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

UZCHS Research Support centre 1

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


Outline of Presentation

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


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)


Excellence…….

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

exceedingly great

(Genesis chapter 26 verse 13.)


Research and Academia – the link

Rese

arch Service

Teaching

Academia


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


Conditions for Academic Advancement…

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


Research – Teaching Balance in African Universities

Most African universities emphasize teaching and are research non-intensive

i.e

Weak Research Capacity


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


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


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

UZCHS Research Support centre

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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



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


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).


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

SupportUZCHS Research Support centre

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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



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



RSC – a nexus – the Centripetal Force for Research

RSC

Faculty

Students

Administrative Staff

Management


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


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


RSC, Reinforcing culture of excellence……


RSC, Stimulating research interest……


RSC, facilitating application for grants……


Achievable through … INVESTMENT AT ALL LEVELS

Institutional Research Governance

Infrastructure, Systems

Researchers, Teachers, Students

Impact, Institutional Profile


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


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.


Thank YouNdatenda

Zikomo

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

Documents

pursuit of research

high quality research

evidence of effectiveness

individual researchers

role of institutions

funded projects

funding agencies

increasing demand