Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (UEM) Mozambique 2017-2025

The evaluation of the previous program phase (2011-2016), published in 2017, states that it is almost certain that the research capacity building at UEM would not have taken place to the extent that it has, without Sida's support. It finds that the model for PhD training of academic staff of UEM, built on cooperation between UEM, South African and Swedish universities, has been instrumental in providing UEM with international exposure and offering training in high-level academic research environments. Almost all trained staff has remained with UEM. The number of academic publications from the university has increased, and the Program was found to have significantly contributed to that growth. The quality of the research was overall found to be good, as reflected in types of journals and number of quotations. In the current phase (2017-2024), Program implementation has been affected by Covid-19 as well as the limitations and budget cuts decided by the Swedish government. Nevertheless, progress has been made. For specific objective i) in 2022, the Road Map developed by the Institutional Reform sub-program, was adopted by the University Council (UC) as UEMs Reform Agenda. UEM has established a Grant Office, and academic units across the university have started outreach or extension departments. For specific objective ii) the Quality Assurance sub-program developed the UEM Quality Policy and new regulation for post graduate courses at UEM, approved by the UC in 2021 and 2022. The same sub-program has developed manuals and for self-evaluation, which is a necessary part of the national course accreditation process. Some 70 academic managers have attended courses in leadership, quality management, and organization & process especially tailored for UEM. Specific objective iii) saw several results. By 2022, 80 students had undergone training in generic skills (critical thinking, ethics in research, information literacy, academic writing, and communication) and some 30 UEM supervisors had completed supervision training. A Postgraduate school was stared to cater to these needs. The year saw the first intake of students to the new MSc in Statistics, developed by UEM together with a handful of Swedish university partners. Likewise, the MSc in Geographical Information Systems, developed by UEM together with Lund University and KTH, was offered to 24 students, with the Swedish partners participating in teaching and supervision. The MSc in Mathematics benefited from a revision by a joint team of UEM and Swedish professors. New PhD programs at UEM in Mathematics and in Population and Health Policy were approved internally in 2022, with expected accreditation in 2023. The Program has enrolled 133 individuals in post-doc, PhD, and MPhil training at UEM or at its partner universities in Sweden and South Africa. Also, more than 190 scholarships at Masters level have been granted. As of 2022, 2 post-docs, 10 PhDs, and 40 Master students had graduated. Under special objective iv) the research had led to the publication of 127 scientific articles, 4 book chapters, and 195 conference presentations by 2022. An example of use of research is the Geographic Information Technology (GIS) sub-program, where researchers provided real-time images of the flooding around Beira during the cyclone and flooding in March 2019. These images were used in the emergency response. As to specific objective v), the program had 42% female students in 2022, which is slightly above the initial target of 40%. Significant work was being done within gender equality at UEM by the sub-program on Gender Mainstreaming, where eight doctoral students were doing their PhD research in gender science at Uppsala University, University of Free State and UEM.

The overall objective of the UEM - Sweden Program for research cooperation is: "To strengthen UEM capacity to generate scientific knowledge and increase research output and innovation for national and regional development in line with UEMs new vision* and mission of transforming itself into a research-led university". The specific objectives of the Program are: i) to improve the institutional framework, research infrastructure and environment to support research and innovation ii) to strengthen quality assurance mechanisms iii) to strengthen postgraduate training capacity at Master's and Doctoral levels iv) to improve knowledge production, productivity and dissemination of research and innovation outputs relevant for national sustainable development, by means of inter,- multi- and trans-disciplinary teams v) to increase the number of women pursuing postgraduate training and carrying out research to promote gender equity vi) to increase the participation of national academics in international networks and partnerships for improved scientific exchange and mobility. * The UEM Strategic Plan 2018-2018: Towards a Research University, gives UEM the vision to "strengthen its international profile using research results to increasingly meet society needs. As a Research University the institution will focus on problems of national and/or regional interest, in order to simultaneously maximize local impact, seeking academic excellence and visibility in a highly competitive world." (p. 19). Research is one of seven objective areas of the Strategic Plan. Focus is on creating a conducive environment for research, by promoting management and incentive systems and practices at UEM that will increase scientific production and productivity. Eight specific objectives have been formulated and performance indicators identified (but not given specific values). These span from ensuring better uptake of UEM's Research Policy in it's academic bodies; having more qualified lecturers and researchers and career technicians; strengthening the training-research link at undergraduate and postgraduate levels; effective use of materials, laboratories, and research support tools; incentives to increase quality and quantity of research; to securing funds for research, and dissemination of research results.