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In universities across Uganda, limited research funding threatens to slow the pace of scientific progress. Currently, a number of external donors including the Norway Aid for Development (NORAD), Rockefeller Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates, National Institutes of Health, USA and African Academy of Sciences among others, have been funding research in public universities. However, existing
research shows that universities cannot achieve their research strategies when almost 80% of their funding come from donors who invest on the basis of their goals and ideologies.
In a bid to address gaps in research funding, Government of Uganda in 2019 committed a special Research and Innovation Fund (RIF) to Makerere University to the tune of 30 Billion Shillings per year to support the implementation of high impact research and Innovations. The objective of the fund is to increase local generation of translatable research and scalable innovations that address key gaps required to drive Uganda’s development agenda. The announcement of this grant was timely because funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency-SIDA which started in 2000 is ending this year.
RIF covers all technical disciplines within the university that contribute to better delivery of National Development initiatives in all sectors critical to the economy. In turn, scientists are expected to contribute to the corpus of scientific knowledge through publications, presentations at scientific meetings and the training of the next generation of scientists. The funding makes possible explorations in the natural and social sciences. Several of the studies have the potential for direct benefits to human health while others explore themes in humanity and the arts. The studies are chosen by faculty-led committees based on the quality, originality and potential of the
research.
In its first year (2019/2020), 224 projects were funded. These studies include:
Kicking sexual harassment out of higher institutions of learning; Using the one health approach to design interventions to reduce fish disease; Enhancing capacities of women to leadership positions; Application of drone technology to support control of livestock movement; Resilient communities
for quality primary education in Uganda and The dentist workforce in Uganda: A situational Analysis.
Owing to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) declaration of the novel coronavirus as a global
health emergency, scientists are under increasing pressure to produce research that informs treatment and public health outcomes. Consequently, RIF announced a special COVID-19 call for proposals,
and has awarded research grants to 110 Makerere University faculty members. Rewarded projects include: Owning our future through community engagement: enhancing uptake of COVID-19 prevention and mitigation measures study by Prof. Nelson Sewankambo; Assessing knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and skills towards the use of face masks: A communitylevel perspective by Dr. Gerald Mboowa; Microbial Contamination of Masks and other Face Coverings Evaluation Study during the Covid 19-Pandemic in Kampala
(Ma FACE study) by Prof. Moses Galukande.
Moving forward, the shift towards establishment of a research fund as part of the reform process provides opportunities for research and for increasing the
independence of academics. Government has committed to provide this funding continually for at least three financial years.
