The “Building It Forward for Research (Management) Leadership in Southern Africa” is a transformative three-year pilot project initiated in December 2022 with funding from the Gates Foundation. Led by SARIMA in partnership with the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC), the project involves ten universities across South Africa, Malawi, and Mozambique.

Recognizing the critical role that strong institutional research management (RM) capacity plays in driving research excellence and attracting external funding, this project specifically targets the advancement of Research Support Offices (RSOs) in universities within the region. The project aims to substantially strengthen the RM capacity within these universities, thus enhancing the overall research ecosystem of the region.

The comprehensive strategic approach adopted for this project not only aims to elevate the RM capabilities and capacity of these institutions, thereby fostering a more robust, visible, and donor-attractive research environment, but also to showcase a model for capacity building that, if successful, could be expanded and replicated throughout the African continent, aligning with broader global research development goals.

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