University of Botswana
UB is a public university funded by the Government of Botswana with close to 18,000 students and 900 academic staff. It offers training of undergraduate and graduate students in the areas of business, engineering, education, health sciences & medicine, humanities, science and social science. UB’s mission is to provide excellence in teaching and learning to ensure that society is provided with talented, creative and confident graduates, and to advance knowledge and understanding through excellence in research and its applications. The mission is also to improve economic and social development by engaging with business, industry, government and civil society.
UB envisions itself to be research intensive by 2021 and has been developing research and innovation management processes and support structures that will enable easy access to research services, outputs and outcomes. UB has now upgraded its digital repository, research management system, UB-based journals production, online management system as well as a system to manage conferences. These services are under the Office of Research and Development (ORD) that has research and innovation managers in the areas; Grants and Contract Management, Ethics Oversight, Research Commercialisation and Research Quality Management, and support staff at various levels.
ORD is developing its research and innovation management processes and capabilities by being affiliated to various research innovation management and administration associations such as SARIMA, SRA, INORMS, etc., which provided training through workshops and conferences for sharing experiences and learning. Oversight regulatory bodies in Botswana require accreditation of all trainers, and as such training of other research and innovation managers of emerging tertiary institutions is required. ORD recently mounted two workshops for other tertiary institutions on providing for research and innovation, and the need for capacity development in this area is very high.
Role in project
UB will provide inputs into the development of the project outcomes, using their particular experience to date in Botswana and the perspective of a strongly emerging research university in SADC to the exchanges of good practice and building of individual and institutional RMA capacity. UB will participate in the development of 1) the content of a postgraduate diploma course for RMAs; 2) An accreditation route for RMA professionals; and 3) the development of a Masters in RMA curriculum for the SADC region. 4) A focus on RMA staff and information exchanges across the SADC and EU regions involved, for the exchange of good practice, and developing mutual understanding of the RMA contexts. UB staff will participate in a survey and benchmarking exercise, to develop a shared framework for institutional RMA structures and to identify gaps that may exist in their current institutional/individual RMA capacities. Staff exchanges (internships and mentorships) will form part of this activity.
Matsoptse Modisi - modisimp@mopipi.ub.bw
Website: http://www.ub.bw/