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Concept Note Presentation

TOWARDS THE UNIVERSITY OF RWANDA WE WANT:

UR concept note for research capacity development and institutional advancement

2018 - 2023


Basic Facts about Rwanda

Land Area: 26,338 square Kilometers.Population: Approx. 12 millionAverage Temperature: 24.6 - 27.6ºc. Altitude: Ranges from 1000-4500m above sea level.Main water bodies: Lake Kivu, Lake Muhazi, Lake Ihema, Lake Bulera, Lake Ruhondo, Lake Mugesera.Vegetation: ranges from montane and afromontane tropical forest to tropical savannah and wetlands.Four National ParksHighest point: Karisimbi volcano (4,507m)Borders: Uganda to the north, Tanzania to the east, Burundi to the south and Democratic Republic of Congo to the west.

THE UNIVERSITY OF RWANDA

Since 2013


UR Vision, Mission and Objectives

VISION: to be a leading University thatdevelops highly enterprisinggraduates prepared and dedicated tobuilding a more just and sustainablesociety locally, nationally and globally,with appropriate innovations thatadvance quality of life

MISSION: to support the development of Rwanda by discovering and advancing knowledge, and being committed to the highest standards of academic excellence, where students are prepared for lives of service, and leadership, transforming communities through finding solutions.

Objectives :

• Develop problem-based academicprograms that draw on conceptsfrom various disciplines

• Create research centers focused onproblem solving that contribute toevidence-based policy development

• Ensure students have leadership,entrepreneurship and managementskills

• Prepare students for service to thecommunities and country throughapplied service learning programsboth nationally and internationally

• Develop continuous educationprograms aimed at upgrading skillsand knowledge

• Integrate IT-based resources fromaround the world


University Structure and Organization

6 colleges at 14 Campused

• College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS)

• College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine (CAVM)

• College of Business, and Economics (CBE)

• College of Education (CE)• College of Science and Technology

(CST)• College of Medicine and Health

Sciences (CMHS)

A restructuring is currently underway which will result in five Colleges and

fewer campuses (10 campuses).

Management• Chancellor• VC also the CEO• 3 DVCs:

DVC IA, DVC AAR, DVC FA• 1 Principal per CollegeOrgans• Board of Governors• University Academic Senate• Senior Management

Council• College Academic Council• School Academic Council• Department Council


UR Education and Research CapacityEducation Capacity

• 30,214 students (33% are female)

• 1,435 are postgraduates (34% are female)

• 67 undergraduate programs

• 51 postgraduate programs distributed among the Colleges

• Current research capacity

• 1,375 academic staff

• 19% (262) are PhD holders

• 1035 academic staff have a postgraduate degree; 20.8% (216) of these are female and 79.2% (819) male

• >750 administrative staff of which 40% are female; 17% of the administrative staff have MSc or PhD degrees


UR Competitive Advantages

7

• UR - sole university in Rwanda with research as part of the staff performance contract

• 1,110 publications since 2013 -- 2nd most influential University in East Africa - Highly impactful publications (Clarivate Analytics, 2016)

• Nine Centers & Institutes dedicated primarily to research

• 78 laboratories supporting research and training, ranging from biological sciences, ICT, and engineering to GIS

• UR = the only African university to win four Centres of Excellence (ACE’s) through competitive funding from the World Bank (ACE in: Internet of Things; Energy for Sustainable Development; Data Science; Innovative Teaching and Learning Mathematics and Science)

• The UR library, the largest in the country, subscribes to 33,000 e-journals open to all higher education institutions in Rwanda


Gaps at UR➢Low numbers of PhD and Masters supervisors;➢Problem of attracting and retaining quality staff;➢Low number of female academic staff;➢High Student to staff ratio for certain schools;➢Limited PhD training at UR – no PhD courses, only PhD by research➢Low research output at only 0.33 per staff (though highly impactful is

produced)➢Low levels of research dissemination, knowledge and technology

transfer➢ Insufficient research driven innovation and entrepreneurship➢Limited linkages between academia and industry and government➢Limited teaching and learning resources;➢Limited modern IT infrastructure and academic facilities (e.g., library,

labs)➢Limited administrative and technical capacity for research support➢Lack of an efficient marketing and branding strategy


Sida Support to URSweden support since 2002:

❖Provided/provides core support for UR development Largest External Funder of UR

❖It is a complete institutional partnership UR covering:– Research training & Education: Agriculture, Applied Mathematics,

GIS and Remote sensing, Economics and Management, E-Government, Medicine and Health Sciences, Law, Peace Conflict and Development Studies, ICT research and Female training

– Research Infrastructure: ICT infrastructure, Instructional Technology, Library, Innovation

– Research Management: Institutional Advancement, Management Information Systems (MIS), Research Fund, PhD training, Coordination of Research and Postgraduate studies, Support to overall program coordination

CONCEPT NOTE

http://ur.ac.rw/?q=content/concept-note-ur-sweden-program-2018-

2023


Rationale

• Driver 1: National Growth– Over the last 22 years, Rwanda has been transforming at an impressive rate in all sectors (Governance,

Social, Economic) as attested by independent international observers (Mo Ibrahim, TransparencyInternational, World Bank, World Economic Forum, etc.). It has moved from hopelessness to hopefulness.

– Likewise UR has tremendously grown and made huge contribution to Rwanda’s transformation. UR’sgraduates constitute a huge proportion of both the leadership and the rank of file of Public, Private andThird sector institutions, driving the formulation and implementation of the transformative policies. UR’sstaff conduct researches used in policy making and contribute to various policy debates in the country

• Driver 2: Future development of Rwanda– On its transformation journey from an agrarian-based to a knowledge-based and technology led economy,

Rwanda still faces a number of challenges including lack of skills, especially in STEM; poverty, highpopulation density, limited natural resources, climate change, narrow industrial and services sectors, etc.

– As the largest and most comprehensive university in Rwanda, UR is expected to play a major role in the

provision of the skills needed, especially in STEM and to conduct researches)

• Driver 3: UR future Growth for Impact– UR needs to continue to grow its teaching, research and community engagement capacities in order to

meaningfully contribute to transformation of Rwanda from the agriculture-based to a knowledge-basedand technology-led economy through provision of the 21st century skills and scientific and researchevidences for policy making.


The Concept Note• Describes activities that support UR to develop

and provide Rwanda with academically trained scholars and practitioners including PhD holders and researchers contributing to national development.

• Overall objective is to increase the production of relevant high quality scientific knowledge that contributes to Rwanda becoming a knowledge-based economy.


This will be achieved through 6 objectives:1. Strengthen capacity to conduct Masters & PhD research training;

internationalize programs

2. Increase quantity & quality of research for poverty reduction andsocial economic development

3. Establish administrative & academic structures and systems;infrastructure to support innovation and promote a vibrant researchenvironment

4. Support & develop research management capacity at UR

5. Strengthen capacity for scientific communication for evidence-basedpolicy development relevant to sustainable national developmentplans

6. Strengthen capacity of UR for innovation & knowledge transfer;deepened collaborations between UR research community & publicand private sectors


Research Clusters

• 10 interdisciplinary research clusters

• Derived from emerging national and sectoral priorities aligned with national development goals (e.g., Vision 2020), the UR strategic plan, College plans, and the SDGs

• Supported by cross-cutting themes of environmental and gender sensitivity, as well as innovation and knowledge transfer


Premise of Clusters• Complex global socio-economic challenges related

to energy, water, climate, food, & health require joint efforts from natural, physical & social sciences for development of comprehensive solutions.

• To contribute to addressing Rwanda’s complex challenges, UR will embrace an interdisciplinary approach, understood as an integration of different disciplines to tackle a problem.


Each cluster is linked to a development problem

• Builds on current & potential UR contributions and capacity building needs to become an effective player in the next five years.

• While clusters may overlap each other, we have identified the boundaries that facilitate interdisciplinary approaches to ensure priority issues for development & economic transformation are met


Clusters1. Agricultural transformation and food security

2. Social Economic transformation and sustainable development

3. Environment, Natural Resources Management and Climate Change

4. Inclusive Governance, Peace and Security

5. Urbanization, Green Cities, and Human Settlements

6. Transformative ICT and Knowledge Management

7. Health and Wellbeing for All

8. Sustainable Energy and Manufacturing

9. Transformative Education, Culture and Creative Arts

10. Transport and Logistics

Mainstreamed theme across

(1) Gender/(2)Environment/(3)Innovation and Knowledge Transfer


Research Cluster 1: Agricultural transformation and food security

• Develop collaborative research engaging farmers, integrating farmer context in research setting, attention to behavioral changes needed for farmers to adapt

• Establish agricultural extension programs

• Has a Potato Seed Centre; proposed Food Health and Nutritional Security Centre; Centre for Postharvest Technology; Livestock Research Centre of Excellence

• Led by CAVM with collaboration from CST, CASS, CBE and CMHS


Research Cluster 1: Agricultural transformation and food security - Subthemes

• Food Security • Agricultural engineering• Postharvest technology• Value chains and entrepreneurship development• Plant breeding and genetic enhancement• Animal production • AgribusinessPhD training: • Food Science, Nutrition and Food Security• Agricultural Sciences• Animal production and health• Agricultural mechanization


Research Cluster 2: Socio-Economic Transformation & Sustainable Development - Subthemes

• Government policy analysis

• Poverty, inequality analysis, unemployment and pro-poor growth

• Demography and sustainable development

• Urban and rural industrialization

• Business and management accounting

• Industrial organization and management

• Sustainable production and consumption

• Green growth and investments


Research Cluster 3: Environment, Natural Resources Management & Climate Change - Subthemes

• Geology, mining, and mineral processing engineering• Water resources engineering and conservation• Sustainable natural resource management and

assessment• Biodiversity conservation, landscape restoration and

ecosystem services• Protection and Promotion of Sustainable Tourism

Resources• Climate science• Geoinformation science for environment and

sustainable development


Research Cluster 4: Inclusive Governance, Peace and Security - Subthemes

• Transparency and government accountability

• Predictive conflict management

• Peacemaking, peace building, and conflict resolution

• Corporate governance

• Security studies


Cluster 5: Urbanization, Green Cities, and Human Settlements - Subthemes

• Planned green cities and villages

• Urban environmental resilience

• Urban and rural settlement development including affordable housing


Cluster 6: Transformative ICT andKnowledge Management - Subthemes

• Software engineering & app development

• Cyber security

• ICT applications to smart cities and urban development

• E-banking, e-commerce, e-health and telemedicine

• Internet of Things


Research Cluster 7: Health and Wellbeing for All - Subthemes

• Nutrition and environmental health

• One Health

• Communicable and climate change

• Non-communicable diseases

• Maternal and childhood health


Cluster 8: Sustainable Energy & Manufacturing - Subthemes

• Energy sources & supplies (Hydro, gas, petrolium, geothermal, solar, wind power)

• Energy conversion and distribution (Smart Grid, Systems Bionergy and Waste, transmission and Distribution System, turbo machines, materials, etc)

• Energy Demand side: Smart and Sustainable cities, rural electrification, Sustainable & Energy Efficient Architecture

• Socio-economic, business, legal , modelling and regulatory aspects of energy: Global, National, City, Local levels

• Engineering (industrial, civil, product, electric, environmental) for Manufacturing sector


Cluster 9: Transformative Education, Culture and Creative Arts

• Aims at improving quality of education; research to inform educationpolicies & strategies.

• Rwanda’s embrace of home grown solutions to address economicchallenges has shown how culture can be used as a driver of rapiddevelopment. Examples: Rwandan core values of self-sufficiency (kwigira)and solidarity & dignity (Agaciro) show how non-STEM disciplinescontribute to economic transformation.

• Center for Arts and Drama; new African Center of Excellence for Innovationin Teaching and Learning in Math and Science (World Bank funded)

• Led by CE with collaboration from CASS

• Subthemes:

– Arts and Drama

– Cultural and language studies

– Innovative teaching and learning techniques


Research Cluster 10: Transport and Logistics • Transport is key to economic transformation - key sector for long

term prosperity in Rwanda, driving shift from a landlocked to land-linked position.

• Focus is on research needs in logistics and transport ininterconnected systems (road, air, water, railway), SMART mobility &transport modelling, innovation and entrepreneurship in aviation,aviation engineering, railway, boats, roads, and pipelines.

• Developing PhD program in Management, with specialisation inTransport, Logistics and Supply Chains

• Led by CST with collaboration from CBE.

• Subthemes:

– Transport engineering – railway, roads, waterways

– Logistics management

– Aviation engineering


Mainstreamed themes across UR

• Gender Mainstreaming - Gender sensitivity will be applied to research clusters to ensure women and men have equal access to opportunities; Centre for Gender Studies

• Environmental Mainstreaming - attention to potential impacts of research projects on environment; energy use; waste management; all aspects of routine and planned maintenance, construction and renovation projects. Implemented through a sustainability plan aimed at reducing environmental impact of UR operations, projects, and practices to promote environmental awareness and sustainability (i.e., sustainable construction and renovation, sustainable facility operations, resource conservation, recycling, and waste reduction)


Innovation and knowledge transfer

• UR draft strategic plan highlights creativity & innovation as essential to producing graduates fit for jobs in a highly dynamic environment

• All students at UR take an innovation & entrepreneurship module; a Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship has been created to coordinate activities

• Increased interactions between industry, government, communities and UR will be promoted to identify and prioritize focus areas and product development

• Private-Public Partnerships and Triple Helix strategies involving academia, industry and government to support innovation and technology initiatives


Rwanda’s Home Grown SolutionsInnovation in two forms:

1. Modern practices adapted to conditions & culture of Rwanda and given a Rwandan traditional name, making it acceptable & understandable by society. Example, Imihigo are performance contracts with targets made and enforced at every level, within the traditional Rwandan practice of publicly vowing to achieve a target as a sign of excellence in society

2. Adapting a traditional practice from Rwandan culture to modern regulations to solve a problem in society. Example is Gacaca, a traditional method of resolving conflicts, institutionalized and given legal strength to handle the genocide crime cases while also acting as a medium of reconciling Rwandans.

There are many examples of such homegrown solutions in Rwanda -virtually no research on how this form of innovation can be sustainably promoted, new ones devised and scaled up.


1. UR capacity for postgraduate research training at Masters and PhD

OUTPUT 2018 – 2023

✓ 112 continuing PhD candidates complete their studies and 63 Master’s candidates

✓ 338 new PhD students are enrolled in PhD studies, 246 enrolled in UR programs

✓ 95 sandwich postdoc grants✓ 51 current Masters programs

running✓ 35 new Masters programs running✓ Total of at least 6,450 Masters

students enrolled✓ Mentorship scheme established✓ 200 staff trained as effective PhD

supervisors✓ 8,600 postgraduate students

enrolled✓ 1,170 scholarships provided

OUTCOMES 2018 – 2028

• Increased number of qualified staff and graduates withhigh quality knowledge and skills in different fields•Enhanced supervision capacity of PhD research•Recent PhD graduates remain engaged in research•Gender equality in postgraduate training is achieved

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

# Awarded PhDs# MSc graduates# Employed graduates and sectors of employment and Share of MSc graduates that continue to PhD studies# Publications derived from MSc and PhD theses and # Publications after PhD graduation# Females in postgraduate training#Academic staff involved in supervision of PhD# New programs approved and accredited by HEC


Exit Strategy: Broadening partnerships for research and development

• Develop many types of partnerships – soft skills, infrastructure, etc.

• Partnership coordination for coherence

• Not only university-oriented – also private sector, civil society, government

• Innovative and impactful

• Creating long lasting partnerships & keeping the interest


Exit Strategy: Diversification of funding

• Competitive research grants

• Increasing visibility

• Dual degrees

• Innovations and Commercialization of research products

• Establishment of a Research Fund at UR and at National Level

THANK YOU

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