Context

Building Research and Education Capacity

Dr Aldo Stroebel

Dr Sepo Hachigonta

National Research Foundation South Africa

27 May 2015

Conceptual Framework

• From an Africa perspective and Africa context, but globally framed

• Principled and fundamental components that resonates in both developing and developed countries

• Intellectual and institutional capacity building– People – but culture and true institutional depth to perpetuate

and continually support the growth and excellence endeavour

Current Imperatives

• Africa - highest incidence of poverty– 1/3 of world’s poor living in extreme poverty live in Africa– Nearly 50% of population/400 million people live below international poverty line

• Sub-Saharan African - knowledge constrain – Under-resourced/developed teaching and research functions– Low enrolment/throughput rates– Too few academic staff with PhD– Overburdened academics– Outdated models of doctoral education

• Scientific output of the African Union – 1.8% of world output (AIO, 2014)

– US: 27.2%– China: 16.7%

Education as Driver of Change

• PhD is a key driver for human capacity development

– Need disciplinary expertise but also professionals with transferrable skills– New models of doctoral education have emerged – e.g. split-site PhDs– Emergence of graduate schools– New multi-disciplinary/trans-disciplinary PhD opportunities

• Sub-Saharan Africa trailing behind developed world in terms of doctoral production

– Not just about universities – about growing economy/innovation (HE Dr N. Dlamini-Zuma)

Health Research/Education Capacity

Challenges• Example: Ebola – as

microcosm of fragility/interconnectedness

• Plethora of inter-related health challenges (IAMP, 2013)

• Need robust health systems and health research systems to counteract

Opportunities• Research investment

climate conductive innovative research e.g. Ebola-related/NCDs/etc.

• Equitable partnerships that build endogenous capacity/research infrastructures critical

Agriculture Research/Education Capacity

Challenges• Agricultural education and

training (AET) system has stagnated

• Poor linkages AET and extension

• Disconnect: rural realities – student demographics, etc.

• Need “transformative change”

Opportunities• Political support e.g. Agenda

2063, CAADP, Sustaining the CAADP Momentum

• ICTs• Women and smallholder

farmer focus• Africa could be the world’s

breadbasket – economic opportunity

Capacity Building: Key Dimensions

But education capacity comes first…National systems of

support – tertiary/primary

Institutional framework conditions for

knowledge transmission

Training and mentoring Incentives

4 “active” dimensions:National systems to

identify needsDoing and managing

the research Research

communication Research use

Discussion Points

• Need for a pipeline approach– Talented students identified/nurtured – honours/masters– Sustainable support for PhD students – Retain researchers through postdoctoral phase

• Finance is key/incentives• Upstream imperative - Partnerships – implies

internationalisation– Renewed regional approach needed – Benefits: shared human/financial resources/knowledge spillovers/etc.

• Downstream imperative – Uptake/Impact– Research must transform society, contribute to new ways of doing,

substantiate policy shifts

The Argument…

Africa must own its place in global development (Agenda 2063/SDGs)

Appropriate ‘tipping points’ within education and training systems must be found/leveraged

More partnering/working together to leverage scare resources/scale-up

More strategic thinking/action – local and global funding communities

How to replenish research base? Create new futures?

Systems are at risk of depletion/stasis – in context of challenging framework conditions

Next Generation African Academics will not emerge automatically – must be cultivated

Concrete Action Towards Capacity Development

GRC participants should engage in a range of voluntary activities nationally, regionally and globally aimed at research and education capacity strengthening. Examples of specific activities could include:

1. Funding agency symposiums – mutual learning workshops organised by a research council or by a group of research councils on specific technical topics that are of practical interest to staff of research councils (e.g. electronic proposal submission systems, setting up evaluation panels, selection processes, peer-review, administrative and financial management).

2. Staff exchange programmes – to contribute to increasing capacities for operational staff and policy makers employed by research councils, based on short-term professional visits and traineeships which would enable a continued exposure to different models and practices.

3. Institutional pairing that could offer opportunities to implement measures on a more sustained basis.