Research
Makerere University Rolls Out Thesis Completion Grants to Accelerate PhD Research and Strengthen National Policy Impact
By Moses Lutaaya
KAMPALA — The Directorate of Graduate Training at Makerere University has launched a thesis completion grant aimed at supporting PhD students to complete their research, improve completion rates, and align academic work with Uganda’s national development priorities.
This was on Monday 8th June, 2026 at Telepresence hall at the Senate Building, Makerere University, where beneficiaries met with leadership of the Directorate Graduate Training.
Speaking at the rollout, Prof. Julius Kikooma said the initiative responds to long-standing funding gaps in doctoral training, which have historically left many researchers struggling to complete their studies.
“For quite a while, Makerere University, just like other institutions in the country, was predominantly supported by development partners when it comes to research support, because by nature research is very resource intensive,” Prof. Kikooma said.
He explained that much of the earlier support for PhD training came from development partners such as SIDA, which enabled many candidates to complete their studies. However, he noted that this support gradually ended around 2018–2019, leaving a significant gap in research funding.
“Around 2018–2019, that support came to an end. And so the gap became much more visible,” he said, adding that the university could not reverse its commitment to training PhD-level staff despite the financial constraints.
Prof. Kikooma said the university has since been working to mobilize internal resources to support doctoral students, noting that the new grant is intended to assist candidates who are already at advanced stages of their research.
“We thought it would be important that there is some money available which can help as you progress, even though we may not be able to shoulder the whole financial burden of your PhD research,” he said.
He emphasized that the fund is small but strategically targeted at critical activities such as fieldwork, data collection, and limited publication support. “The budget is very small, but we are convinced that there can be some progress based on that support,” he added.
Prof. Kikooma further said that beneficiaries will be required to implement their thesis completion activities or work within six months, submit a progress report after three months, and adhere to strict monitoring arrangements to ensure accountability and timely completion of their Doctoral studies.
“We are going to come up with a roadmap and follow you up just to make sure you don’t go off track,” he said, stressing that the funds are public resources that must be used within defined timelines.
He also underscored the importance of aligning research with national priorities and ensuring that doctoral work contributes beyond academia.
“Those days are gone now where research has no connection with any national interest,” he said. “The research that we do here must be clear and aligned with national priorities.”
He added that the university now expects PhD candidates to extract policy-relevant outputs from their research to contribute to national decision-making processes.
“We expect that from your work you extract something that can lead to a conversation around national issues and policy direction,” he said.
In a related address, Phillip Mawejje, the Principal accountant at the Directorate of Graduate Training confirmed that 18 PhD candidates had benefited from the revised grant following a budget review process.
“It is more than 10. We managed to facilitate 18 this time around based on your budgets,” Mawejje said, adding that all beneficiaries had received their funds or should immediately report any delays.
He instructed recipients to consult Dr. Nestor Mugabe to work with the revised budgets in line with the disbursed amounts.
“As I speak now, I believe all of you have the money. If you have not received it, please let us know,” he said.
Mawejje emphasized strict accountability requirements, noting that beneficiaries must account for the funds within 60 working days or earlier, depending on the nature of their research activities.
“We will need accountability for that money because this is public funds, and our instructions require that you account for the funds within 60 working days or less,” he said.
He added that while extensions may be considered in cases of ongoing research, progress reports must be provided to justify continued use of the funds.
“It is either earlier or within 60 days. If your work takes longer due to unavoidable circumstances, please give us progress reports,” he said.
He also announced that once the PhD candidates complete their studies, the university will organize a dissemination workshop to allow them to present their findings and demonstrate their contribution to society and the economy.
“We will conduct a workshop and then you come and disseminate your findings and how impactful it is to society and the economy,” he said.
The initiative is part of Makerere University’s broader effort to improve doctoral completion rates, strengthen research output, and ensure that academic work contributes directly to Uganda’s development agenda amid declining external research funding.
Uganda’s latest national HIV survey reveals lower viral suppression among adolescents and young adults living with HIV than among older adults, even as the country records substantial improvements in controlling the virus. The findings come from Uganda Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA 2025), a national household survey examining HIV prevalence and whether people living with the virus know their status, receive treatment, and achieve viral suppression.
Releasing the preliminary UPHIA 2025 findings at the Uganda Media Centre on 1 October 2026, Minister of Health Hon. Dr. Chris Baryomunsi called for earlier prevention and testing, particularly among adolescent girls and young women, alongside support for treatment adherence. “We must reach out to the young people, ensure that they have information, they test, take treatment, and adhere to the treatment guidance,” he urged.
Hon. Baryomunsi recalled how fear had discouraged testing during his university years: “I remember when we were at university, we went for testing at the university hospital. We sat there for three hours. Some of us left without even testing because it was scary.” Today, he explained, “even if you test HIV positive, you can be initiated on treatment, and you live normally like the rest of those who don’t have HIV.”
UPHIA 2025 was locally led under the Ministry of Health’s overall leadership, with Makerere University School of Public Health serving as the prime implementer, a role ICAP at Columbia University held in the previous two surveys. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics led sampling, while the Uganda Virus Research Institute and National Health Laboratory and Diagnostic Services led laboratory operations. Regional referral hospitals and local governments supported implementation, and the U.S. government provided US$10 million through PEPFAR, along with technical assistance from the U.S. CDC.
UPHIA collected data from July to September 2025 among people aged 15 and above, including those outside routine treatment services. Of 6,283 eligible households, 94.4% completed interviews. Researchers interviewed 13,801 people and tested 13,477 for HIV.
Testing followed Uganda’s national algorithm, with laboratory confirmation of positive samples, viral-load measurement, and checks for antiretroviral medicines to establish treatment use. Researchers weighted the estimates to account for the sampling design. Participants received counselling and results, and those who tested positive were referred for treatment.
Hon. Baryomunsi thanked participants and their families for welcoming survey staff and contributing their time, information and samples, without which the national evidence would not have been available.
National progress and the youth gap
The survey estimated HIV prevalence, which means the proportion of people living with HIV, at 5.9% among those aged 15 and above, corresponding to about 1.496 million people in this age group nationwide. Prevalence was 7.3% among women and 4.1% among men, ranging from 1.3% in Karamoja to 8% in the South Western region.
Among people aged 15 and above living with HIV, 86% had achieved viral suppression, meaning a low amount of HIV in the blood, measured in UPHIA as fewer than 1,000 copies per millilitre. Suppression stood at 69.3% among adolescents and young adults aged 15–24 living with HIV, compared with 89.9% among those aged 50 and above. These estimates cover people living with HIV regardless of whether they know their status or receive treatment.
HIV prevalence among people aged 15–24 was 1.5%, including 2% among young women and 1% among young men. Among young women, prevalence was 1.3% at ages 15–19 and 2.8% at ages 20–24. These differences support attention to earlier prevention and testing, although they do not establish when infections occurred.
The highest prevalence estimates occurred among middle-aged adults: 15.7% among women aged 40–44 and 11.7% among men aged 45–49. Lower suppression among young people therefore requires attention alongside the higher HIV prevalence among middle-aged adults. Comparing the same age group across both surveys, viral suppression among people aged 15–64 increased from 74.9% in 2020–21 to 86.1% in 2025, while HIV prevalence remained at 5.9%.
Diagnosis and the path to 2030
The treatment results identify diagnosis as the main national gap. Among people aged 15 and above living with HIV, 85.3% knew their status. Of those aware, 99.1% were receiving treatment; among those receiving treatment, 96.5% had achieved suppression.
The 95-95-95 targets aimed for 95% of people living with HIV to know their status, 95% of those diagnosed to receive treatment, and 95% of those receiving treatment to achieve viral suppression by 2025. Among people aged 15 and above, Uganda exceeded the treatment and suppression targets, while diagnosis remained below target. UNAIDS’s Global AIDS Strategy 2026–2031 retains these targets towards ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
According to WHO, viral suppression protects health and helps prevent HIV transmission. Uncontrolled HIV weakens the immune system, increasing the risk of serious illness. With continued treatment as prescribed, sexual transmission risk is negligible when HIV remains suppressed but detectable, and zero when undetectable. The Uganda AIDS Commission estimated over 34,000 new HIV infections in 2025, underscoring the importance of early diagnosis, timely treatment, and sustained suppression alongside other prevention measures.
The demographic stakes are substantial. People aged 15–24 constituted 21.2% of Uganda’s population in the 2024 census. The country’s Fourth National Development Plan, covering 2025–2030, prioritises a healthy, knowledgeable, skilled and productive population and reducing HIV through primary health care. Protecting young people’s health, therefore, supports their participation in education, work, and national development; UPHIA helps identify where services need greater attention.
Turning evidence into action
The study’s conclusions identify three priorities: sustain treatment outcomes, find people unaware of their status, and improve suppression among younger people. Permanent Secretary Dr. Diana Atwine connected the findings to the Ministry’s planning.
“We do believe that these results are a true reflection of what is happening in our country as far as the HIV status is concerned, and we do believe that it will give us a very clear direction and the roadmap that we are going to take in the next five years to target and to get our targets achieved.”
Acting on these priorities requires funding for services and research. Hon. Baryomunsi outlined plans to target resources where needs are greatest, strengthen district services and align partner support with government priorities. Responding to journalists’ questions, he noted the government’s intention to increase domestic funding for the HIV response, including research.
“The HIV/AIDS response, including research and surveys such as this one, has largely been funded by partners in the past. The government of Uganda is committed to allocating more resources from our domestic budget to support the response and research,” he noted.
For the first time in the UPHIA series, the survey assessed selected noncommunicable disease indicators among people aged 15 and above: 15.5% had elevated blood pressure, 24.8% were overweight or obese, and 0.9% had raised random blood glucose. These screening findings align with the Ministry’s integration agenda and Hon. Baryomunsi’s call to bring HIV and chronic care services together to address people’s wider health needs.
Speaking at the release of the preliminary results, U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Mikael (Mika) Cleverley described UPHIA 2025 as the first Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment worldwide fully led and implemented by the country itself.
“The study was led by Ugandan scientists, Ugandan managers, Ugandan public servants, Ugandan field teams, from design to data collection to analysis. And this is what two decades of focused strategic U.S. foreign investments in the public health sector was meant to produce, is to reinforce Ugandan leadership and Ugandan-led efforts.”
At the survey launch on 29 May 2025, MakSPH Dean Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze highlighted the partnership’s contribution: “The partnership between Makerere University and CDC has not only helped build national capacity in surveillance and epidemiology, but has also strengthened our ability to lead high-quality, large-scale national surveys.”
The Dean added: “After two decades of joint work, we are proud that UPHIA is now a fully Ugandan-led effort. This is critical to the sustainability of the skills and knowledge generation to inform our local response.”
UPHIA 2025 shows how far Uganda’s HIV response has advanced and where gaps remain. As the country works towards ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, reaching young people with testing, treatment, and continued care will be essential to extending those gains.
Read the full UPHIA 2025 summary results here:
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