Afrique Research Support Hub (ARSH)

Background

There is a low percentage of research funds held by African researchers, reflecting deficiencies in the R&D ecosystem and funding mechanisms. Most institutions of higher learning in Africa focus on undergraduate teaching and not research activities. These institutions are supposed to play a role in research-intensive activities and develop a pool of researchers from ECRs to senior researchers through postgraduate programs. The EMCRs’ teaching load, reduced investment in research infrastructure, unattractive career pathways, and understaffing limit their potential to contribute to scientific knowledge through research. All these limitations leave a huge burden to a few players and researchers in the SSA to try and compete for grants with researchers from the north and/or established organizations/institutions getting support from the north in securing research funds.

The Afrique Research Support Hub (ARSH) Program is a capacity-strengthening initiative to establish regional capacity to train, mentor, and support African researchers in securing research grants from international funders. To achieve its aim, the ARSH Program is designed to establish an Africa Research Support Hub with three regional satellite stations: one for West and Central Africa (bilingual in French and English), one for Southern Africa, and one for Eastern Africa. Each satellite station provides training and mentorship for cohorts of early and mid-career researchers (EMCRs). Eash regional cohort will undergo a 12-month mentorship program aimed at building capacity in research grants proposal development and fundraising. 

Along with the regional in-person training workshops and mentorship for EMCRs, the ARSH Program runs an array of online capacity-strengthening interventions, including monthly webinars on research grant writing (French and English), self-paced research grant writing courses, facilitated research grant online writing courses, and a community of practice on Research Grant Writing in Africa. 

Specific Objectives

• Capacity building for early and mid-career researchers in Africa.
• Develop a network of institutions (regional satellite hubs) for researchers training.
• Establish a mentorship program.
• Foster a community of practice for networking.
• Include French-speaking researchers in all interventions.

Expected outcomes

A community of well-networked pan-African researchers who have been capacitated to lead quality research grant proposals and can support others to develop into researcher leaders. 

Project outputs so far, if any?

• East Africa regional satellite station has been established
• Twenty-five (25) EMCRs for the East Africa Satellite Stations/Hub recruited, trained and have started a 12-months mentorship program. 
• Sixteen (16) Trainers of Trainers have been trained to support regional training workshops on grant writing workshops

Duration

• 2024-2026 (3 years)

Team

• Marta Vicente-Crespo : Principal Investigator
• Alypio Nyandwi :  Program Coordinator
• Benard Ondiek: Virtual Learning Academy Coordinator (Oversees online learning and Community of Practice)
• Topistar Karani: Communications Officer (Supports engagement with Anglophone audiences) 
• Diama Diop Dia: Communications Officer (Supports engagement with Francophone audiences)
• Naomi Njenga: M&E Officer
• Abel Simiyu: Research Officer
• Jane Mbugua -Administration and Logistics
• Rita Karoki: Program Officer
• Gideon Kiprotich:  Supports the Program’s Online Tools development 

Partners

• Higher Learning and Research Institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa

Funding

• Wellcome