MAKERERE UNIVERSITY- UGANDA: Makerere University has earmarked SHS. 3 billion to support students pursuing Ph.D. studies in the next academic year, starting next month.
“This morning, I launched the 4th cycle of the Research and Innovation Fund as well as the first ever PhD scholarship fund which will support at least 100 PhD students. I thank the Government for the Research Fund,” Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, the Vice Chancellor of Makerere University announced in a tweet this morning.
Prof. Nawangwe announced that Makerere University has received special funding from the Government of Uganda to support high impact Research and Innovations that informs national development priorities.
“This first of the kind initiative arose from a series of discussions between the top university management and Government. The fund illustrates the increasing importance that the Government attaches to Research and Innovation as a catalyst to Uganda’s march towards Middle Income Status,” he said.
According to a statement on the Makerere University Research and Innovations Fund (MAKRIF) website, the objective of the fund is to increase the local generation of translatable research and scalable innovations that address key gaps required to drive Uganda’s development agenda, especially the un-funded priorities.
“This Financial Year, Makerere University expects to receive a total of 30 Billion Uganda Shillings (equivalent to US$ 8,100,000) under the Government Research and Innovation Fund (RIF). Of this, 15 Billion Ushs has already been disbursed to the University. Government has committed to provide this funding continually for at least three Financial Years,” the statement added.
“A Framework for Management of the RIF has been developed and approved by the University Council. A multi-sectoral Grants Management Committee (GMC) has been appointed after wide consultations with the Colleges. Available funds are obligated to be spent within the current Financial Year, with tangible results that speak to national priorities. The GMC, therefore, plans to source, vet, select and issue grants to teams and research groups that demonstrate a clear link to development research gaps from Government and its implementing partners,” the statement clarified.
The fund, said to be the first of the kind initiative, arose from a series of discussions between the top university management and Government. The fund illustrates the increasing importance that the Government attaches to Research and Innovation as a catalyst to Uganda’s march towards Middle Income Status. The objective of the fund is to increase the local generation of translatable research and scalable innovations that address key gaps required to drive Uganda’s development agenda, especially the un-funded priorities.
The objective of the fund is to increase the local generation of translatable research and scalable innovations that address key gaps required to drive Uganda’s development agenda.
Over the last three Financial Years (2019/2020, 2020/21, and 2021/2022), the government appropriated 79 Billion Uganda Shillings to support this Fund. Between the two years, MakRIF has funded a total of 775 projects across all sectors critical for development. In the next Financial Year (2022/23), Makerere University expects to receive about 30 Billion Uganda shillings (about US$ 8.1 million) under the Government Research and Innovation Fund (RIF). Of this, at least 3 Billion Shillings will fund Ph.D. research ideas that generate knowledge that addresses national development priorities.
Scope
The RIF Round 4, Track 2 (Ph.D. Research Grants) will specifically target research and innovation projects that align with priority thematic issues in the MakRIF instructive Research Agenda under 14 thematic areas as follows:
The themes are: Transforming the Agricultural sector to drive development; Achieving Sustainable health as a means to sustainable development; Re-imagining Education to unlock capacity for economic development; Water, sanitation and the environment: A pre-requisite to sustainable development; Harnessing the social sector, culture and arts to drive development; Harnessing Tourism, wildlife and heritage for development; Sustainable Planning, finance and monitoring as catalysts for growth; Leveraging public service and local administration for efficient service delivery; Defence and security: Achieving sustainable peace and stability; Strengthening law, governance, human rights and international cooperation as prerequisites for development; Harnessing Information and Communication Technology to drive development; Works, manufacturing, science and technology as tools to accelerate development; Solutions to catalyse business and enterprise and Energy and Minerals as drivers of rapid economic development
“The MakRIF Ph.D. Research Grants will cover all technical disciplines at Makerere University as long as the research questions align with the instructive research agenda themes above. Particular attention will be paid to ideas that have clear potential for scalability to drive development. The grant covers the costs of research. It does not cover payment of tuition or living stipends for the Ph.D. students,” the statement reads.
The President of Makerere University Ph.D. Fellows, Gerald Ahabwe told ResearchFinds News that this unique cycle is a relief to many students especially the ones who are not academic staff.
“The previous grants targeted only full-time teaching staff. This new one is unique and a relief to us,” he said.
Eligibility
The Ph.D. research grants will only be open to Ph.D. students (regardless of whether they are faculty or non-faculty members) who have been approved for full registration at Makerere University.
Ph.D. students registered in other universities are not eligible for this funding. Further specifications on the awards are as follows:
1.Applicants must be at a stage where they have been approved for full registration as Ph.D. students at Makerere University. Being at the stage of full registration means that they have developed a full research proposal that has been approved by the respective Higher Degrees Research Committee in their academic unit and that they have been recommended for full registration OR are fully registered by Makerere University. Applicants will be required to provide evidence of one of the following: Minutes of the Higher Degrees Research Committee in their Academic college, showing approval of their research proposal, OR a full registration certificate.
2.Because the research funds are provided for one-year funding cycles, Ph.D. students with provisional registration will not be eligible for funding under this award since the time required for them to complete full proposal development and start data collection is unlikely to fit within the financial year.
3.These grants are limited to Ph.D. students who do not have prior funding for their studies or whose funding is inadequate to cover their research. Applicants in the latter category must make full disclosure of their other funding sources and what they cover.
4.Applicants should provide a letter of support from any one of the following: 1) The Head of their Department or 2) The Dean of their School, or 3) the Principal of their College (Only one of these is sufficient).
5.Applicants should provide a letter of support from one of their Supervisors within Makerere University. The letter should clearly indicate that they do not have other funding that fully covers their research/training activities, or where such funding is available, they should indicate what aspects of the student’s study program it covers and the funding gap. The supporting Supervisor will be designated as a co-Investigator on the research project.
The closing date for applications is Sunday, October 23, and candidates are encouraged to submit their applications online at https://rif.mak.ac.ug/portal
