African Academy of Sciences International Research Management Staff Development Programme 2020 (Funded)

Deadline: August 10, 2020

Applications are open for the African Academy of Sciences International Research Management Staff Development Programme 2020. The programme aims to contribute to the strand on developing individual capacity of research management staff.

The programme is focusing on knowledge sharing and the development of tools and resources, created by teams consisting of research management professionals from across Africa and the UK.

This call for expressions of interest serves as an invitation to all research management professionals in Africa and UK working in academic and research institutions to lodge applications to participate in the programme which will involve:

1. Virtual seminars/workshops to support individual professional development,
2. Innovation development to generate community benefit,
3. Staff exchange visits from the UK to Africa to facilitate relationships and knowledge exchange. 

Benefits

Participants will be given the opportunity to:

• Take part in tailored professional development activities;
• Co-create community resources through their innovation project;
• Enhance their knowledge and expertise around international collaboration;
• Enhance their national and international professional networks;
• Enhance their personal and institutional profile with key national and international stakeholders including institutions, funders and professional associations; and
• Disseminate and share their learning through a range of activities and events.

Costs

• African Applicants:
  • The AAS will cover air travel, accommodation, visa costs and local transport costs of African participants.
• UK Applicants: The programme will meet the costs for each of the following:
  • Virtual seminars and workshops;
  • Innovation development;
  • Learning and development support;
  • Administrative support in accessing ARMA resources for dissemination activities; and
  • Opportunities to showcase and disseminate the participants’ outputs to a wider audience, including through ARMA publications and events.

Eligibility

Africa applicants

Individual Criteria

• Research managers and administrators working at universities and or research institutions in Africa.
• Hold a permanent or fixed-term contract in an eligible African institution, which must span the duration of the programme.
• All individual applicants should have a supporting letter from their institution allowing them to take part in the programme and expressing their support.
• Successful individual applicants will be expected to seek membership in or affiliation with their respective Research Management and Innovation Association Central Africa Research and Innovation Association (CARIMA), Eastern Africa Research and Innovation Management Association(EARIMA), Southern Africa Research and Innovation Management Association( SARIMA), Western Africa Research and Innovation Management Association (WARIMA). In instances where a Research and Innovation Management Association (RIMA) doesn’t exist, participants will be added to a mailing list and will be required to join the RIMA once it is up and running.

Group Criteria

• Be applying as part of a group of up to five research management professionals from multiple research organisations within a region or within a country, so that each group is made up of individuals from different and diverse institutions. Regions are identified in Africa as within one of the areas covered by each professional association (e.g countries represented within Eastern Africa Research and Innovation Management Association (EARIMA).
• Each group should be made up of 3 to 5 applicants.
• All applicants must be able to commit time to the whole programme and activities outlined in the curriculum. 

UK applicants

Individual Criteria

• Research managers and administrators working in the UK, including universities, funding bodies, NHS R&D departments and independent research institutions.
• Hold a permanent or fixed-term contract in an eligible UK institution, which must span the duration of the programme.
• Individuals should be existing members of ARMA or able to join at the point of application.
• All individual applicants should have a supporting letter from their institution allowing them to take part in the programme and expressing their support.

Group Criteria

• Be applying as part of a group made up of research management professionals from multiple research organisations based within the same region, so that each group is made up of individuals from different and diverse institutions.
• Each group should be made up of 3 to 5 applicants.
• All applicants must be able to commit time to the whole programme and activities outlined in the curriculum.

Application

Teams will nominate one member who will lodge the main application for the entire team, and therefore act as the contact point. The application form will include questions on:

1. Personal information on the team members including personal profiles;
2. Information on represented institutions;
3. Brief overview on the teams proposed innovation/project and its thematic focus;
4. Information on the team make-up and learning goals; and
5. Attached supporting letters from the members’ institutions.

Click here to apply

For more information, visit African Academy of Sciences.