Makerere University Research and Innovations Fund: Request for Applications (RFA) Supported by the Government of the Republic of Uganda
Round 4, Track 1: New Research & Innovation Agenda-based Proposals Financial Year 2022/2023
SECTION A: BACKGROUND
A1. Funding opportunity description
Makerere University received special funding from the Government of the Republic of Uganda, to support high impact Research and Innovations. The Financial Year 2022/23 will be the fourth year of this fund’s availability. The fund illustrates the increasing importance that the Government attaches to Research and Innovation as a driver of socio-economic transformation. 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. The fund is therefore aimed at complementing available funding to address unfunded priorities critical to accelerating development. Over the last three Financial Years (2019/2020, 2020/21 and 2021/2022), government appropriated 79 Billion Uganda Shillings. Between the three years, MakRIF has funded a total of 775 projects across all sectors critical for development, of which 204 have been completed. In the next Financial Year (2022/23), Makerere University expects to receive about 30 Billion Uganda shillings (about US$ 8,100,000) under the Government Research and Innovation Fund (RIF). Of this, at least 6 Billion Shillings will fund new ideas that respond to a widely consultative Research Agenda focused on national priorities while the rest will fund continuing projects from previous financial years, extension of multi-year projects, needs based priorities, and commercialization/scaling of prior funded projects. The Makerere University Research and Innovation Grants Management Committee (GMC) therefore announces the RIF Round 4, Track 1 (New Research & Innovation Agenda-Based Grants). Available funds are obligated for the Financial Year 2022/2023. The GMC therefore invites applications with original ideas that demonstrate a clear link to key thematic areas of the National Research and Innovation Agenda.
A2. Research for Economic Development
To transition to middle-income status, low-income countries must increasingly invest in research and innovations that provide solutions to persistent development challenges. Universities should be at the fore-front of driving this research agenda. The Government of Uganda is currently implementing the 3rd National Development Plan (NDP) (2020/21 – 2024/25). However, the NDP and sector specific plans require research to fill evidence gaps. The main objective of the RIF is to support R&I initiatives that contribute to better delivery of National Development initiatives in all sectors critical to the economy.
A3. Scope and Technical Description of the Research and Innovation Grant
The RIF GMC’s terms of reference include development of an instructive research agenda as the basis for identifying funding priorities. The GMC conducted a comprehensive stakeholder consultation to identify priority thematic areas of interest for national development. These consultations included meetings with representatives from key government sectors, semi-autonomous government agencies, the private-for-profit sector and civil society. The GMC triangulated this information with that from the National Development Plan III, the Makerere University Strategic Plan and Research Agenda and the critical areas spelled out in the National Budget for FY2022/2023. The RIF Round 4, Track 1 (Research & Innovation Agenda-Based Grants) will therefore specifically target research and innovation projects that align with priority thematic issues in the instructive Research Agenda that arose from these consultations. Research and Innovation ideas are therefore sought in the following thematic areas:
Theme 1: Transforming the agricultural sector to drive development Theme 2: Achieving Sustainable health as a means to sustainable development Theme 3: Re-imagining Education to unlock capacity for economic development Theme 4: Water, sanitation and the environment: A pre-requisite to sustainable development Theme 5: Harnessing the social sector, culture and arts to drive development Theme 6: Harnessing tourism, wildlife and heritage to drive development Theme 7: Sustainable Planning, finance and monitoring as catalysts for growth Theme 8: Leveraging public service and local administration for efficient service delivery Theme 9: Defense and security: Achieving sustainable peace and stability Theme 10: Strengthening law, governance, human rights and international cooperation as pre-requisites for development Theme 11: Harnessing Information and Communication Technology to drive development Theme 12: Works, manufacturing, science and technology as tools to accelerate development Theme 13: Solutions to catalyze business and enterprise Theme 14: Energy and Minerals as drivers of rapid economic development
The Government Research & Innovation (R&I) Grants will cover all technical disciplines in Makerere University as long as the research questions align with the instructive research agenda themes above. Particular attention will be paid to unfunded priorities, those for which funding has been inadequate, or for which available funding only covers one or a few of the components needed to inform development initiatives in a holistic way. This grant is not primarily meant to supplement existing research projects that already have funding from other sources. However, researchers can apply on the platform of existing projects if they provide a strong justification that there are important funding gaps in the current research project and the added deliverables expected from the additional support to the existing research effort. This grant also emphasizes a multi-sectoral approach. Research groups are therefore encouraged to work with other sectors that complement their technical focus.
A4. Categories and size of grants to be issued:
Grants will be issued in the following categories:
The R&I Grants Management Committee reserves the right to determine/change the number and size of awards based on prevailing circumstances informed by demand, quality of applications, availability of funds and level of utilization of funds by grantees. 50% of all awards will go to research or ecosystem strengthening projects while 50% will go innovation-based projects.
**Experience from earlier RIF calls showed that most applicants (Over 50%) target Category 1 which creates a lot of competition and many otherwise good proposals being un-funded. Applicants for RIF-4 are encouraged to consider all categories.
*** Junior Faculty Researchers are STRONGLY encouraged to apply. (Junior Faculty are not defined by age, but by rank and research experience. They are specifically defined as researchers at the rank of Lecturer or below and researchers with less than 5 years of experience in research/innovation or less than 2 years as independent researchers/innovators, or have never been PIs for a research/innovation project greater than US$ 100,000 (or 365 Million Uganda Shillings).
It is a pleasure to present the January – June 2026 edition of the MakGrad Newsletter by Makerere University Directorate of Graduate Training. At the Directorate of Graduate Training we are committed to building an enabling environment where our students can flourish and their academic journey is well-supported. Formerly one of the two main divisions that constituted the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training, the stand alone Directorate of Graduate Training is mandated to coordinate and administer all matters related to postgraduate studies.
At time when Makerere University is steadily transforming into a research led institution, we are on hand to review and initiate policies meant to provide a conducive environment for graduate training and innovative research. From redesigned PhD crosscutting courses, enhanced supervision structures, improved infrastructure, to stronger partnerships with global institutions — we are laying the foundation for increased success.
In this edition of our newsletter, we share with you highlights of some of the activities during the period January – June 2026. The 76th graduation ceremony in February 2026 recorded key important in roads in Makerere University’s efforts to respond to the country’s need for increased capacity in doctoral training. The 213 PhDs was a significant increase from the previous number of 144. It reflects an intentional progress towards increased completion rates. Beyond focusing on technical expertise, the Directorate coordinates efforts to cultivate critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and interdisciplinary fluency of all our graduate students. Today’s challenges rarely fit neatly into one discipline; they demand collaboration across disciplinary fields. In this edition of the Newsletter, we share some of the training of trainers and learners’ trainings we have conducted to achieve this objective.
I thank all the staff of the Directorate and the university at large, the graduate students and all the stakeholder for the support and collaboration. You are part of a growing, supportive community committed to excellence and transformation that our country prides in.
The latest Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) Newsletter (Issue 22, January–June 2026), themed Research to Impact showcases how CARTA fellows, graduates, and partner institutions are moving evidence beyond publications into policy, practice, innovation, and everyday lives.
An article titled “Why Research Uptake Requires More Than Good Science” featuring Dr. Godwin Anywar, a Lecturer in the Department of Plant Sciences, Microbiology and Biotechnology, Makerere University’s work precisely captures this transition. His research began by systematically documenting indigenous medicinal plants used by traditional healers in Uganda to support people living with HIV/AIDS. This work has grown into internationally recognized science that has informed understanding of traditional medicine, sparked global collaborations, and even reached communities through a traveling mobile museum.
Dr. Anywar’s personal reflection captures this succinctly: producing good research was only the beginning. Visibility, deliberate communication, sustained engagement, and opportunities to share the work were equally essential in transforming locally generated evidence into global influence.
Beyond his work, this edition of the Newsletter captures; research shaping better care for TB survivors in Malawi, smarter solutions for mosquito control emerging, efforts to transform graduate supervision institution by institution, and reflections on embedding stakeholder engagement as a core university function.
This edition demonstrates the transformative impact of research supported by the Government of Uganda through Mak-RIF. Across diverse disciplines, researchers continue to generate practical, evidence-based solutions to Uganda’s most pressing development challenges, including food security, public health, clean energy, climate resilience, education reform, digital transformation, and public sector productivity. These achievements reaffirm the critical role of research and innovation in driving national development and improving the lives of Ugandans.
The stories featured in this bulletin are a testimony that Makerere University is strengthening its position as a research-intensive institution committed to producing knowledge that addresses societal needs. Through technologies that convert invasive water hyacinth into renewable fuel, innovations in food safety through machine learning, improved agricultural technologies, digital public sector solutions, groundbreaking advances in teacher education, and more, researchers continue to demonstrate that locally generated knowledge can deliver globally relevant solutions.
Equally encouraging is the University’s continued commitment to building strategic international partnerships. Makerere’s engagement with the University of Warwick reflects our shared vision of strengthening collaborative research, graduate training, innovation, and institutional capacity. Such partnerships expand opportunities for our researchers and students while contributing to the global exchange of knowledge required to address increasingly complex development challenges.This issue also highlights Mak-RIF’s growing emphasis on research knowledge translation. Through dedicated capacity-building initiatives, researchers are being equipped to communicate their findings more effectively to policymakers, practitioners, industry, and the public. By strengthening the interface between research, policy, and practice, we are ensuring that scientific evidence informs decision-making and delivers measurable impact beyond academia.
The continued growth in high-quality research publications showcased in this bulletin further demonstrates the increasing visibility and influence of Makerere University’s research community. These scholarly contributions not only advance scientific knowledge but also strengthen Uganda’s participation in global research while fostering innovation, collaboration, and evidence-informed policymaking.
These accomplishments would not have been possible without the unwavering support of the Government of Uganda, whose investment in Mak-RIF continues to strengthen the University’ research and innovation ecosystem. I commend our researchers, project teams, University leadership, industry collaborators, government MDAs, and communities for their commitment and collaboration. I invite you to explore the inspiring stories presented in this bulletin and celebrate the collective achievements of our researchers and Makerere University.
Prof. Fred Masagazi-Masaazi Chairperson, Grants Management Committee (GMC)
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