Science Granting Councils Initiative in Africa

Progress made by all SGCI partnerships for the period July 2022 to October 2023 in relation to the objectives set in previous reports. It is also based on a combined SGCI logical framework that is included in the report. Significant progress has been realized in the implementation of all aspects of the Initiative during the reporting period. Examples : i) The Initiative has intensified its efforts to implement the recommendations of the 2022 External Review during the period. For instance, greater reliance on in country and onsite training has ensured that the work of Collaborating technical agencies (CTAs) is tailored to the needs of the individual Councils. Harmonization of the work of CTAs has been intensified through regular consultations among the CTAs to develop joint calendar of events, and to review progress. Efforts to strengthen monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) capacity at the Councils level and establish links to the Initiative level monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) have been intensified and a consultant hired to support data collection and analysis under Theme 2 project (led by the University of Johannesburg). ii) The Initiative has met or exceeded most of the lower outcome and output indicator targets set for October 2023. The data collection process for some of the higher outcome and impact indicators is still ongoing. These include data on the Councils expenditures on research and innovation, patents registered, and gross expenditures on research and development (GERD) in SGCI countries. iii) The new SGCI partnerships have significantly increased the ability of SGCI Councils to fund and manage research and innovation projects in their countries. In this regard, 15 Councils have received a total of CA $8.7M to fund 89 projects under the Norad IDRC partnership. Under the FCDO IDRC partnership, a total of CA $4.8M has been used to support 81 projects in 16 SGCI countries. Co-investments in research projects by the Councils has increased through funding of additional projects and in kind contributions. For instance, the Councils from the following countries have funded additional research projects as follows: Senegal (5), Côte d'Ivoire (1), Kenya (1), and Rwanda (1). iv) Through the SGCI, Councils have continued to renew existing collaborative agreements (signed under SGCI1 and 2) or enter into new agreements and operationalize them by funding joint research projects. For instance, the Councils in Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have renewed an existing trilateral agreement to fund projects. Similarly, the Mozambique Botswana, Mozambique-Côte d'Ivoire, and Ghana Zambia have signed new bilateral agreements to support joint research projects. These collaborations have helped Councils to overcome linguistic and cultural barriers. For instance, Fonds Pour la Science, la Technologies et lInnovation (FONSTI, Côte d'Ivoire) had no professional relationship with a Portuguese or English speaking Council prior to its involvement in the SGCI. However, the Initiative has helped the Council to establish partnerships with the Councils in Mozambique and Uganda. v) The Initiative continued to support more effective grants management systems. For instance, the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST) has provided technical support to other Councils (alongside the responsible CTA) with regards to digitization of grants management systems. Through this effort, a total of 8 Councils (from Malawi, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Ghana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Mozambique) are currently using digitized systems to run research calls leading to greater transparency, efficiency, and effectiveness in tracking and monitoring of research projects. vi) As in previous years, the Initiative has continued to promote peer to peer learning among participating Councils. For instance, UNCST (Uganda) has provided technical support to other Councils (alongside the responsible CTA) with regards to digitization of grants management systems. Through this effort, a total of 8 Councils (from Malawi, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Ghana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Mozambique) are currently using digitized systems to run research calls. Secondly, an online gateway for technology matchmaking (Techno-Mart[1]) developed by UNCST is being refined and adapted for use by other SGCI Councils under Theme 6 project led by the Scinnovent Centre, SC. As well, Botswanas experience in conducting IP audits of funded projects will be leveraged to support other Councils. vii) SGCI continues to support raising the profiles of Science Granting Councils through participating in global and regional programs and networks. These programmes and networks have strengthened the Councils capacities, promoted collaborations amongst them, and enhanced their profiles regionally and globally. They include Global Research Council (GRC), OR Tambo Africa Research Chairs Initiative (ORTARChI), and Africa Japan collaboration in environmental sciences (AJCORE), SubSaharan Africa Regional Member Organization (SSARMO) of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and a new multilateral research partnership programme with the NRF (South Africa), SGCI councils, DFG, and the Dutch Research Council. viii) SGCI has helped the Councils move the needle on Gender Equality and Inclusivity. For instance, four Councils (from Côte d'Ivoire, Tanzania and Ghana and Zambia) have launched calls specifically targeting women researchers six Councils (from Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, and Burkina Faso) have developed guidelines for gender equality and inclusivity in research calls and within their institutions and several knowledge outputs related to gender have been produced by Councils with the support of Theme 5 project (led by Human Sciences Research Council, HSRC). ix) In response to a recommendation of the SGCI External Review, concrete steps have been taken to enhance the visibility and knowledge uptake of the SGCI with the recent engagement of SciDev.Net (and its parent organization, CABI) to lead the work on strategic communications and knowledge uptake (Theme 4). Five articles (e.g., on issues relating to gender and STEM) have been published on Scidev.Net platform, which has a very large readership. As well, 12 short articles (for example, on specific research supported by councils such as mobile applications in Mozambique, or on the launch of Ugandas National Research Outlook) have been added to the SGCI website. These stories are complemented by podcast episodes focused on SGCI themes and SGCI-supported research. The website is in the process of being redesigned and migrated to a new server for greater access to content. New analytics have been developed to enable better tracking of contents on the website and provide critical feedback loops to communications and marketing campaigns. Social media presence has been relaunched via the X platform. Finally, SciDev.Net has begun strengthening networks of science journalists in participating countries and engaging in media training for selected SGCs.

Canadas International Development Research Centre (IDRC) has a 8,5year partnership with Sida to deepen and sustain the Science Granting Councils Initiative in sub-Saharan Africa (SGCI). The Initiative, targets Science Granting Councils which are public or quasipublic organisations that grant state funding for science, including the social sciences and humanities. In this role, they sit in an intermediary space between the state and the research community defining and executing a significant part of the states science policy. The SGCI is a multi-donor Initiative funded by United Kingdoms Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Canadas International Development Research Centre (IDRC), South Africas National Research Foundation (NRF-SA), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), and the German Research Foundation (DFG). Since its inception in 2015, the SGCI has been strengthening the capacities of Science Granting Councils (SGCs) in sub-Saharan Africa countries to support research, innovation, and evidence-based policies that contribute to economic and social development. The initial funding for five years came from the UKs Department for International Development (DFID), South Africas National Research Foundation (NRF) and IDRC, with IDRC and NRF being coresponsible for implementation of the program. The German Research Foundation (DFG) joined in December 2019 as an Associate Funder for three years. Norad joined SGCI during the last part of 2021 for a 4 year period. The ongoing SGCI phase two (SGCI-2) is supported under new partnerships with FCDO, IDRC, Norad, Sida, NRF, and DFG. These partnerships are collectively strengthening the capacities of Science Granting Councils (or related agencies) from 17 countries (Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Côte dIvoire, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Ghana, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone) in 6 thematic areas/ objectives: Theme 1 Strengthening the ability of Science Granting Councils in research management. (AAU/ SARIMA). Theme 2 Strengthening the Capacity of Science Granting Councils to use of data and evidence in policy and decision making. (University of Johannesburg, UJ). Theme 3 Supporting the ability of Science Granting Councils to fund research and innovation. (African Centre for Technology Studies, ACTS). Theme 4 Supporting strategic communications and knowledge uptake. (CABI SciDev). Theme 5 Strengthening the Capacities of Science Granting Councils in gender equality and inclusivity. (Human Sciences Research Council, HSRC). Theme 6 - Supporting the Science Granting Councils to develop frameworks and enabling structures for public private sector partnerships in research and innovation. (Scinnovent Centre, SC) The thematic areas were initially selected to respond to the key challenges facing the Councils identified through a scoping study (2014) and subsequent political economy analyses, various consultative meetings with the Councils, and case studies. These challenges included limited research management capacities lack of sustained funding base poor application of knowledge for economic and social use poor coordination with other agencies and limited capacities to use evidence for policy and decision making.