Makerere University – Research and Innovations Fund (Mak-RIF) is funding from the Government of the Republic of Uganda to support high-impact Research and Innovations that address national development priorities.
This fund illustrates the increasing importance that the Government attaches to Research and Innovation as a driver of national 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 thereforeaimed at complimenting available and other potential research funding (from individuals including alumni and institutions) to address unfunded priorities critical to accelerating development across different sectors of the economy in Uganda.
Each financial year, Makerere University expects to receive at least 30 billion Uganda shillings (equivalent to US$ 8,100,000) under the Government Research and Innovations Fund (RIF). To this exciting news of funding from the Government of the Republic of Uganda, the University Management responded promptly by A Framework for Management of the Government Research and Innovation funds was developed and is being implemented since 2019.
A multi-disciplinary Grants Management Committee was appointed by the University after wide consultations with all the university Colleges. The multidisciplinary funded research and innovation projects are expected to generate actionable results that speak to national priorities.
Working with internal and external multidisciplinary reviewers, the Grants Management Committee vets, selects, and issues grants to teams that demonstrate a clear link to Government and its implementing partners on key development research gaps.
Over the four financial years, the Funds’ Grants Management Committee has issued 6 major grant calls and 4 needs-based solicitations, attributing to 865 awards. During this financial year (2022/23), the fund has introduced two new grants: one to support scale up and commercialization of research outputs and the other to support PhD research.
The Office of the Academic Registrar, Makerere University has released the admission lists for Bachelor of Laws for the Academic Year 2025/2026.
Please note that the list includes Government Sponsorship for Bachelor of Laws i.e A-Level (Direct Entry), Bachelor of Laws-Day – (LAW) and Bachelor of Laws-Afternoon – (LAA)
Makerere University has received 700 digital tablets from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), aimed at enhancing statistical research, teaching, and data-driven decision-making across the institution.
The donation was made on June 30, 2025, as part of UBOS’ broader initiative to distribute a total of 3,025 tablets to ten government-funded institutions of higher learning. The handover ceremony was attended by Makerere’s Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi and Mr. Simon Kizito, the Deputy University Secretary among other Vice Chancellors and accounting officers.
Vice Chancellors from government-funded institutions of higher learning that received the donation of tablets from UBOS.
Dr. Allen Kabagenyi, a UBOS Board Director, who coordinated the distribution of the tablets to the respective 10 Public universities, underscored the significance of inter-institutional collaboration in fostering a data-literate and innovative generation. “This initiative is a testament to the power of partnerships between public institutions. In a country like Uganda, with one of the youngest populations globally, equipping our future leaders with the right tools is critical to achieving both national and global development goals,” she remarked.
The tablets had initially been procured and deployed during the recently concluded National Population and Housing Census. UBOS Executive Director Dr. Chris Mukiza explained that their redistribution marks the beginning of the Bureau’s post-census utilization strategy.
Dr. Chris Mukiza (L) flanked by his Board Director Dr. Allen Kabagenyi (R) addressing the meeting.
“We acquired 120,000 tablets to conduct the census, and as we committed earlier, we are ensuring that these resources continue to serve the country even after the census,” said Dr. Mukiza. “Our expectation is that these tablets will strengthen data collection, teaching, and research in universities and higher institutions. We want to see a culture where statistics are not only produced but also actively used to influence development outcomes.”
Dr. Mukiza encouraged academic institutions to take full advantage of the extensive data available at UBOS, emphasizing that greater use of statistical resources will translate into more impactful research and policy interventions.
Some of the accounting officers who attended the handover ceremony.
During the same event – cultural institutions also received tablets.
With this donation, Makerere University is well-positioned to further empower students and researchers in statistical analysis, evidence-based planning, and innovation-driven teaching.