The University of Nairobi, office of Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research, Innovation & Enterprise) hosted a capacity building training session for administrators on research management and research processes on February 14, 2023. The Capacity building is supported by a grant titled “Development of Research Data Management Infrastructure and staff capacity building” funded by the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX). This initiative, aimed at capacity building of administrative staff from all ten faculties, underscored the critical role of effective research management in advancing scholarly pursuits and fostering innovation.
The training was officially opened by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research, Innovation & Enterprise), Prof. Margaret J. Hutchinson who in her opening remarks, highlighted the significance of Division's mandate in steering the institution towards excellence in research by building a strong research culture. She underscored the critical role of administrators in research management, especially providing adequate support for researchers at the faculty level. Further, the Director of Research and Enterprise (RE), Prof. Justus Munyoki, highlighted the importance of research data management and reporting while Director of Intellectual Property Management Prof. Mary Kinoti emphasized the importance of protecting intellectual assets.
Participants gained insights into best practices for collecting, organizing, and preserving research data, essential for ensuring transparency, and compliance with regulatory standards, fostering a robust research culture, role of administrators in facilitating the research process, actionable strategies to streamline administrative processes and maximize research impact, including identifying and disseminating relevant grant opportunities, and meticulously documenting research data.
A session on Intellectual Property (IP) and commercialization, shed light on the role of administrators in safeguarding and leveraging intellectual assets. Participants gained a comprehensive understanding of IP rights, types of IP assets, and the role administrators in application for protection of IP assets. The training culminated in an interactive discussion on charting the way forward. Participants collectively identified key action points, including the need for frequent meetings to sustain momentum, regularization of training on research data management and the research process, and the formation of an administrator’s communication group to foster knowledge sharing and collaboration.
Additionally, there was a consensus on the urgent need to establish better mechanisms for data collection and collation at the departmental level, essential for informing evidence-based decision-making and advancing research agenda. The IREX-funded training session proved to be a milestone in empowering administrators with knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to drive research excellence and foster a culture of research and innovation.
