the role of research support centres in promoting research and academic excellence

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The Role of Research Support Centres in Promoting Research and Academic

Excellence

Exnevia GomoResearch Support Centre

College of Health Sciences University of Zimbabwe

SACORE Annual Scientific MeetingLivingstone, Zambia5 September 2011

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Outline of Presentation

• Definitions• Background – Research & Academia• Rationale for RSCs• Key Elements of Research Support• Emerging Evidence of RSC Relevance• Conclusion

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Academia

• The environment or community concerned with the pursuit of research, education, and scholarship

• the world within an educational community. An example of academia is a college, its students, and its teachers (MacMillan)

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Excellence…….

The man became great. He continued becoming greater until he was

exceedingly great

(Genesis chapter 26 verse 13.)

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Research and Academia – the link

Rese

arch Service

Teaching

Academia

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Academic Career Pathways

Lecturer Senior Lecturer

Associate Professor

Full ProfessorBalanced Portfolio

Research

Teaching

Adapted from: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/hr/managing/promotion/academicpromotionguidesforcandidate.pdf

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Conditions for Academic Advancement…

• Scholarly leadership must be demonstrated through evidence of effectiveness of – teaching, – research, – professional activities– community contributions.

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Research – Teaching Balance in African Universities

Most African universities emphasize teaching and are research non-intensive

i.e

Weak Research Capacity

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What is Research Capacity?

Enhancing the abilities of individuals, organisations and systems to undertake and disseminate high quality research

efficiently and effectively.

A DfID Practice Paper, 2010

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Excellence in Research…..

• Quality of individual skills (critical mass), • Quality of the research environment

(institutional/broader), – funding, – adequate infrastructure, – robust governance– research incentives,– time available to the researcher

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Research Capacity Strengthening Models

• Individual skills development• Institutional strengthening– organisational structures, – processes,– resources, – management and governance issues

so that local institutions are able to attract, train and retain capable researchers.

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Challenges for African Institutions

• Increasing teaching load in the face of brain-drain and dwindling resources

• Predominantly individualized instead of combined with institutionalized research capacity strengthening

• Internationalization of research– Increasing competitiveness of funding– Shifting of focus by funding agencies away from informal

arrangements with individual researchers and to the assurance of institutional oversight for funded projects.

– Increasing demand for better accountability of resources by the broader society

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Increasing Demands….on the Institutions

• Lead to increase in the role of institutions in the procurement, management, monitoring, and certification of projects

• Success of research increasingly dependent on the effectiveness with which the institutional functions are discharge

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Regeneration of capacity….

• Successful research at an institution depends on depth of expertise practiced by a wide range of people, not only academic, and a an environment that nurtures individuals, systems and cultures of research.

• Thus, in the absence of on-going research activity, one cannot talk meaningfully about sustainable research capacity building

A DfID Practice Paper, 2010

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A Case for Institutionalizing RSCs

• A Central Office (nexus) that anchors research related activities to facilitate evolution of and ensure a corporate identity, motivation, good practice and culture of research

• The corporate identity must be backed by common benefits (and common restrictions, of course).

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RSC – a ONE-STOP-PROFESSIONAL SHOP

• Research governance• Stimulating research• Grant application• Grant management• Training• Good research practice and research compliance• Information services• Publicity• Professional development

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ONE-STOP SHOP DEPARTMENTS…

Research Governance(Research Culture

Regeneration of Capacity)

Research Training (courses)Individual Support Grants Administration

Medico-Legal Services

Compliance Support Research Information & Data Management

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Individual researcher

support

Governance and

Compliance

Research Training

Activities

One-on-one Consultation• Research

methodology• Data management• Statistics• Proposal writing &

submission

Research Policies•Approvals•Good research practice•Incentives•Intellectual property

Clinical Trials Support•CRA training•CTC training•ICH-GCP training•Clinical trial monitoring

Support to Research Ethics Committee

Courses•Grant writing•Proposal writing•GCP•Research methodology•Clinical trial design•Data management•Data analysis•Ethics•Research integrity•Project management•Scientific writing

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Information Services

Grants Administration Data

Management

Activities cont’d….1

Information Hub•Funding Opportunities•Training Opportunities•Conferences•Collaborations•Communication, Dissemination of research results•COM Research Database•Publication Tracking•International Relations•Knowledge Translation•Policy maker engagement

•Administration•Funding Opportunities•Training Opportunities•Proposal Preparation•Budget Preparation•Submission•Financial Managementof Awards•Project management•Medico-legal services

•Data entry•Data audit•Statistics•Training

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Activities cont’d…..2Research-Teaching …the Interface

• Undergraduate research priming/training (BOILER PLATE) – promoting research-led learning and teaching– Support for student research projects

• Funding – small research grants

• Information

• Role modeling

• Postgraduate research training

• Professional development– MAXIMIZING SYNERGIES BETWEEN RESEARCH AND MEDICAL

EDUCATION

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RSC – a nexus – the Centripetal Force for Research

RSC

Faculty

Students

Administrative Staff

Management

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Evidence……• Malawi RSC– The model– Significant contribution to

• Awareness and appreciation of research• Research skills building –• Quality of research • Improving grants management• Research governance (including definition and sustainability of

incentives)• Income

• Emerging RSCs in Zambia and Zimbabwe

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Evidence……• Increasing dedicated funding for research administration and

research leadership– Wellcome Trust– NIH– EDCTP

• Increasing efforts to professionalize research management and administration– Regional and International Research

Administration/Management Associations– Certificate, Diploma, Degree courses in Research

Administration

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RSC, Reinforcing culture of excellence……

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RSC, Stimulating research interest……

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RSC, facilitating application for grants……

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Achievable through … INVESTMENT AT ALL LEVELS

Institutional Research Governance

Infrastructure, Systems

Researchers, Teachers, Students

Impact, Institutional Profile

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Conclusion…

• Developing research support services is a critical component of sustainable research and teaching capacity building and research excellence

• RSCs enhance nexus between research and teaching

• RSC services, improved governance and resources encourage and facilitate research and teaching

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Conclusion

The extent to which higher education institutions are engaged in research and development activities has a key role in

determining the status and the quality of these institutions and the contribution, which

they make to economic and social development

Source: Dr Ellen Hazelkorn, IMHE/OECD, Paris and DIT, Dublin, EUA conference, Barcelona, June 2004.

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Thank YouNdatenda

Zikomo