Strengthening Institutional Capacity for Research Administration in Uganda (SICRA)

 描述（由申请人提供）：在过去的二十年中，人们越来越重视生物医学和生物行为研究在加强系统和理解人口健康方面的作用。在乌干达，大多数生物医学和生物行为研究是由来自美国和欧洲的发展中国家的研究人员开发和资助的。资助机构最近制定了严格的奖励前和奖励后要求和报告规定，要求研究人员具有一定的能力和技能，以满足设定的期望。在乌干达，大多数研究机构的研究管理系统薄弱，研究人员没有足够的技能来进行有利的竞争，少数从事科学写作的研究管理职能限制了他们参与赠款/研究开发，并且有关可用资金机会的信息并不总是容易获得。虽然马凯雷雷大学沃尔特·里德项目（MUWRP）和乌干达癌症研究所（UCI）过去都实施了NIH资助的研究，但资金是基于美国合作机构开发的应用程序获得的，主要赠款管理活动是在美国利用美国机构强大的基础设施进行的。在3个机构的估计表明，不到33%的教师/技术人员积极从事某种形式的科学写作，不到50%的人有机会获得资金来源信息，不到40%的人积极参与定期与研究导师。拟议的加强研究管理机构能力项目旨在建立公私伙伴关系，并利用三个伙伴机构的资源，将通过加强研究管理职能的基础设施、有针对性的培训以提高研究开发能力、支持结构调整以创造可持续的研究环境、并支持制定授标前和授标后程序。在导师的指导下工作的EA将负责赠款的整体领导，利用MUWRP的资源。本提案的目标是获得资金，以支持加强研究行政基础设施，并加强公私伙伴关系中的研究成果。具体来说，在3个大目标下组织了8个目标，1）主要在三个参与机构加强研究管理领导，2）制度化一个动态的研究管理支持系统，为三个参与机构积极参与撰写和实施研究提案的工作人员/教师提供响应，高效和一致的支持，3）加强机构研究治理结构，以提高项目质量和可持续性。到5年资助期结束时，一个功能齐全、反应灵敏的研究和支持项目办公室将到位，资助产品将以每年50%的速度增长，所有3个机构的科学写作工作人员的参与度将提高50%以上。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): During the last two decades, there has been increased appreciation of the role biomedical and biobehavioral research play in strengthening of systems and understanding of population health. In Uganda most of the biomedical and biobehavioral research is developed and funded by investigators from the developing countries from the US and Europe. Funding agencies have lately developed stringent pre and post award requirements and reporting regulations that require researchers to have certain competencies and skills to be able to meet the set expectations. In Uganda, the majority of research institutions have weak research administration systems, investigators have inadequate skills to compete favorably, the few that are engaged in scientific writing are over burdened by research administrative functions limiting their involvement in grant/research development, and information on available funding opportunities not consistently accessible. Although both Makerere University Walter Reed Project (MUWRP) and the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) have implemented NIH funded research in the past, the funding has been secured based on applications developed by US Collaborating institutions and primary grants management activities are carried out in the US utilizing the strong infrastructure at the US institutions. Estimates at the 3 institutions indicate that less than 33% of faculties/technical staff is activel engaging in some form of scientific writing, less than 50% have access to funding source information and less than 40% engage actively with research mentors on a regular basis. Designed as public private partnership (PPP) and to leverage resources at the 3 partner institutions, the proposed Strengthening Institutional Capacity for Research Administration (SICRA) project will strengthen research capacity at the three institutions by strengthening infrastructure for research administration functions, targeted training to improve research development competencies, supporting structural adjustments to create a sustainable research environment, and supporting the development of pre and post award processes. The EA working with guidance from the Mentor will be responsible for the overall leadership of the grant, utilizing resources at MUWRP. The goal of this proposal is to obtain funding to support the strengthening of the research administrative infrastructure and enhance research production in the PPP. Specifically 8 aims have been organized under 3 broad objectives,1) To strengthen research administration leadership primarily at the three participating institutions, 2) To institutionalize a dynamic research administrative support system that provides responsive, efficient, and consistent, support to staff/faculty actively engaged in writing and implementing research proposals at the three participating institutions, and 3) To strengthen institutional research governance structures for program quality and sustainability. By the end of the 5 year grant period a fully functional and responsive office of research and Supported Programs will be in place, grant productions will be growing at a rate of 50% per year, and staff engagement in scientific writing will have improved by more than 50% at all the 3 institutions.