Building the Capacity of Science Granting Councils for Effective Research Infrastructure Management in Africa through the SGCI Public-Private Partnerships Project

Sub-Saharan Africa grapples with a critical shortage and inefficient use of research infrastructure. Limited availability, uneven distribution, and high costs of research infrastructure hinder research and scientific progress. Furthermore, the lack of readily accessible information on existing infrastructure and expertise across institutions and countries are among the myriads of issues that compound the problem. Moreover, inadequate funding to procure all needed infrastructure at a country level necessitates strategic prioritization and coordination to eliminate duplication in infrastructure procurement and optimize utilization of scarce resources. The various constraining infrastructure-related challenges create a suboptimal research environment, stifling scientific advancement and innovation in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Technomart Platform as a Solution

To address these challenges, the Technomart offers a collaborative platform that maximizes the utilization of existing research infrastructure, promoting efficiency and resource sharing. Technomart is an online (web-based) platform facilitating research infrastructure management and sharing across sub-Saharan Africa. As a centralized digital repository of research and development (R&D) equipment and facilities, the Technomart aims to improve discoverability of research equipment and facilities to enhance accessibility and promote research resource sharing intra- and inter-institutions among the Science Granting Councils Initiative’s participating countries. It also seeks to foster collaboration through building a network for knowledge exchange and partnership and provides data-driven insights for efficient resource allocation for research infrastructure development. Additionally, Technomart aims to empower research institutions and researchers with knowledge for effective research infrastructure use.

How the Technomart Platform Works

Technomart’s key features include inventory management, where institutions list available equipment and resources on the platform. Additionally, it enables resource discovery, allowing researchers to search, find, and access needed infrastructure. Furthermore, Technomart facilitates collaboration among researchers, connecting them to share knowledge and to work on various research projects. By easing the connection of researchers and institutions, the Technomart platform aims to optimize the use of existing research infrastructure, bridge skills gaps in the use and maintenance of research equipment, and foster a thriving research ecosystem in Sub-Saharan Africa. Under this component of the SGCI PPP project, the Association of African Universities (AAU) and the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST) have jointly conducted various consultation sessions and a survey to understand the specific needs and expectations of the councils from such a platform. These were critical in promoting ownership of the platform and ensuring that Technomart was designed and customized to respond to the most urgent needs of the councils and the researchers in the respective participating countries.

Building the Capacity of Science Granting Councils

The team organised a workshop to build the capacity of Science Granting Councils (SGCs) in Africa for effective research infrastructure management. The workshop, which took place from August 12 to 14, 2024, at the Golf Course Hotel in Kampala, Uganda, brought together representatives from eight SGCs across Africa, including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Namibia.

The main objectives of the workshop were to provide a comprehensive understanding of the Technomart platform, equip participants with the skills to navigate and utilize the platform’s functionalities effectively, enable country administrators and super system administrators to manage content and user data proficiently, and foster collaboration and enhance the management of research infrastructures among users. The training also discussed strategies to promote the Technomart platform within participants’ respective institutions and countries.

The workshop featured presentations from the AAU and UNCST, highlighting the importance of the Technomart platform in enhancing research infrastructure management and facilitating collaboration across Sub-Saharan Africa. Participants also shared country-specific information on the state of science, technology, and innovation (STI) infrastructure databases and their utility to the wider STI ecosystem. A hands-on session on Day 2 of the workshop allowed participants to log in to the Technomart platform and upload content from their respective councils. Critical discussions were held on various aspects of the platform’s development and implementation, including equipment onboarding, platform security, laboratory accreditation, sustainability, institutional engagement, and data quality assurance.

On the final day of the workshop, participants discussed marketing and dissemination strategies for the Technomart platform. Recommended strategies on the next steps following the workshop included SGCs reporting back to their institutions on the workshop’s proceedings, participants demonstrating the Technomart platform to their colleagues, SGCs developing a marketing and dissemination action plan, identifying champion national institutions to work with, and incentivizing research institutions and researchers to engage with the platform.

Participants provided positive feedback on the workshop, highlighting the relevance of the Technomart platform to their institutions and countries. The workshop marked a significant step towards building the capacity of Science Granting Councils in Africa for effective research infrastructure management. This project focus falls under the overall Science Granting Councils project titled “Supporting Africa’s Science Granting Councils to Develop Policy Frameworks and Enabling Structures for Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) for Research and Innovation, which is implemented under the Scinnovent Consortium.

About the Science Granting Councils Initiative

The SGCI was established in March 2015 through a partnership between the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF). The first phase of the SGCI focused on enhancing the capacities of councils from 15 countries to manage research, design, and monitor research programmes using robust science, technology, and innovation indicators. It also aimed to facilitate knowledge transfer to the private sector and bolster partnerships between Science Granting Councils (SGCs) and other actors within the science system.

The initial partnership (SGCI-1) concluded in September 2020, overlapping with the commencement of a second five-year phase (SGCI-2), which began in June 2018. This phase is supported by funding from the Swedish Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), IDRC, and NRF. The German Research Foundation (DFG) joined as an Associate Funder in November 2019, contributing towards specific activities.

In February 2022, the SGCI received additional support from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), in partnership with IDRC and NRF. SGCs from 17 countries across Eastern, Western, and Southern Africa have partnered with SGCI to implement the programme. The SGCI aims to strengthen the capabilities of these SGCs to facilitate research and evidence-based policies, thereby fostering economic and social development across the continent.