Building sustainable research management in SGCs in SSA – capacity needs assessment survey

This report on sustainable research management presents findings from a capacity needs assessment survey. Conducted across 15 Science Granting Councils (SGCs) in Sub-Saharan Africa between July and December 2016, the survey sought to identify key training and development areas. Led by the Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST), the survey aimed to identify key training and development areas necessary to build sustainable research management systems within these councils.

About the survey

All participating SGCs contributed to the survey by an internally coordinated process involved over 190 staff members. Among the survey nominees, 42% were female and 58% were male. The SGCs involved differed in size, structure, mandate and maturity, impacting their capacity-building needs.

Core competencies

13 existing and 10 additional competency areas were assessed, with a correlation between currently important and desired skills. Notably, SGCs placed high importance on managing monitoring and evaluation, stakeholder relations and grant reviews. In contrast, science communication and public awareness received the fewest reports of existing competency.

Furthermore, staff desired training in grant evaluations, research call management and monitoring/reporting. Each knowledge area saw more than 50% demand.

Top training priorities identified

SGCs identified 4 training priorities, these include:

1. Research impact and assessment
2. Advanced monitoring and evaluation and performance management
3. Research management
4. Grants management

SGCs preferred certified postgraduate training from CREST and peer learning models.

Themes that emerged

The survey highlighted many consistent themes of interest and preference, for instance:

• Learning in-house and regionally was prioritised over online methods like webinars.
• There’s a strong match between current needs and future priorities, reinforcing the relevance of training themes.
• As SGCs mature or restructure newer roles and staff cohorts create evolving training requirements.
• Staff with science backgrounds often transitioned into managerial roles, needing new skills.

The report advocates for clustering knowledge areas based on overlap and complexity rather than treating them as standalone. It recommends redesigned curriculums to include flexible, cluster-based modules tailored to varying SGC contexts.

What this means for future sustainable research management

The survey has provided a detailed picture of the training gaps and priorities. This report lays the groundwork for Phase 2 of the initiative, emphasising the need for tailored, collaborative and certificate-based training programs. Moving forward, it recommends refining content to match real-world roles and encouraging shared learning among SGCs to build a robust research governance ecosystem in Africa.