Mbarara University of Science & Technology

Succeed We Must

Strengthening Ties: MUST Vice-Chancellor Meets with British High Commissioner to foster academic collaboration

In a bid to enhance international collaboration and foster academic partnerships, Prof. Pauline Byakika-Kibwika the Vice-Chancellor Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) held discussions with the British High Commissioner to Uganda H.E Lisa Chesney and Ms. Marcella Winearls the First Secretary, Public Diplomacy and Strategy on January 21, 2025. Participating in the lively engagement from MUST were; Dr. Simon Arunga, Senior Lecturer Department of Ophthalmology in the Faculty of Medicine (FOM) , Dr. Daniel Olinga, Lecturer Department of Emergency Medicine, FOM, Dr. Daniel Atwine a member of the MUST Research Ethics Committee and Ms. Sheila Niinye Twinamatsiko the Communications Officer in charge of International Relations. The focus of the discussions was on strengthening ties in education, research, innovations and partnerships with UK institutions.

Appreciating academic and research partnerships

Expressing her gratitude, Prof. Byakika-Kibwika thanked the High Commissioner’s commitment to exploring opportunities with MUST and highlighted necessary commitment to internationalization. She noted that MUST values its partnerships with institutions and that these collaborations pave way for impactful research and enriching staff and student experiences. She requested Ms. Sheila Niinye Twinamatsiko to expound on the existing partnerships between MUST and United Kingdom (UK) institutions. Among the partnerships and collaborations highlighted were; the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), London school of hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Royal College of Emergency Medicine, University of Edinburgh, University of East Anglia, Royal Academy of Engineering, St. George’s University of London, University of Southampton, Darwin Initiative, International Institute of Environment and Development, UK Innovate,  Bristol Eye Hospital and Moorfields Eye Hospital. The existing partnerships provide opportunities for joint research projects, faculty exchange programs, and opportunities for postgraduate students to study abroad.

The chevening and commonwealth scholarships have been of benefit to MUST staff and alumni providing them with the opportunity to study in world class universities and gain notable skills to ably contribute to important sectors of Uganda. Some of the beneficiaries are; Dr. Henry Ochola a chevening scholar who did his master of science in epidemiology from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; Dr. Henry Lugobe and Ms. Penlope are commonwealth scholars currently doing their PhDs at University of London and University of Oxford respectively. Different staff have also benefited from the Africa Oxford Initiative at University of Oxford to horn their research collaborative initiatives.

H.E Lisa Chesney appreciated the networks already existing and the impact they have created. She was impressed by MUST’s partner profiles and niche of fostering community engagement in all it’s programmes, a unique approach to produce holistically skilled and hands on graduates that address community challenges. “It is amazing to learn more about what your University is already accomplishing and we are committed to explore opportunities for stronger connections. We are ready to support you to establish and strengthen the ties that exist,” she noted.

Echoing about the Chevening Scholarship program, Ms. Marcella Winearls said that this competitive program should indeed be utilised to enable outstanding students from MUST attain opportunities to study in the UK, strengthening leadership potential and alumni networks globally.

Sharing his experience, Dr. Simon Arunga, the first PhD ophthalmology academic in Uganda spoke highly of partners. “The Department of Ophthalmology has a 15-year partnership with UK institutions, including Bristol Eye Hospital and Moorfields Eye Hospital, through the Vision 2020 Links program. This collaboration has facilitated faculty and student exchange programs, enhancing capacity development and shared learning. The department also works closely with the International Centre for Eye Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to advance eye health research in Africa, resulting in numerous scientific publications. Investment in state-of-the-art diagnostic and laboratory facilities, providing excellent training opportunities has been realised. A new collaboration with University College London aims to develop AI-powered algorithms for oculomics, utilizing a unique multimodal database of retinal images in Africa”.

The Department of Emergency Medicine in FOM partners with the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) and they implement the SCALE programme – a collaborative health workforce development Programme between Ministry of Health and National Health Service (NHS) Health Education England (HEE) coordinated through Uganda UK Health Alliance (UUKHA). “This has enabled conducting insightful clinical grand rounds, placement of MUST fellows into the NHS and the placement of UK physicians at MUST,” said Dr. Olinga. Within the framework of the MUST and Epicentre collaboration, Dr. Atwine Daniel was a principal investigator in implementing tuberculosis treatment shortening trials in collaboration with St. George’s University of London (SGUL) and the Inter-TB Chemotherapeutic Trials consortium that was led by Honorary Professor Amina Jindani and Prof Thomas Harrison, with research funding from the Medical Research Council (MRC). Research undertaken has informed policy formulation and review.

Exploring Collaborative Research Opportunities

One of the key aspects of the meeting was the exploration of future scholarship and research collaborations. Several key areas for joint research, including engineering, artificial intelligence, agriculture, entrepreneurship and medicine were discussed. The British High Commissioner expressed enthusiasm to support any opportunities to advance these areas stating, “The British High Commission is ready to support MUST to advance areas that address critical global issues.”

Both parties expressed enthusiasm for enhancing mobility programs to enrich cultural and academic experiences. The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to strengthen ties between MUST and UK institutions. Prof. Pauline Byakika-Kibwika presented the High Commissioner with souvenirs, symbolizing the university’s dedication to this partnership. This meeting marks a significant step to MUST’s global engagement. As the university continues to build bridges across borders, the partnership with the British High Commission promises to open new avenues for learning, research and innovation.

Succeed we must.

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