Beyond capacity building to shaping research systems

Reflections from the Science for Africa Foundation and ARMA research management training programme, written by Eva Kagiri-Kalanzi, programme lead and Director at Synapse-Collaborative. 

Earlier this year, the Association of Research Managers and Administrators (ARMA) and the Science for Africa Foundation launched a professional development programme for African research management professionals focused on four increasingly important topics: equitable research partnerships, research security, research impact, and the Good Research Management Practice (GRMP) Standard. 19 participants from institutions across Africa completed a comprehensive learning journey that combined workshops, coaching clinics, and peer-led dissemination webinars. 

As the programme progressed, the conversation extended beyond the technical content of training itself. Participants reflected on institutional confidence, strategic decision-making, and the expanding role of research managers in strengthening the ability of African institutions to shape their own research futures.

These discussions come at a particularly important moment – international research collaboration is becoming more complex, expectations around impact continue to grow, research security has risen up institutional agendas, and funders are placing greater emphasis on equitable partnership.  At the same time, African universities and research institutions are expected to deliver more research outputs, demonstrate greater societal value, and engage meaningfully in international collaborations, often under significant resource constraints. 

Against this backdrop, it is tempting to view capacity strengthening as primarily a question of acquiring new tools, frameworks, or technical knowledge. What participants told us suggests something rather different. 

 ‘Before participating in the SFA Foundation-ARMA training programme, I believed that issues related to research security and equitable partnerships were primarily the responsibility of established researchers. The programme highlighted the importance of equipping researchers with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate these issues responsibly much earlier in their careers (i.e., postgraduate phase). Going forward, I intend to incorporate these topics into the professional development workshops and training initiatives offered through the postgraduate scholarship programmes I manage.’ Lindokuhle Ndlandla, Programme Manager, South African Medical Research Council  

Understanding principles is one thing. Putting them into practice is another 

Across the research sector, frameworks, policies and guidance are increasingly available. The challenge is translating these ambitions into everyday institutional practice and decision-making. Much of the debate on equitable partnerships focuses on what funders and Global North institutions should do differently. Similarly, research security is often framed as a compliance requirement driven by external expectations. Throughout this programme, however, attention shifted towards what agency African institutions already possess, and how that agency can be exercised more strategically. The conversation shifted from asking “How do we create equitable partnerships?” to “How do we strengthen our ability to negotiate, shape, and sustain them?” 

Conversations about research security followed a similar trajectory. Participants viewed it not simply as a matter of compliance, but as an issue of institutional stewardship, understanding organisational assets, strengthening governance, managing risk, and protecting the long-term interests of institutions and society.  Research security was seen not as a constraint to excellence, but as an essential component of building capable, trusted institutions that can participate confidently in global research collaborations. 

‘The Fellowship convinced me that research security is ultimately a question of African agency: our institutions must be the architects of their own research security governance, not the subjects of others’ designs. With the Good Research Management Practice Standard as our instrument, research managers across the continent can institutionalise research security on Africa’s own terms. I am now able to move beyond a research security gap analysis to policy development and implementation’. Dr Retha G Visagie, Senior Research Management Professional (IPRC), University of South Africa 

For the cohort, whether discussing equity, security, or impact, a common theme emerged. The challenge is – how institutions can become more intentional in shaping outcomes rather than simply responding to them.  

‘The programme has broadened my strategic perspective on the role of research managers in advancing research excellence. It has increased my confidence to contribute more effectively to institutional policy development, research governance, and capacity strengthening. The exchange of experiences with peers from across Africa demonstrated that many of our challenges are shared and that collaborative learning is a powerful driver of innovation’. Richard Mmadi, Research training officer, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences 

In many ways, this reflects a broader shift taking place within the profession itself. The conversation is moving beyond how institutions participate in the global research ecosystem towards how they influence it, navigate it, and position themselves within it on their own terms. 

What this means for ARMA, the SFA Foundation and the profession 

Perhaps the most important lesson from the programme is that it challenges us to think differently about international collaboration in research management. 

The discussions reinforced that issues such as equitable collaboration, research impact, institutional resilience, and research security are not uniquely African concerns. Institutions across the world are grappling with the same questions, albeit in different contexts. The opportunity therefore lies not in a one-way transfer of knowledge but in creating spaces for reciprocal learning, shared problem-solving and collective leadership. 

‘The SFA Foundation-ARMA training programme provided a unique opportunity to learn from and collaborate with research management professionals across Africa. As an active contributor to the discussion on equitable research partnerships and an institutional lead on a British Academy-funded Equitable Research Partnerships project, I particularly valued the rich panel discussions our team had at the end of the programme that allowed us to challenge and rethink power dynamics, shared decision-making, and sustainability in South-North collaborations. The programme reinforced the critical role research managers play in building equitable, impactful, and resilient research systems’. Palinji Mungoni, Finance Manager – Projects, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHES) 

For ARMA, this reinforces the value of working with partners such as the Science for Africa Foundation to strengthen international communities of practice. It also demonstrated the extent to which African research managers are increasingly engaging with questions of strategy, governance, policy influence, institutional development, well beyond the boundaries of traditional research administration.   

‘This programme transformed how I see the role of research managers-not just as administrators, but as strategic leaders who drive equitable partnerships, research integrity, and institutional excellence. Learning alongside peers from across Africa broadened my perspective and inspired practical approaches that I am already applying to strengthen research management at my institution. I leave the programme with greater confidence, a stronger professional network, and a renewed commitment to building resilient research systems’. Forgive Kwashie Agboada, Research Development Officer, University of Ghana, Legon 

That distinction matters. 

‘Before the programme, I viewed my role purely as support staff. Today, I understand that research managers are key strategic partners. We shape equitable collaborations, safeguard research security, and ensure our work reaches the communities and policies it was built to transform. That shift has changed how I approach every single project from the initial proposal to the final community conversation’. Agnes Nabakka, Grants Officer, Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration 

As research becomes more global, interconnected, and politically complex, research managers are being called upon to do more than support research processes. Increasingly, they help shape the conditions that enable research to thrive.  

If there is one lesson I take from these past few months, it is that strong research systems are not built solely through funding, infrastructure, or policy frameworks. They are built through institutions that understand their value, engage as equal partners and possess the capability to shape their own futures.  Research managers sit at the centre of that endeavour.  

For ARMA and the Science for Africa Foundation, the task is to continue investing the networks, partnerships, and peer learning opportunities that enable that leadership to grow and flourish across the continent.  

‘Building research management capacity is necessary, but it is not sufficient. The future of Africa’s research enterprise will be shaped by institutions that can lead with confidence, steward research responsibly and engage as equal partners in the global knowledge economy.  Through the Africa Research Management Capacity Strengthening (REMACS) Programme, the Science for Africa Foundation is helping build that future by strengthening institutional capability, elevating research management as a profession, and supporting ecosystems that convert scientific excellence into tangible economic and societal value’. Allen Mukhwana, Head of Programmes, Strengthening Science Ecosystems, Science for Africa Foundation