SGCI News
Across the African continent, Science Granting Councils (SGCs) in Africa are key to driving evidence-based science, technology, and innovation policies. These councils play an important role in shaping national development…
| Across the African continent, Science Granting Councils (SGCs) in Africa are key to driving evidence-based science, technology, and innovation policies. These councils play an important role in shaping national development agendas and driving progress through strategic research funding and coordination. They, however, face significant challenges in their digital transformation efforts, including limited funding, outdated infrastructure, a lack of digital skills, and resistance to change, limiting their efficiency, collaboration, and overall impact. Building Capacity for Digital Transformation in SGCs Recognising the need to address these digital transformation challenges, a collaborative effort under the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) has yielded a promising solution with the launch of the Evi-Pol digital transformation toolkit. Spearheaded by the Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators, in partnership with the African Centre for Technology Studies and the Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, this toolkit offers a practical and structured pathway for SGCs to navigate their digital journey. The Evi-Pol digital transformation toolkit is a practical, step-by-step guide to support SGCs at every stage of their digital journey, whether they’re just beginning or refining existing systems. It provides a flexible framework to help SGCs develop tailored roadmaps for their digital transformation, acknowledging their varying capabilities and progress in digitalisation. Harnessing science and innovation for sustainable development through digitally empowered SGCs can serve as vital bridges between research communities and policy environments, ensuring that investments in science translate into tangible societal benefits. The toolkit represents an important step toward realising this vision of equipping SGCs with the tools they need to navigate the digital landscape and maximise their contribution to evidence-based policymaking across the continent. Download the digital transformation toolkit and its editable templates [here] Read more about Evi-Pol [here] Please check out the stories and let us know what you think. We would love to hear from you! Let’s continue the conversation on our social media Follow us on LinkedIn Published on 9 May 2025 |
Related News
Africa pushes community-led, curiosity-driven research at GRC meeting
African research leaders are calling for community-engaged and curiosity-driven research to strengthen the continent’s scientific ecosystem and ensure that research better serves local needs. This call to action took centre stage at the 2025 Global Research Council (GRC) Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Meeting and Science Granting…
Shaping Africa-led research funding amid global shifts
Amidst the changing landscape in global research funding, research leaders are considering establishing Africa-led initiatives for research funding streams in alignment with the AU Agenda 2063. The researchers, science policymakers, funding partners, and institutional leaders from across the continent gathered for the 2025 O.R. Tambo Africa…
Innovation highlight series -part two
As part of our year-end innovation highlights series, we continue to spotlight remarkable innovations supported by the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) that are driving sustainability, productivity, and improved livelihoods across Africa. The series will spotlight inspiring and impactful research stories published on our website…
SGCI funded projects
Rwanda’s integrated approach to sustainable agriculture and nutrition
Project Titles & Institution Areas of Research Number of Projects being funded Project Duration Grant Amount In-Kind Distribution Council Collaboration with other councils
