Strengthening Research and Innovation Management in Africa and the Caribbean

The "Strengthening Research and Innovation Management in Africa and the Caribbean" project is funded by the European Union under the S&T programme of the ACP programme. The project number is FED/2009/218782. The goal of this project is to strengthen research and innovation management in Africa and the Caribbean with a budget of about 3 million euros between 2010 and 2012.

PAEPARD interviewed dr Frank Heemskerk of Research & Innovation Management Services bvba on the need to back up African Agricultural research scientists with brokers who can manage grants and innovative consortia.


The "Strengthening Research and Innovation Management in Africa and the Caribbean" project had its kick off meeting on 11-12 January 2010 and its overall objectives fall into seven strands:

4th Row: Frank Heemskerk & Pieter van der Bijl

3rd Row: William Cullerne Bown, Idowu Olayinka, Peter van Eldik & John Kirkland

2nd Row: Isaac Mazonde & Carien Engelbrecht

1st Row: Riana Coetsee, Karen Bruns, Josepha Foba Tendo, Joseph Tesha & José Jackson-Malete

Seated: Corline Kriel

STRAND ONE - Creation of an Africa wide and Caribbean communication network for those with an interest in research and innovation management issues, and R&I managers employed at institutional, faculty or research group level.

STRAND TWO - Support for the further development of existing regional research management structures in Southern and Western Africa, and for the establishment of a similar structure in East and Central Africa respectively, as well as the Caribbean region.

STRAND THREE - Design and development of a sustained training programmes for recipient individuals, with the long term aim of providing the first professional qualifications for research and innovation managers on the continent and continuous professional development opportunities;

STRAND FOUR - Provision of mentoring partnerships, through which experienced research and innovation managers in developed and other developing countries will be available to assist with the design of specific projects and management practices.

STRAND FIVE – Expansion of an expert electronic facility, based in Africa, to provide support in the identification and exploitation of new ideas and training materials, for those institutions without in-house expertise

STRAND SIX - Maintenance and updating of an existing database of international best practice principles in the field of R&I management, which institutions will be able to draw on in order to help design their own structures, and inclusion for the first time of francophone material as well as expanding for the first time to serve the Caribbean region

STRAND SEVEN - Establishment of mechanisms through which African and Caribbean institutions can benchmark their progress and problems with each other, both at operational and strategic level.

Consortium

SARIMA- Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (South Africa)

RIMS- Research & Innovation Management Services bvba (Belgium)

ACU- Association of Commonwealth Universities (UK)

RRA- Research Research (Africa) (Pty) Ltd (South Africa)

UB- University of Botswana (Botswana)

SU- Stellenbosch University (South Africa)

UI- University of Ibadan (Nigeria)

UDSM- University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)

BUEA- University of Buea (Cameroon)

UTECH- University of Technology, Kingston (Jamaica).

Related:

• 01-03 December 2010, Monrovia, Liberia. Annual Conference 2010 West African Research and Innovation Management Association. Research as a Management Tool for Economic, Political, Social and Institutional Development.
• Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA)
• European Association of Research Managers and Administrators (EARMA)
• Survey of Current Research Management Provision in the Africa and Caribbean Regions 2010

Joint EDULINK and ACP S&T Stakeholder Conference

For three days, 26 to 28 of October 2010, the ACP House in Brussels hosted the Joint Stakeholder Conference of the EDULINK and ACP S&T Programmes, entitled “Promoting the Knowledge Triangle in ACP countries (Education, Research and Innovation)”.

DAY 1

KEY NOTE ADDRESS by H.E. DR. PATRICK. I. GOMES AMBASSADOR OF GUYANA
AND CHAIRPERSON OF THE ACP COMMITTEE OF AMBASSADORS 

Session: ‘Quality of Higher Education: models and strategies’:
Paul Kibwika, project co-ordinator, made a presentation on N-S Partnerships for Training: The Approach of a Regional PhD in Agricultural and Rural Innovation (ARI): Sharing Experience
This is a A consortium of three East African universities in partnership with two European Universities undertake to jointly develop & implement a Regional PhD programme in Agric. & Rural
Innovations.

Consortium Partners
• African partners
– Makerere University - Uganda
– Sokoine University of Agriculture – TZ
– Egerton University - Kenya
• European partner universities:
– Wageningen University
– Montpellier SupAgro
• Associate partners:
– RUFORUM, FARA, Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), PicoTea

The day finished with a session on technical and financial implementation of grant contracts and related reporting matters ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’: Examples of good practices

DAY 2
The morning of the second day was reserved for two key note speakers who spoke about the potential of Education, Research and Innovation contributions for development. In the afternoon the European Commission and the ACP Secretariat presented new funding opportunities in the ACP Regions and informed about the past and future of the EDULINK and ACP S&T Programmes.

DAY 3
In the afternoon, similarly to what happened on the first day, a session on technical and financial implementation of grant contracts and related reporting matters was held to assist ACP S&T project beneficiaries, who are currently producing their first annual reports:
‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’: the role of Monitoring &  Evaluation and the reporting requirements

Hereunder is an overview of Activities addressing food productivity and security in Africa, adding value to agro products and encouraging a stronger participation by farmers in production and post-harvest management.

• African Dryland Alliance for Pesticidal-Plant Technologies: A network for optimising and promoting the use of indigenous botanical knowledge for food security and poverty alleviation in Africa
• Building the capacity of African university graduates to foster change through agricultural innovation
• Réseau d’analyse des facteurs d’offres vivrières, de marché et de diversification agricole
• Implementation of knowledge and innovation on Jatropha curcas utilization in West African countries
• African Weeds of Rice
• Capacity building in South Africa, Namibia and Ghana to create sustainable, non-food bio-oil supply chains
• Science and Technology for Enhancing the Contribution of Tropical Root Crops to Development in ACP countries
• Strengthening Capacity for Yam Research-for-development in Central and Western Africa
• GVal - Sécurité Alimentaire - Renforcer les capacités de Gestion et de Valorisation de la recherche dans le domaine de la Sécurité Alimentaire en Afrique de l'Ouest
• Policy and support actions for Southern African natural product partnership (POL-SABINA)
• Developing capacity for participatory and marker assisted plant breeding to mitigate low crop productivity and poor food security
• Agricultural and environmental Benefits from Biochar use in ACP Countries
• Building human and institutional capacity for enhancing the conservation and use of Neglected and Underutilized Species of crops in West Africa, and Eastern and Southern Africa
• Shifting from Outreach to Engagement: Transforming Universities' response to current development trends in agricultural research and training in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa
• Recherche appliquée pour la valorisation et la transformation des ressources naturelles dans un processus de lutte contre la pauvreté au Tchad et Cameroun
• Biodiversity Integration and Rural Development

The ACP Civil Society Forum

On the occasion of the Brussels Development Briefing on Biodiversity and Rural Development in ACP countries, Ms. Joyce Vangenderen-Naar gave an overview of the structure and activities of the ACP Civil Society Forum. Ms. Joyce explained to that, against conventional wisdom, the ACP NGOs don't lack capacities and expertise. According to her, the fundamental problem of ACP NGOs is their lack of coordination and cooperation.

Strengthen agricultural science, technology and innovation (ASTI) systems

15 – 17 July Wageningen – The Netherlands. FARA Participated in an Expert Consultation meeting- in which the CTA with ACP, EU and international partners build capacity to understand, analyze and strengthen agricultural science, technology and innovation (ASTI) systems.

This research project aims to build ACP capacity to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of the local science, technology and innovation system in the agricultural sector. The results of the study should provide information on the nature of the system as well as alternative approaches that might be considered, with regard to complementary policies, programmes and support organizations that could contribute to strengthening the agricultural science, technology and innovation (ASTI) system, especially with regard to the sub-sector, commodity or products which are the focus of the analysis.

It should also provide one set of inputs into future policies governing agriculture and science, technology and innovation and should demonstrate to all stakeholders the need to focus science and technology developments on the agricultural sector and more specifically as they relate to agricultural trade, competitiveness and food security within the context of broader development goals.