From Foundations to Futures: Strengthening Research Management in African Science Granting Councils

In April 2025, the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) in Sub-Saharan Africa marked a significant milestone—ten years since its inception. Over the past decade, the SGCI has worked in close partnership with national public research funders, known as science granting councils (SGCs), across 17 African countries, as well as with counterparts beyond the continent, leading research and policy think tanks, development partners, and government stakeholders. At the heart of these partnerships lies a shared commitment to strengthening the organisational and systemic capacity of SGCs to effectively support national and regional science, technology, and innovation (STI) agendas.

The establishment of the SGCI was shaped by the findings of a 2014 scoping study, which highlighted the need to build institutional capabilities within SGCs. The study confirmed that these councils perform a wide range of critical functions, including the disbursement of research grants and scholarships; funding research infrastructure; supporting research dissemination and publishing; conducting national R&D surveys; shaping research agendas; advising governments; and managing partnerships and national innovation systems.

Leading from Within: Councils as Champions of Research Management Professionalisation

Recognising the foundational role of research management in support of these diverse functions, the SGCI placed research management capacity strengthening at the centre of its early programming. The ability of SGCs to manage public research funds efficiently, build credible partnerships, and advocate for STI investment depends heavily on robust research management systems and skilled professionals. A subsequent needs assessment validated this strategic focus, identifying capacity gaps in Research Management and Administration (RMA) across the participating councils.

Since 2016, the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA) and its sister organisations, the Research and Innovation Management Associations (RIMAs), CARIMA, EARIMA and WARIMA, have played a key role in strengthening research and grants management capacity across Science Granting Councils (SGCs) through the SGCI. This support has encompassed the full research and grant-making lifecycle, employing training, technical assistance, and peer-to-peer learning to help Councils enhance their strategic processes and operational systems.

Working alongside regional and international partners, SARIMA has implemented a comprehensive set of interventions that have contributed to the professionalisation of research management across the continent. Key achievements include the development of a Professional Competency Framework (PCF), and the delivery of six accredited online courses through the University of Witwatersrand. These efforts were complemented by tailored technical support to SGCs and the development of practical resources, including a Grants Management Manual and High-Quality Research Competition Guidelines. The Professional Competency Framework, co-developed with research managers from Southern, East, West, and Central Africa, remains at the heart of SARIMA’s work. It defines the core competencies required of research management professionals and serves as a benchmark for capacity development and professional recognition through the International Professional Recognition Council (IPRC).

Importantly, the initiative has actively promoted Research Management and Administration (RMA) as a recognised career path within research funding agencies. In contrast to university-based roles, RMA functions within funding councils involve the stewardship of public funds, implementation of research assessment practices, assurance of compliance, and the provision of tailored support to research-performing institutions. Through SARIMA, Council staff continue to benefit from targeted training and professional development, with many supported to pursue IPRC certification—an important step towards embedding research management more firmly within institutional structures.

A notable milestone was achieved in November 2024 when Ms Luiza Mazazire became the first staff member from Namibia’s National Commission on Research, Science and Technology (NCRST) to be awarded professional status as a Research Management Professional (RMP) through the IPRC. This achievement reflects both individual excellence and the value of structured pathways for professional growth. Ms Mazazire began her journey with the SGCI, building the awareness, confidence, and skills needed to pursue professional recognition. At the time, she served as Resource Mobilisation and Grant Management Manager at NCRST, and her progression exemplifies how professionalisation can empower individuals to influence institutional standards and broader system development.

Now serving as the Research Grants and Contracts Advisor at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), Ms Mazazire remains a committed advocate for the professionalisation of research management in Namibia. “I’m really looking forward to stepping up as an advocate,” she remarked, signaling her ongoing dedication to the advancement of the field. Her journey is a compelling demonstration of how investment in individual capacity can strengthen institutional capability and contribute to the overall health of the research ecosystem.

SARIMA continues to work closely with SGCs to respond to emerging needs. Recent technical support was provided to Councils in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Ghana and Zambia with more engagements currently under preparation. A well-attended virtual course on Managing Funded Research also attracted participants from Ethiopia, highlighting the sustained demand for professional development. SARIMA is now focusing more deliberately on converting interest in professional recognition into structured and sustainable pathways for both individual and institutional advancement.

As part of the broader continental movement to institutionalise research management, SARIMA and the other partners that have contributed to research management capacity-strengthening efforts within the SGCI- the Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST), Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), Michigan State University (MSU), African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS), the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), and the Association of African Universities (AAU)- remains committed to building a professionalised, well-resourced, and responsive ecosystem.

Continued engagement through SGC networking platforms remains vital in aligning national systems and maintaining momentum. Crucially, while the Councils are key partners, there is growing recognition that strengthening the wider research ecosystem—including universities, research institutes, and intermediary actors—is equally essential to achieving systemic and sustainable progress. This reinforces the shared goal of building resilient and effective research systems across the continent.

From Lessons to Legacy: A Vision for the Next Era of Capacity Strengthening

As the SGCI celebrates a decade, there continues a need to deepen and sustain research management capacity strengthening across Africa’s science funding institutions. While high staff turnover within councils remains a challenge, it has become evident that those who leave often transition into other parts of the research ecosystem, taking with them critical skills and knowledge. This diffusion of capacity across the system should be recognised not as a loss, but as a strategic gain that reinforces the interconnectedness and resilience of the broader science system.

Looking ahead, it is essential to embed research management training as a continuous and institutionally supported function. The development and implementation of internal ‘Train-the-Trainer’ models within Councils will be pivotal to ensuring that new staff are consistently and effectively inducted into the complex domain of research management and administration (RMA). Such models also strengthen institutional memory and promote long-term sustainability.

Councils are encouraged to adopt a holistic and deliberate approach to capacity investment to allow individuals sufficient time and support to participate in the full spectrum of learning interventions—from technical exchanges and peer-learning visits to hands-on development of institutional tools. Fragmented participation risks weakening the overall impact; comprehensive and sequenced engagement enables staff to build deep, practice-oriented competencies that are critical to institutional performance.

Furthermore, technical partners engaged in delivering RMA capacity development must recognise that participants are seasoned professionals seeking to enhance—not initiate—their practice. Training environments should be co-created as collaborative spaces for mutual learning, professional enrichment, and cross-pollination of ideas between trainers and participants.

The decade ahead offers a vital opportunity to institutionalise research management as a core pillar of strong science systems. Achieving this requires an intentional, systems-level commitment to both individual and organisational capacity strengthening, recognising that the two are inseparable, and mutually reinforcing in building robust, adaptive, and inclusive research ecosystems.

The SGCI collaborates with national science granting councils in 17 countries across Eastern, Western, and Southern Africa to enhance their capacities in managing research funding and promoting evidence-based policies that drive economic and social development. The participating countries are Botswana, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The SGCI is supported by a consortium of funding partners, including the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the German Research Foundation (DFG), and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad).