African Research Network for Urbanization and Habitable Cities

该项目名为“非洲城市化和宜居城市研究网络”，旨在为发展非洲机构的研究能力提供一个战略平台，以实现可持续发展目标。该网络采用中心辐射式模式，将加强来自不同学科的非洲团队之间的合作，与Arua-UKRI GRCF伙伴关系方案的重点密切一致，以创建和加强非洲-非洲团队和网络。作为阿鲁阿城市化和宜居城市英才中心的东道主，拉各斯大学是网络中心，提供行政和研究领导。率先发言的大学有：尼日利亚的明纳联邦技术大学、Obafemi Awolowo大学；南非开普敦大学的加纳大学；冈比亚的美国国际大学(西非校区)；塞拉利昂的Njala大学的塞拉利昂城市研究中心；赞比亚的赞比亚大学和乌干达的烈士大学。这反映了撒哈拉以南非洲国家之间的伙伴关系，这些国家主要被列为发援会名单上的最不发达国家和中等偏低收入国家。这些国家的另一个共同特征是快速城市化对城市形式的负面影响，限制了居民的生产力和城市竞争力。这是该网络试图应对的发展挑战。该网络利用其东道主英才中心的现有工作，该中心有8个多学科研究群组，在研究、宣传和能力建设方案中使用共同知识框架，将在创建可持续城市所需的几个学科范围内开展工作，使决策者、城市当局、企业、民间社会和社区居民发挥影响。此外，该网络将利用与致力于支持该网络的英国机构中的学术研究人员、研究团体和组织的现有关系。非洲-英国合作伙伴之间的互动将创建长期联系，从而导致扩大知识、政策行动和转移，以提高生产率、城市竞争力和经济繁荣，从而提高国家经济。发展新的和更强有力的伙伴关系，这种伙伴关系将持续到这一授权期之后，是该网络的一个核心影响因素。网络活动包括主题能力建设讲习班，以培养研究、社区参与、政策参与和商业案例开发、研究管理、道德和赠款撰写等方面的技能。其中一些将在网上提供。其他活动包括：特定知识领域的大师班，年度会议上的强制性博士口语，中心内的研究人员交流计划，演讲和英国大学，以确保指导和范围研究，使研究人员(特别是研究生和早期职业)能够参与研究活动。这项活动产生的研究和知识成果将通过开发工具包、政策指导方针和政策简报、工作文件、期刊文章、会议记录、信息文章、博客、专著、读物手册、章节手册以及最重要的是社交媒体上的短信息来传播。网络的活动将由首席调查员/中心主任T.G Nubi教授领导，他是一位经验丰富的实践型学术界人士，在研究、指导、私营部门、政策和社区参与方面有着良好的记录。他的团队将向一个咨询委员会报告，该委员会将监督该网络的活动并审查进展情况。网络活动将于2019年9月开始，为期36个月

The project, titled 'African Research Network for Urbanization and Habitable Cities' aims at providing a strategic platform for developing research capacities in African Institutions to address the Sustainable Development Goals. Using a hub and spoke model that will see increased collaboration amongst African teams from diverse disciplines, the Network aligns closely with the focus of the ARUA-UKRI GRCF Partnership Programme for creating and strengthening African-African teams and networks. As the host of the ARUA Centre of Excellence on urbanization and habitable cities, the University of Lagos is the Network hub, providing administrative and research leadership. The pioneer spoke universities are: Federal University of Technology, Minna, Obafemi Awolowo University both in Nigeria; University of Ghana, University of Cape Town, South Africa; American International University (West African Campus), The Gambia; Sierra Leone Urban Research Centre of the Njala University, Sierra Leone, University of Zambia and Uganda Martyrs University, Uganda. This reflects partnership between Sub-Saharan African countries, ranking predominantly as Least Developed and Lower Middle Income Countries on the DAC-list. Another common feature among these countries is the negative impact of rapid urbanization on city forms, limiting productivity of residents and city competitiveness. This is the development challenge that the Network seeks to impact. Taking advantage of the existing work of its host Centre of Excellence which has eight multidisciplinary research clusters that uses knowledge co-production frameworks in research, advocacy and capacity building programmes, the Network will work within several disciplines required to create sustainable cities, bringing in policy makers, city authorities, businesses, civil society and community residents for impact. In addition, the Network will draw on existing relationships with academic researchers, research groups and organizations in UK institutions who have committed to supporting it. Interactions between the Africa-UK partners will create long term linkages that will lead to expanded knowledge, policy action and transfer for improving productivity, city competitiveness and economic prosperity, and therefore, national economy. The development of newer and stronger partnerships that will endure beyond this grant period is a core impact factor for the Network. Network activities include themed capacity building workshops to build skills in research, community engagement, policy engaged and business case development, research management, ethics and grant writing amongst others. Some of these will be offered on-line. Other activities are: masterclasses in specific knowledge areas, mandatory PhD colloquial in annual conferences, researcher exchange programs within the hub, spoke and UK universities to ensure mentoring and scoping studies to enable researchers (especially post-graduate and early careers) take part in research activities. Research and knowledge outcomes arising from this activity will be disseminated through development of tool-kits, policy guide-lines and policy briefs, working papers, journal articles, conference proceedings, information pieces, blogs, monographs, book of readings, book of chapters and most importantly, short messages on social media outlets. Local language dissemination, stakeholder co-production and engagement workshops would be strongly prioritized for activities impacting local communities.The activities of the Network will be led by the Principal Investigator/Centre Director, Professor T.G Nubi, a seasoned practicing academia who has a strong track record in research, mentoring, private-sector, policy and community engagement. His team will report to an Advisory Board that will oversee the activities of the network and review progress. Network Activities will be spread over 36 months with commencement in September 2019