Supporting African research management through benchmarking
Ensuring an environment that is conducive to research management is a key concern to African universities, as efficient research management improves the conditions for successful research that, in turn, supports economic and social development.
The ACU's Research Management programme plays a key role developing university research management and in engaging relevant actors across the research management chain with our member universities, to support such an environment. This includes creating and strengthening professional associations for research management, convening funders and universities to discuss best practice, and working to strengthen African Science Granting Councils' (SGCs) practice in research management.
Through the annual benchmarking exercises that the ACU currently provides to the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI)1 and its membership (through ACU Measures), we are providing universities and Science Granting Councils (SGCs) alike with the opportunity to benchmark their research management performance and activities in relation to their respective peers. In benchmarking both groups, we also aim to facilitate the alignment of the SGCs efforts with those of our member universities', in areas such as the focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), overhead costs for research, gender and research data management.
Some of the findings from the benchmarking exercises in 2017 and 2018 will be of interest to universities and SGCs alike. The number of participating African universities in the ACU Measures survey was 30 in 2017 and 34 in 2018, and the number of participating SGCs survey was 15 in 2017 and 14 in 2018.
Highlights from the data 20182
- The majority of the participating SGCs and African universities indicated that they have a strategic alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in both 2017 and 2018. There is also some alignment in their focus with ‘Quality Education’ (SDG4) and ‘Climate Action’ (SDG13) cited as focus SDGs by the most participants in both groups (see Figure 1 below).
- Most of the SGCs indicated that they do not cover overhead costs on their non-academic awards. However, over half of African universities reported that they have an overhead policy. In addition, 69% of participating African universities reported that they have a standard rate for overheads at their university in 2018 (see Figure 2 below).
- Most SGCs do not yet appear to have data management requirements – such as data management plans or the mandated use of persistent identifiers (for example ORCID), in place for their awardees. Similarly, 82% of African universities in 2017 and 83% in 2018 reported that they do not mandate the use of ORCID or any other persistent IDs at their institutions.
Sustainable Development Goals
The majority of SGCs and African universities indicated that they have a strategic alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in both 2017 and 2018. There is also some alignment in their focus with ‘Quality Education’ (SDG4) and ‘Climate Action’ (SDG13) cited as focus SDGs by the most participant institutions in both groups – implying favourable conditions to develop and implement programmes related to priority areas for both groups in these areas. In addition to considering the SDGs, the majority of SGCs (13 out of 15) reported that other programmes which seek to address societal needs in a holistic and sustainable way, such as that STISA 20243 and Agenda 20634, are also informing the development of their initiatives and research programmes.
Figure 1: SDG focus in the participating African institutions in 2017 and 2018
Funding and costing for research
Of the 6 SGCs that responded to the question on overheads, only two SGCs indicated that they cover at least some overhead costs on their non-academic awards. However, in 2018 over half of African universities reported that they have an overheads policy and 69% reported that they have a standard rate for overheads at their university. In addition, just over a third of African universities in both 2017 and 2018 reported that the cost of carrying out externally funded research exceeded the price of conducting such research at their institution. This points to some differences in perception of the true cost incurred by universities when conducting research, and how these should be covered.
It is worth noting that the model of funding university research from research councils does not appear to be prevalent outside UK, Canada, Australia, or South Africa. Indeed several of the participating SGCs indicated that they do not yet disburse awards for research. Since ACU Measures began (2014), all the participating research/research intensive universities in the above-mentioned countries have reported that they receive at least some income (for research) from their domestic research councils. However, in other regions, there are some research/research intensive universities that report not receiving any of their research income from domestic research councils. For example, in 2018, 6 of the 16 respondent African universities (and 4 of the 13 respondent Indian universities) reported that they received no research income from their domestic research councils.
Figure 2: Funding and cost for research at African universities 2018 (%)
Data management
Most SGCs (13 out of 15) do not yet appear to have data management requirements – such as data management plans or the mandated use of persistent identifiers (for example ORCID) for their awardees in place. Similarly, 82% of African universities in 2017 and 83% in 2018 reported that they do not mandate the use of ORCID or any other persistent IDs at their institutions.
Gender
Overall the SGGs employ more male than female staff, and this was more pronounced at senior levels. In both 2017 and 2018, over 65% (median average) of staff at Council, senior management and professional level were male, whereas 50% (median average) of staff at ‘support’ level were male. Similarly, in African universities, senior staff is predominantly male and increasingly male with seniority. Over 90% (median) of participating universities indicated that their Vice-Chancellors were male in both 2017 and 2018. At other senior levels, they reported over 70% (median) male staff at DVC level; and over 60% (median) male staff at ‘Senior Key position’ level in both 2017 and 2018.
Find out more about the exercise and explore the research management and SGC data further by accessing the reports and tool on the ACU Measures platform.
If you are unsure how to use ACU Measures, please access the Benchmarking FAQ section or read our dedicated guide.
1. The Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) is a multi-funder initiative that aims to strengthen the capacities of 16 science-granting councils in Sub-Saharan Africa, to support research and evidence-based policies that will contribute to economic and social development. The ACU is one of the collaborating technical agencies in Project 1: ‘Strengthening the Research Management capacity of Science Granting Councils in Africa’ of the Initiative, and supports this work by running the project’s annual online benchmarking exercises. The participating countries are: Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
2. The sample size for the African universities participating in the ACU Measures benchmarking survey was 30 in 2017 and 34 in 2018. The sample size for the SGCI benchmarking survey was 15 in 2017 and 14 in 2018.
3. Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2024 (STISA-2024). The mission of STISA-2024 is to “Accelerate the transition of African countries to innovation-led, and knowledge-based economies.
4. Agenda 2063 is a strategic framework for the socio-economic transformation of the continent over the next 50 years. It builds on, and seeks to accelerate the implementation of past and existing continental initiatives for growth and sustainable development.
