The Discovery Research Support Hub (DRSH) continues its mandate to empower African researchers by successfully concluding a round of university visits in September as part of its ongoing national capacity-building initiative.

Speaking after the tour, the Hub’s manager, Kate Mangulama said the strategic visits targeted public university research and outreach departments to strengthen collaborative relationships and formalise the Hub’s financial operational structure.

“The primary objective of these engagements was two-fold: to introduce the Hub’s extensive range of services and to promote the flexibility and accessibility of its support to a broader pool of academic staff and researchers. We aim to leverage MLW’s existing robust financial knowledge and grants management systems so that the hub can expand its operational reach and ensure efficiency in funding distribution.” She said

The capacity building sessions involved detailed discussions with both the universities’ financial offices and the MLW’s Grants Office. This was essential for establishing the Hub’s funds disbursal system.

Paul Jonas, Grants Officer at MLW, elaborated on the mechanics of funding the research fellows:

“The operational model is designed to facilitate the researcher’s dedicated time on their project. MLW will transfer the grant funds directly to the academic institutions. These institutions are then responsible for disbursing the funds to the attached fellows.”

“In essence, the Hub is purchasing protected research time from the researcher. We negotiate with the institution to pay a percentage of the fellow’s salary, which then enables them to fully focus on their ground-breaking research initiatives without having to split their time with other academic duties.”

The Hub has since visited Lilongwe University of Agriculture & Natural Resources, Malawi University of Science & Technology, Malawi University of Business & Applied Sciences, Mzuzu University, and University of Malawi.