific community.
Representing the Vice Chancellor prof. Charles Tushabome-kazooba said welcome the PI facilitators and record the anti-homosexuality bill causing political tension between Uganda and the global north. Charles further thanked the P.I s for job creations. “over 300 people have benefited from your projects, this not only widens the nation’s tax base but also improves standards of live in more than one family as support trickles down to different relatives or community members”. The university secretary Mr. Melchoir Byaruhanga urged the principal investigators to quarterly reports, burn rate appreciated the PI who assets to the university.
Some of the top management members
A presentation under the theme: “Diversifying Resources for Training, Research and Innovation” was made by Mr. Emmanuel Okalany, a Technical Specialist for Development and Partnerships from RUFORUM. RUFORUM is a network of 163 universities in 40 African countries to which MUST is a member
He focused on strategies which the administrators and the Principal Investigators can use to sustainably finance quality teaching, research & innovation and outreach. For the Administrators, the key message was that MUST needs to identify a unique discipline for which it wants to be known for quality teaching, research and innovation. As identified in the discussion with the Principal Investigators, human medicine could be a strategic area for which MUST needs to develop a long-term strategy for which it should plan for and assemble human resources, physical infrastructure and equipment, and management systems.
He recommended that all organisation’s units should be engaged in resources mobilization. For example, Emmanuel suggested that the Communications and Marketing unit should play a role of packaging innovations and technologies in popular ways as a means of accountability to non-academic audiences including development partners, private companies and governments.
He advised the university leadership to explore non-traditional means of financing such as institutionalized consultancies and commissioned research, commercialization of intellectual property and establishment of an endowment funds that could finance through overheads, alumni contributions and crowd funding. These strategies are important as long-term sustainable mechanisms which will reduce dependency on the declining government support, Overseas Development Assistance, and private philanthropic organizations
For the Principal Investigators, Emmanuel recommended that they need to organise themselves into Research Groups with a peer review and coordination mechanism to quality assure proposals before submission to funders. He provided a list of funders and also promised to work with the MGO to regularly identify funding opportunities in which MUST researchers can participate in.
Some of the Principal Investigators during the during the Workshop
Other internal presenters included the University Planner Ms. Nakakeeto F. Robina who presented on Project Planning, budgeting, and performance. She gave insights on what is need by the government of Uganda to declare all funds to the institution including grants through budgeting for the grants annual reporting on their performance on quarterly basis reporting.
The procurement officer then presented about the procurement process, it would be challenges and the flexible windows this was followed by the deputy vice chancellor academic affair Prof. Nixon Kamukama who present about MUST’s visibility, he urged all event organizers to always let the communication office be in the know. as a way of letting the public know what is taking place in the university, He added the need for backlinks with partners, the need for publications with the university emails among other needs. The final presentation was by the university auditor Mr. Geoffrey Mutebi who share perceptions about internal audits, why PIs need to have all financial records right, what it means to have the right financial records, the need for funders to know that MUST provides and independent declaration on risk management, governance and internal control processes are operating effectively.
Another presentation was made by Mr. Joseph Njogu a CEO, from Research Beeline Ltd Nairobi. He embarked on
He highlighted the many sources of funding, such as NGOs and other organizations that the university can subscribe to to get to know the available grants that can be competed for.
He encouraged the principal investigators to look to the eastern countries like china, Singapore and south korea.
An open discussion was held by the PIs and the presenters
the event was held by closed by the deputy Vice Chancellor Finance and Administration Assoc. Prof. Tushabomwe –Kazooba.
Special thanks go to the organizers for the well spent day. Succeed we MUST.