The Makerere University Grants Management System (MakGMS) was on Tuesday 12th March 2024 officially launched by the University Council at a ceremony presided over by the Chairperson, Finance, Planning, Administration and Investment Committee (FPAIC), Mr. Bruce Kabaasa. The hybrid ceremony held in the School of Food Technology, Nutrition and Bioengineering Conference Hall was graced by Members of Management led by the Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, the Leadership and Staff of the Grants Administration and Management Support Unit (GAMSU) as well as Makerere University Research and Innovations Fund (Mak-RIF) and project Principal Investigators.
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor who credited Chairperson FPAIC with not only conceiving the idea but also following up on the development of MakGMS concluded that there was no one better placed to launch the same. Mr. Kabaasa in turn thanked former members of FPAIC such as Prof. Winston Tumps Ireeta for going the extra mile in contributing to the formulation of the supporting regulation, the Makerere University Grants and Administration Management Policy. In the same breath, he thanked the Head GAMSU, Prof. Sylvia Antonia Nakimera Nannyonga-Tamusuza for working hard and swiftly to ensure that the MakGMS is developed and launched.
Mr. Kabaasa reassured his audience that the essence of the policy and system is not to control, but rather provide an institutionalised support mechanism for those winning grants to execute them efficiently. Additionally, he said MakGMS is meant to “support those who don’t have the grants to understand where the grants are, and to perform mentoring that those of you who are successful are meant to perform with those who are emerging because academia is a mentoring field.”
Still on academia, the Chairperson FPAIC noted that “we live in a University where statements like inter, intra and multidisciplinary are the mantras of academic discourse.” He added that these mantras are not possible if people are not relating, hence underscoring another function of the MakGMS – to provide a dashboard where at a glance, it will be easy and possible to see the research being undertaken at institutional level and how researchers can augment each other’s work.
Earlier, Prof. Nawangwe in his remarks had noted that as Makerere University aims to shift from a research-intensive to a research-led paradigm, it was important to organize and automate the various systems so as to ensure that all staff and students contribute to the university’s strategic direction. Citing China’s continued rise in global influence as a result of a robust research and innovations output, the Vice Chancellor reiterated that unless systems such as MakGMS were put in place, it was going to be hard to monitor and evaluate how Makerere’s research contributes to national and continental growth aspirations.
“MakGMS is one way to streamline what we are doing so that we can do more research, attract more grants, get more people involved and know who is doing what and how it is useful for our country and continent” he stated.
Prof. Nawangwe therefore congratulated the Head GAMSU and her team for bringing the much-needed energy that has propelled the MakGMS to launch stage. He lauded the GAMSU Steering Committee headed by the Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration), Prof. Henry Alinaitwe, acknowledging that with their combined strength, the system could not fail. In the same breath, he commended the Directorate for ICT Support (DICTS) headed by Mr. Samuel Mugabi for doing an excellent job in as far as the in-house development of systems is concerned.
Acknowledging that GAMSU is a key unit of the university that cannot be taken for granted in terms of generating data for off-budget reporting, Prof. Henry Alinaitwe introduced members of the Steering Committee namely; the University Secretary-Mr. Yusuf Kiranda, Dr. Sabrina Kitaka, Dr. Charles Masembe, Dr. Agnes Rwashana Semwanga, Dr. Helen Nambalirwa Nkabala, Dr. Godfrey Akileng, Dr. Robert Wamala, Mr. Gyaviira Lubowa and current Head GAMSU-Prof. Sylvia Antonia Nakimera Nannyonga-Tamusuza. He equally acknowledged the contribution of former Heads of GAMSU, Prof. Grace Bantebya and Prof. William Bazeyo, whose efforts, he said, laid the foundation for developments such as MakGMS.
“Makerere is aspiring to be a research-led University and GAMSU is at the centre of that aspiration. This is where we consolidate all the data regarding grants, support research or grant writing, and report about grants in terms of topics, amounts of money received and their distributions per quarter or annum” Prof. Alinaitwe explained.
In his capacity as the University Accounting Officer, Mr. Yusuf Kiranda used the launch as an opportunity to remind the audience that all grants received by the University are subject to the supreme law in the administration of public funds i.e. the Public Finance Management Act, as well as guidelines of the Treasury Instructions 2017. Nevertheless, he noted that Section 44 of the Act provides a waiver for public entities such as Makerere to maintain the funds in-house upon obtaining exemption from the Minister responsible for Finance. He concluded by observing that whereas it had hitherto been nearly impossible to obtain the aforementioned waiver, “with the launch of this system (MakGMS), I believe that problem is resolved.”
The woman of the moment Prof. Nannyonga-Tamusuza couldn’t help but thank the Vice Chancellor for entrusting her with the huge responsibility of heading GAMSU, noting that there was no better way to commemorate her first year in office than the launch of MakGMS. She equally acknowledged the support rendered by the University Secretary and the entire Management to GAMSU during the development of the system. MakGMS was developed in-house by DICTS, with Mr. Denis Wamala as lead developer seconded by the Director Mr. Samuel Mugabi.
Speaking broadly about the research infrastructure at Makerere, Mr. Mugabi described ICT as “a critical enabler of the research ecosystem”, and that it is important that the University establishes state-of-the-art digital research infrastructure. He added that the approach taken by Makerere in this regard is to gradually shift from procuring expensive proprietary systems to building in-house capacity to develop systems that can solve institutional and national problems.
“We are now an integrated process-driven University but we need to become a data-driven institution and that is where the big data analytics comes in. And we need to adopt emerging technologies, which we are starting to do” Mr. Mugabi shared.
Speaking more about the system, Prof. Nannyonga-Tamusuza noted that MakGMS will require authentication using the Makerere University email credentials and all who are going to access the system will be required to sign oaths of confidentiality so as to build trust among system users. MakGMS will also support archiving of supporting documents and research data, and will be able to automatically issue certificates to users for grants received. The system will also integrate automatic communication between GAMSU and Principal Investigators so as to notify researchers on the progress of grant applications. SMS notifications to users will be incorporated in the future.
Supplementing Prof. Nannyonga-Tamusuza’s submission, the Lead Developer, Mr. Denis Wamala shared that MakGMS has been built on robust, scalable infrastructure that is primarily open source. The merits of this is that the system will be easy to integrate with other existing Information Systems, which will greatly enhance data sharing.
Prof. Nannyonga-Tamusuza concluded by reassuring all Principal Investigators that the MakGMS is here to support their work, and that GAMSU remains committed to providing training on grant writing in partnership with the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training (DRGT) as well as providing all supporting documents required during application processes. She added that MakGMS will greatly enhance monitoring and evaluation of grants performance so as to offer insights on how to improve or mitigate any risks that could arise.
Proceedings of the launch were moderated by the Principal Public Relations Officer, Ms. Ritah Namisango and committed to God Almighty through a prayer led by the GAMSU Accountant, Ms. Christine Ninsiima.
The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine is pleased to announce the 3rd U.S.-Africa Frontiers of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Symposium in partnership with and hosted by the Republic of Rwanda. The upcoming meeting will be held on February 18-20, 2025 in Kigali, Rwanda. The application is now open for scientists, engineers, and medical professionals from the United States and African Union member countries to submit their application online before the deadline of July 7, 2024, 11:59 PMET (Washington D.C. time).
This program brings together outstanding early/mid-career scientists, engineers, and medical professionals (within 15 years of most recent degree), from the United States and the member countries of the African Union for a series of symposia to discuss exciting advances and opportunities in their fields. The goal of these meetings is to enhance scientific exchange and dialogue among early-to-middle career researchers in African countries and the United States, including the African science diaspora, and through this interaction facilitate research collaboration within and beyond the region. Another unique aspect of the Frontiers events is the pluri-disciplinarity of the participants’ backgrounds and research interests.
One of the main objectives of this Frontiers symposium is to advance our understanding of cutting-edge S&T trends in the U.S. and Africa and to foster dialogue and collaborations across disciplines. The upcoming symposium will address the following topics:
Session I: New Solutions for Decarbonization
Session II: Biotechnology
Session III: Precision Agriculture
Session IV: Advances in Space Research
Session V: Smart and Connected Cities
We encourage early-career scientists, engineers and medical professionals working on related research to apply to this multidisciplinary meeting, as long as they fulfill the eligibility criteria. Each general participant will also have the opportunity to present their research during poster sessions. Travel of selected participants will be covered. More details on the symposium, organization, and program can be found on the symposium webpage.
Please submit your application online by 11:59 PM ET on July 7, 2024. For more information on the U.S.-Africa Frontiers Program, please visit our program website. Please email USAfricaSTEM@nas.edu with any questions.
Mobility for Clean Energy Solutions to promote energy independence and environmental well-being through collaboration and innovation, addressing climate challenges across Africa.
Background:
Africa, a continent brimming with potential, faces a critical challenge: ensuring energy access and tackling climate change. Over 50% of its population lacks electricity, and relying on unsustainable practices threatens their health and the environment. Yet, Africa possesses a wealth of untapped renewable resources – a golden key to unlocking a brighter future. The Homegrown Clean Energy (HCE) Solutions Project steps in to address these challenges with a vision driven by African ingenuity. We are empowering universities, the private sector, and local communities to develop clean energy solutions tailored to their specific needs.
The objectives of Homegrown Clean Energy:
Promote the development of Homegrown Clean Energy (HCE) solutions for underrepresented communities.
Facilitate knowledge sharing and technology transfer among participating institutions.
Enhance entrepreneurship skills in clean energy solutions for climate change adaptation and mitigation in Africa.
Promote gender equality and social inclusion in clean energy solutions.
Participating Institutions:
Federal University of Technology Minna (FUTMIN), Nigeria
Makerere University is pleased to announce a vacancy for the position of Assistant Administrative Officer (REC Administrator) within the School of Biomedical Sciences Research Ethics Committee (MakSBSREC). This is an excellent opportunity for qualified individuals to contribute to the ethical oversight of research involving human participants.
Duration: 1 Year, renewable upon satisfactory performance
Duty Station: Kampala
Qualifications, Desired Skills, and Experience:
Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences and Humanities, Medicine and Surgery, Ethics and Human Rights, or any related field.
Master’s degree in Bioethics (an added advantage).
Up-to-date training in Human Subject Protection or Good Clinical Practice.
Proficiency in English (both spoken and written).
Prior experience in regulatory work in research studies or projects.
Excellent communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and meet deadlines.
How to Apply:
Qualified and interested candidates are invited to submit a soft copy of their application documents and a motivation letter to deansbs.chs@mak.ac.ug with the subject line “Application for the position of Assistant Administrative Officer (REC Administrator)”. Address your application to the Dean, School of Biomedical Sciences.
Deadline for submission: July 2, 2024, by 5:00 pm Ugandan time.
Please provide a reliable 24-hour phone contact. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews.