1. ACE Coordinator/Director Research & Academic Planning, AAU
AFRICA HIGHER EDUCATION CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE (ACE) PROJECT Capacity Building Opportunities By
Jonathan C. Mba
ACE Coordinator/Director Research & Academic Planning, AAU

2. CAPACITY BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES
As discussed during the PSC meeting in Lome, Togo on August 18, 2014, AAU proposed a few capacity building topics and asked members to provide additional topics of interest for prioritization.

3. CAPACITY BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES
In response to the call 14 out of the 19 ACE Centre Leaders suggested topics of interest. The following table summarizes their responses.

4. CAPACITY BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES
NUMBER OF ACEs
TOPICS PROPOSED 8
Effective Project Management 7
Administrative/Financial Management/Disbursement/Internal Control 6
Monitoring & Evaluation
Project Sustainability & Fundraising 4
Procurement Procedures & Control Management 2
Grant Management 1
Bandwidth Improvement Strategy
Project Impact Assessment
Project Reporting

5. National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA)
NCURA advances the field of research administration through education and professional development programs, the sharing of knowledge and experience, and by fostering a professional, collegial, and respected community.

6. National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA)
NCURA webinars and In-person Workshops on Research Management

7. National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA)
Licensing the pre-recorded Webinar Series- “Best Practices in Research Administration”
This is a five-part webinar series (total of 5 hours) that covers the topics of: Proposal Development, Funding Opportunity Databases, Awards Negotiations, Award Management, and Institutional Policy.
Sample webinar on proposal development:
Fee: $2,000 for licensing of our 5 pre-recorded webinars for all of your members for a total of 2 years.  Non-commercial license only and must include citation of NCURA. 

8. National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA)
Live Webinar
We can customize the live webinar’s topic, the length of time, the number of faculty, and the number of sessions to fit the needs of AAU.
NCURA will provide:
  i.       Expert faculty for the webinar
  ii.      Develop the curriculum and handouts
  iii.      Digital certificates of course completion
  iv.      Recordings of the webinar
  v.      Webinar platform and software
 vi.      A limited non-commercial license for five years
  vii.      Staff support
Fee: this will depend on the customization of the webinar, i.e. length, number of faculty, topics, etc. As an example, a series of 5 webinars (1 hour for each topic/session) costs about $6,300

9. National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA)
In-person Workshop
The in-person workshop can be customized as well to fit the needs of your audiences, we can provide a 2-day or 3-day workshop on topics of proposal development, US funding opportunities for International researchers, how to manage US federal grants, fundamentals of research administration, etc.

10. National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA)
You can find past workshops’ topics, faculty list, and agendas here:
NCURA is responsible for:
2 faculty
Development of the curriculum and handout material
Certification of completion for the attendees
Association of African Universities (AAU) is responsible for:
All handout material printing (NCURA will send electronic versions)
Round trip Business Class airfare, meals, and hotel accommodations for 2 faculty
cost.   

11. National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA)
Classroom style meeting space (or similar style) with head table for the faculty
Data projector and screen
Microphones
Any additional audio or visual needs
Participants’ registration and printing of name tags
Fee: $10,000 for up to 40 participants, each additional participant above 40 would be an additional USD $250 per person. Customization of the curriculum and/or one additional faculty member for a total of three can be provided at additional

12. International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP)
INASP believes that research and knowledge have a crucial role to play in addressing global challenges and contributing to the achievement of the SDGs.
To realize this potential, INASP works in partnership to strengthen the capacity of individuals and institutions to produce, share and use research and knowledge, in support of national development.

13. International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP)
INASP is in the process of developing a six-module online course (with supporting materials for lecturers) on critical thinking and analysing information effectively, but it’s still in development.
INASP is looking for institutions to pilot this.
If any of the ACEs would be interested, INASP would be happy to discuss further with them.

14. International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP)
INASP recently spent some time with a group of East African universities developing a new project centred on improving academic pedagogy, to foster more problem-solving and critical thinking amongst students, with the intention of improving employability and entrepreneurial prospects.
The same concept could also be adapted to support the ACE institutions, whether West or East Africa.

15. THANK YOU