Senegal steers research fund towards national impact

Senegal’s Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MESRI) took a significant step toward strengthening the role of research and innovation in national development through its Competitive Fund for Impact Research.

The Fund is a strategic funding mechanism designed to connect scientific expertise with the country’s most pressing development challenges.

The Steering Committee for the Competitive Fund for Impact Research held a pivotal meeting on 2 June in Dakar.

The meeting was chaired by Hamidou Dathe, director general of Research and Innovation at MESRI, and convened in the presence of Penda Ba, director of Financing for Higher Education Institutions.

The Fund is designed to bridge the gap between Senegal’s scientific expertise and the practical needs of government, the private sector, local authorities, and civil society.

Its goal is to fund research capable of delivering concrete solutions to challenges related to sustainable development, national sovereignty, and economic transformation.

At the meeting, the Steering Committee reviewed selection proposals prepared following the evaluation of more than 400 applications.

A scientific committee composed of six thematic juries carried out the review, after which the Steering Committee examined the findings and issued strategic guidelines for the Fund’s implementation.

The Fund forms part of the Espoir-Jeunes project, financed by the World Bank and the French Development Agency (AFD) and implemented by MESRI.

It is also fully aligned with the vision of Senegal’s National Transformation Agenda, the Senegal 2050, which seeks to position research, innovation, and knowledge as key drivers of the country’s long-term development.

As a member of the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI), MESRI has been working to strengthen Senegal’s national research and innovation ecosystem through strategic investments in research funding and research management capacity.

Under the SGCI, MESRI is supporting eleven national research projects focused on addressing critical health and food security challenges.

These projects contribute to priority development areas including structural economic transformation, social protection, sustainable development, peace and security, and institutional strengthening.

Beyond research funding, SGCI support is helping MESRI strengthen grant management systems, improve research governance, and promote the uptake of research evidence by policymakers and communities. These efforts are helping ensure that research generated in Senegal delivers tangible benefits for society and contributes to evidence-informed development.

The Competitive Fund for Impact Research represents another important milestone in Senegal’s efforts to build a research system that responds directly to national needs.

MESRI is helping create pathways for research to contribute to sustainable development and economic growth by supporting high-impact research and fostering stronger links between science and society.

Through initiatives such as this, Senegal continues to demonstrate how science granting councils can play a central role in advancing research excellence while ensuring that scientific knowledge translates into real-world solutions for communities.

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 and X

Published on 10 June 2026

By Jackie Opara-Fatoye