The African Academy of Sciences International Research Management Staff Development Programme – (IRMSDP)

The African Academy of Sciences and Association of Research Managers and Administrators (ARMA) UK are launching the International Research Management Staff Development Programme (IRMSDP) to contribute to the strand on developing individual capacity of research management staff. The programme is focusing on knowledge sharing and the development of tools and resources, created by teams consisting of research management professionals from across Africa and the UK.  

This call for expressions of interest serves as an invitation to all research management professionals in Africa and UK working in academic and research institutions to lodge applications to participate in the programme which will involve 

• Virtual seminars/workshops to support individual professional development,
• Innovation development to generate community benefit,
• Staff exchange visits from the UK to Africa to facilitate relationships and knowledge exchange. 

 
In their proposals, teams should therefore creatively describe how their proposed Innovation/idea aligns to one or more of the following themes:  

1. Research management support functions and infrastructure 
2. Professional development for research managers and administrators  
3. Funding and collaboration for research 
4. Research Uptake and Impact 

Target Group and Eligibility Criteria 

Africa applicants

Individual Criteria

1. Research managers and administrators working at universities and or research institutions in Africa.
2. Hold a permanent or fixed-term contract in an eligible African institution, which must span the duration of the programme.
3. All individual applicants should have a supporting letter from their institution allowing them to take part in the programme and expressing their support.
4. Successful individual applicants will be expected to seek membership in or affiliation with their respective Research Management and Innovation Association Central Africa Research and Innovation Association (CARIMA), Eastern Africa Research and Innovation Management Association(EARIMA), Southern Africa Research and Innovation Management Association( SARIMA), Western Africa Research and Innovation Management Association (WARIMA).In instances where a Research and Innovation Management Association (RIMA) doesn’t exist, participants will be added to a mailing list and will be required to join the RIMA once it is up and running.

Group Criteria

1. Be applying as part of a group of up to five research management professionals from multiple research organisations within a region or within a country, so that each group is made up of individuals from different and diverse institutions. Regions are identified in Africa as within one of the areas covered by each professional association (e.g countries represented within Eastern Africa Research and Innovation Management Association (EARIMA).
2. Each group should be made up of 3 to 5 applicants.
3. All applicants must be able to commit time to the whole programme and activities outlined in the curriculum. 

UK applicants

Individual Criteria

1. Research managers and administrators working in the UK, including universities, funding bodies, NHS R&D departments and independent research institutions.
2. Hold a permanent or fixed-term contract in an eligible UK institution, which must span the duration of the programme.
3. Individuals should be existing members of ARMA or able to join at the point of application.
4. All individual applicants should have a supporting letter from their institution allowing them to take part in the programme and expressing their support.

Group Criteria

1. Be applying as part of a group made up of research management professionals from multiple research organisations based within the same region, so that each group is made up of individuals from different and diverse institutions.
2. Each group should be made up of 3 to 5 applicants.
3. All applicants must be able to commit time to the whole programme and activities outlined in the curriculum. 

Application Process 

All applications will be submitted on the Ishango online system https://aasishango.ccgranttracker.com/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2f through the Africa or UK application tab.

Teams will nominate one member who will lodge the main application for the entire team, and therefore act as the contact point. The application form will include questions on:

1. Personal information on the team members including personal profiles;
2. Information on represented institutions;
3. Brief overview on the teams proposed innovation/project and its thematic focus;
4. Information on the team make-up and learning goals; and
5. Attached supporting letters from the members’ institutions.

In addition, UK participants are requested to fill in the individual Equality, Diversity and Inclusion form here https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/MB6F5ZR The form should be filled in individually and not by the team leader.  The information gathered will be held securely and in compliance with the relevant data protection legislation.  The information will not be shared with reviewers or used in assessment of the applications.  It will be used for compliance and monitoring purposes.

Important dates 
 
Call for applications opened:  19th June 2020 
Call for application closes: 26th July 2020 (00.00 EAT/22.00 WET) 
Screening: 27th July – 7th August 2020 
Preselection and Matching:  10th August – 4th September 2020 
Final selection and awards issued: 7th – 11th September 2020 
Programme begins: 14th September 2020 

Contacts:  
All queries about this call should be addressed to ReMPro Africa at remproafrica@aasciences.africa or ARMA at eva@arma.ac.uk 

Visit the Call Page Here