University of Sierra Leone

The University of Sierra Leone (USL) desirous of the need for grantsmanship and the needed support to increase its successes contracted IRACAFRICA to assist in setting up a research administration office and train USL staff.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between University of Sierra Leone and IRACAFRICA for a period of five (5) months, from August 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021. An IRACAFRICA consultant was dispatched immediately to Sierra Leone first to conduct a need assessment and a second follow up visit to train USL staff and to set up the office. Virtual meetings were also held with the newly appointed Grants Administrator at USL.

Objectives

I. Conduct needs assessment of the existing structures at USL for Research administration

II. Assist with establishing a Central Research Administration Office and register the office with major funding agencies

III. Develop policies to guide research administration-related activities

IV. Train existing staff to be conversant with the tenets of grants management

Summary of Activities

Needs Assessment of USL Structures and Capacity for Research Administration

The needs assessment was conducted for USL Research Faculty and administrative staff to provide information on gaps in their knowledge of basic research management practices. This involved in-person interviews to identify gaps. Sixteen participants were interviewed and at the end of which a report was submitted to the University. One of the recommendations made in the report was the comprehensive structuring of the USL Grants Management system, that focused on university-wide research coordination, promotion and management of trans-disciplinary research projects and building research management capacity. The submitted report is attached as Appendix I.

Registrations with major international funding agencies

The major funding agencies have all adopted electronic registration, grants applications, and pre- and post-award administration. To ensure that USL is compliant, employ electronic submissions of grants, etc. and to be eligible to apply for foreign grants, the University was registered with various donor agency platforms. These included registrations for Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS), System for Award Management (SAM), Commercial and Government Entity Code (NCAGE) and Employer Identification Number (EIN), which are relevant in the USA funding environment. The other registrations included the NIH Grants.gov, Wellcome Trust, and European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) platforms.

Establishment of a Central Research Administration Office

Staff recruitment

Among the first activities was to propose an organogram that outlined the structure of the central research support office. Then a job description for a Grant Administrator for the central office was developed to facilitate the recruitment of the Administrator. In the end, a senior USL administrator was identified to act in this capacity. The developed job description is attached as Appendix II.

Proposed organizational structure of the Office of Research Support (ORS)

Having considered USL's mandate and mission, the best practices from renowned research universities whose level USL aspires, and USL's vision of transformation into a research-intensive university, an organogram was proposed. The staffing, the roles, and their responsibilities to be the operational structure of USL’s ORS were defined. The key units of the proposed ORS included the following:

1. Director of Research has responsibility of the overall ORS administration.

2. Grants administration unit, which manages the electronic submission of grants processes, and documentation.

3. Grants Accounting unit responsible for funds disbursement and financial reporting

4. Research Performance and Monitoring, for monitoring project implementation, Evaluating Research output/metrics, and publications

5. Research Ethics and Integrity, for ethics and research integrity, ensuring compliance

Development of grants management policies

The under-listed policies, which are mandatory for research grant management was developed and submitted to USL for review and customization. The developed policy drafts were:

1. Travel Policy

2. Anti-Corruption Policy

3. Conflict of Interest Policy

4. Research Ethics Policy

5. Research Policy

6. Indirect Cost Policy

7. Financial Regulation

8. Sexual Harassment and Misconduct Policy

9. Risk Management Policy

10. Effort and Compensation

11. Innovation Policy

12. Proposal Routing Policy

13. Proposal and Grant Award Acceptance and Registration Policy

Training workshops

Two training workshops were held on 20-24 September 2021 and 7-11 February 2022. On each visit, two-day and three-day workshops respectively were organized for USL’s research faculty and administrative staff. The training was designed to introduce participants to research administration and the best practices, proposal writing and grants submission. Participants were taken through presentations on:

First training workshop (20-24 September 2021)

1. Importance of a research support office

2. Resources are available at the research support office.

3. Developing a checklist for proposal submission

4. Role of the research administrator

Second training workshop (7-11 February 2022)

1. Non-NIH grant sources

2. Budget preparation and categories

3. Reviewing a Funding Opportunity

4. Proposal Writing and Submission

5. Managing grants

6. Negotiating International Contract

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University of Cape Coast- Ghana

The University of Cape Coast signed an MoU with IRACFRICA in 2023. The scope of service was to facilitate a 3-day training on grant administration for grant administrators and research fellows in the University.

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North-West University, South Africa

The North-West University, Potchefstroom South Africa engaged the services of IRACFRICA to assess the existing structure of the research support office and assist in revamping the office.

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Navrongo Health Research Center (NHRC)

In March 2024, the Navrongo Health Research Center signed an MoU with IRACAFRICA to train staff of the newly established research support office and assist in positioning the office to be fully functional.

Scope of service

The full range of services to be provided by the Consultants shall be a complete grant research and administration package to include the following:

· Assess the internal structure of the Center and develop a detailed plan of action and organizational structure for streamlined grant management processes in the Center.

· Recruitment of skilled staff for the office of grants administration. This includes assisting in developing adverts for applications and developing job descriptions for staff.

· Registration of the Center for Compliance and eligibility in grant submission.

· Registration of the Center with donor agencies for eligibility in grant submission.

· Development of research portfolio for research faculty.

· Development of grant management manual, policies, and SOPs for effective grants management.

· Training for newly recruited grant administration staff and other grant administrators in the Center.

· Training for research faculty of the Center. · Develop a list of strong grant prospects for use by the Center for further grant writings or applications.

· Research grant opportunities and disseminating to research faculty for application.

· Assisting in the developing of a series of highly competitive grant proposals and package proposals for submission (within the period of agreement) by working closely with Center research faculty.

· Offer routine mentoring sessions to make suggestions and offer advice for grant proposals, including insight on areas of improvement, training staff to write grants.

Summary of Activities

Restructuring of the Office

The IRACAFRICA team paid a working visit to NHRC and spent one week with the Grant Management Office. To streamline grants management at the Center, an official email address was created for the office where all grant related activities are communicated. Standardized forms for financial management were also developed including a funds request form.

Registrations

Renewals for Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS), Nato Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE), System for Award Management (SAM), Employer Identification Number (EIN) and Electronic Research Administration (eRA) Commons, Grants.gov were completed. Registrations with the National Institute of Health (NIH), Wellcome Trust, DANIDA, European Union, Grand Challenges, Center for Disease Control (CDC), African Academy of Science (AAS) have also been completed.

Training

Training for Faculty and staff of the Grant Management Office have been held both in person and online. Topics addressed include:

i) Fundamentals of research administration/Basic Research Administration principle

ii) The Role of a Research Administrator in an Institution/ Center

iii) Establishing Office for Research Support/Overview of the Office for Research Support

iv) Sourcing for funding opportunities for faculty members

v) Identifying and managing anxiety, stress and related depression to health research faculty and grant management staff.

vi) Managing grants

vii) Financial management

viii)Building a supportive environment for research management

ix)Professional Development for Research Administrators

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University of Makerere, Uganda

In December 2024, the Grants Management and Support Unit of the University of Makerere, Uganda, engaged the services of IRACAFRICA to facilitate a one-week training workshop for Faculty members and management of the University.

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National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), Nigeria

In July 2024, NIMR and IRACFRICA signed an MoU to engage the services of IRACAFRICA for training and policy development. A needs assessment was conducted to evaluate the gabs and areas of interest to the consultancy.

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National Public Health Institute of Liberia

An MoU was signed between NPHIL and NOA for a period of nine (9) months, commencing February 1, 2019 and ending October 31, 2019. The specific objectives of the MoU are:

1. Training

2. Revamping of Office of Research Support

3. Supervision/Mentoring

4. Sourcing Grants

5. Grant Management

Summary of Activities

Registrations

The following registrations were completed during this period.

1. System for Award Management (SAM)

2. Commercial and Government Entity Code (NCAGE) and

3. Employer Identification Number (EIN).

Other registrations with the Wellcome Trust, and European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) were also completed.

Restructuring

The establishment of the Research Office required step by step revamping of the existing structures. This begun with creating an email account for the office and the name of the office changed to ORS-Global Health in Partnership to broaden the scope of research activities to be done scientists. A checklist for review of eligible funding opportunity was designed for use. A draft Grant Manual was developed and tailored for NPHIL. An organogram of the ORS-Global Health partnership was also developed. Job descriptions including roles and responsibilities of each staff of the office were developed.

Training

Based on review of needs assessment received from Fellows in the Institute, a training module was developed and structured to address gaps identified in the assessment. One of the such gaps is post-award grant management, which most of the fellows had little knowledge of. Training topics included:

· How to prepare and submit award-winning proposals

· Before you apply for a grant

· Managing grants

· Project reporting

· Budget preparation

· Grant application processes/Grant Proposal submission

· Identifying grant opportunities

· Fundamentals of research administration/Basic Research Administration principles

· The Role of a Research Administrator in an Institution/ University

· Establishing Office for Research Support/Overview of the Office for Research Support

· Improving the performance of a newly established office for Research Support

· Financial management

· Building a supportive environment for research management

· Professional Development for Research Administrators

Grant Applications

With the completion of all the required registrations, eligible calls for application were disseminated to the various Fellows for submission. A total of thirteen calls were identified and disseminated to faculty members through the research support office. Areas of interest included Meningitis, Influenza, Tuberculosis, Mycobacteria, and other infectious diseases. Calls were sourced from Grants.gov from agencies such as NIH, NIAID, NICHD, World Academy of Sciences- German Research Foundation (TWAS-DFG), Cancer Research Institute (Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowships), UKRI Global Challenges Research Fund Collective Programme, MRC/DFID African Research Leader Scheme and many more. Two funding opportunities were submitted. The NIH/NIAID funded PAR-18-335: Global Infectious Disease Research Administration Development Award for Low-and Middle-Income Country Institutions and the CDC funded CDC-RFA-GH19-1962 Strengthening Laboratory, Blood Safety, and Infection Prevention and Control Capacities in Liberia.

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African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), Ghana

In June 2024, AFENET engaged IRACAFRICA to assist in establishing a research support office at the Network in furtherance of research activities, strategic objectives, and statutory mandates of the Network.

Scope of Service

The full range of services to be provided by IRACAFRICA was a complete grant research and administration package to include the following:

· Assess the internal structure of the Network and develop a detailed plan of action and organizational structure for streamlined grant management processes in the Network. That is, we will develop a robust organogram for the proposed Grants Management Unit (GMU) and develop a job description for the parties in the organogram.

· Recruitment of skilled staff for the unit. This includes assisting in developing adverts for applications and developing job descriptions for staff.

· Registration of the Network for Compliance and eligibility in grant submission. This includes registrations and renewal for Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS), Nato Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE), System for Award Management (SAM), Employer Identification Number (EIN), Electronic Research Administration (eRA) Commons, Grants.gov, Je-S

· Registration of the Network with donor agencies for eligibility in grant submission. This includes registrations with the National Institute of Health (NIH), Wellcome Trust, DANIDA, European Union, Grand Challenges, Network for Disease Control (CDC), African Academy of Science (AAS)

· Development of grant management manual, policies, and SOPs for effective grants management.

· Training for newly recruited grant administration staff and other grant administrators in the Network. Topics to be addressed include:

ü Fundamentals of research administration/Basic Research Administration principle

ü The Role of a Research Administrator in an Institution/ Network

ü Establishing Office for Research Support/Overview of the Office for Research Support

ü Sourcing for funding opportunities for faculty members

ü Identifying and managing anxiety, stress and related depression to health research faculty and grant management staff.

ü Managing grants

ü Financial management

ü Building a supportive environment for research management

ü Professional Development for Research Administrators

· Assisting in the development of a series of highly competitive grant proposals and package proposals for submission (within the period of agreement) by working closely with Network research faculty.

· Offer routine mentoring sessions to make suggestions and offer advice for grant proposals, including insight on areas of improvement and training staff to write grants.

Summary of Activities

Needs assessment

To kickstart activities outlined in the workplan, a needs assessment of the structures and policies of the Institute was done on July 5, 2024. A questionnaire was submitted to the three trainees to complete. The completed questionnaires were received on July 10, 2024. A report on the needs assessment was submitted to the management of AFENET.

Registrations

After a series of activities with IRACAFRICA, AFENET currently has completed the following registrations:

· Participant Identification Code (PIC)

· Unique identifier Number (UEI)

· Nato Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE)

· System for Award Management (SAM)

· Joint Electronic Submission (Je-S)

Development of policies, grant manual and SOPs

A draft policy on indirect cost has been submitted to AFENET for review.

Development of systems and organizational structure

The newly established office has been officially named AFENET Ghana Research Support Office (AFENETGRSO). An official email was also created for the office to streamline communication and facilitate quick response to queries. A proposed structure for the office was also discussed with trainees.

Training of grant administrators

Four training sessions have organized for trainees in the following areas:

· Importance of the Grants Office and the Resources available to Fellows

· Career and professional development for Research Administrators

· Funding sources and funding opportunities for Research manager

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Tropical Infectious Diseases Research Center (TIDRC), University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin

In July 2024, TIDRC engaged IRACAFRICA to assist in establishing a research support office at the Network in furtherance of research activities, strategic objectives, and statutory mandates of the Network.

Scope of Service

The full range of services to be provided by IRACAFRICA was a complete grant research and administration package to include the following:

· Assess the internal structure of the Network and develop a detailed plan of action and organizational structure for streamlined grant management processes in the Network. That

is, we will develop a robust organogram for the proposed Grants Management Unit (GMU) and develop a job description for the parties in the organogram.

· Recruitment of skilled staff for the unit. This includes assisting in developing adverts for applications and developing job descriptions for staff.

· Development of grant management manual, policies, and SOPs for effective grants management.

· Training for newly recruited grant administration staff and other grant administrators in the Network. Topics to be addressed include:

i) Fundamentals of research administration/Basic Research Administration principle

ii) The Role of a Research Administrator in an Institution/ Network

iii) Establishing Office for Research Support/Overview of the Office for Research Support

iv) Sourcing for funding opportunities for faculty members

v) Identifying and managing anxiety, stress and related depression to health research faculty and grant management staff.

vi) Managing grants

vii) Financial management

viii) Building a supportive environment for research management

ix) Professional Development for Research Administrators

· Offer routine mentoring sessions to make suggestions and offer advice for grant proposals, including insight on areas of improvement and training staff to write grants.

Summary of Activities

Registrations

After a series of activities with IRACAFRICA, AFENET currently has completed the following registrations:

· Participant Identification Code (PIC)

· Unique identifier Number (UEI)

· Nato Commercial and Government Entity (NCAGE)

· System for Award Management (SAM)

· Joint Electronic Submission (Je-S)

Development of policies, grant manual and SOPs

The under-listed policies, which are mandatory for research grant management was developed and submitted to TIDRC for review and customization. The developed policy drafts were:

· Travel Policy

· Consultancy Policy

· Indirect cost Policy

· Research Policy

· Scientific Misconduct Policy

· Record retention Policy

· Effort and Compensation policy

· Proposal Routing Policy

Development of systems and organizational structure

The newly established office has been officially named Research Management Office ad a Grant Administrator was recruited for the Office. An official email was also created for the office to streamline communication and facilitate quick response to queries.

Training of grant administrators

Online and in-person training sessions have organized for trainees in the following areas:

· Grant Proposal Writing

· Developing a checklist for proposal development

· Career Development and Professional growth

· Budget and Budget justification

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University of Sierra Leone

University of Cape Coast- Ghana

North-West University, South Africa

Navrongo Health Research Center (NHRC)

University of Makerere, Uganda

National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), Nigeria

National Public Health Institute of Liberia

African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), Ghana

Tropical Infectious Diseases Research Center (TIDRC), University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin

Funding

IracAfrica