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STRek is an EDCTP funded project aimed at strengthening research ethics in Kenya. It consists of a partnership between University of Nairobi, National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI) and Kenyatta National Hospital, the largest teaching and referral hospital in Kenya. NACOSTI through its National Bioethics Committee (NBC) is the body tasked to provide national ethics oversight for all researches involving humans in Kenya, a feat achieved through delegation to its accredited research ethics committees (RECs). In the recent … Continue reading “STRENGTHENING RESEARCH ETHICS IN KENYA (STReK)”

Scientific research has become a powerful buzzword in the vision and mission statements of all African universities. Some African universities have even stated that their vision is of becoming research-intensive institutions in the near future. For others, their mission involves excellence in teaching, learning, research and community outreach programmes. Yet others aim to work collaboratively with international researchers for mutual benefits. Is this just a hollow rebranding exercise? Alternatively, are these serious commitments that the institutions are striving to attain? … Continue reading “HOW UNIVERSITIES CAN FOSTER A SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH CULTURE”

A total of 31 African universities are on a list of 1,300 universities in the world that have been ranked based on indicators including academic reputation, citations per faculty, employer reputation, faculty to student ratio, ratio of international faculty members and ratio of international students. The latest list, the QS World University Rankings 2022, was released on 8 June in London, United Kingdom, by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, the international firm that provides academic services, analytics and insights into the higher … Continue reading “RANKINGS: STRONG PERFORMANCE BY EGYPT AND SOUTH AFRICA”

No country in Africa is spending 1% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on research and development although, globally, spending on science and the number of scientists have been rising in the past five years, a trend that was pushed further by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to UNESCO. Launching UNESCO’s latest science report, The Race Against Time for Smarter Development, Audrey Azoulay, the director-general of UNESCO, called for more investment in science in the face of growing crises, in … Continue reading “COUNTRIES SPEND LESS THAN 1% OF GDP ON RESEARCH”

According to the Gender strategy of the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF), the program has set an ambitious target for women’s representation among its PhD scholars (50%) based on a commitment to gender and social inclusion and excellence in Aplied Sciences Engineering and Technology (ASET) fields to support Africa’s socio-economic transformation. Enhancing gender inclusiveness in the sciences will require significant investment and deliberate efforts at various levels by various actors, including by universities, governments, and other institutions. However, the important payoffs … Continue reading “TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION ARE THE FOUNDATION TO BETTERING LIFE IN SOCIETY”

The Principal Secretary, State Department for University Education visited NACOSTI Headquarters on 10th February 2021 to get firsthand knowledge on progress made towards relocation of several SAGAs to NACOSTI Building. Present during the visit were the Director General, NACOSTI as the host, CEOs of Universities Fund, KNQA, NRF, National Biosafety Authority and KENIA. In his remarks during the joint meeting, the Principal Secretary-SDUER thanked NACOSTI Management for accommodating the SAGAs and facilitating their comfortable stay. He noted that the SAGAS … Continue reading “PS SDUER, AMB. SIMON NABUKWESI MEETS CEOS OF SAGAS BASED AT NACOSTI BUILDING”

The Director General of the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI) Prof. Walter Oyawa paid a courtesy call to the University on 29th September 2020, where he was received by the University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Teresa Akenga. The purpose of the visit was to deliberate on possible areas of collaboration and synergizing between the two institutions. The areas of discussion were as follows; In their brief deliberations, the University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Teresa Akenga thanked the Director General of NACOSTI … Continue reading “COURTESY CALL BY PROF. WALTER OYAWA DIRECTOR GENERAL TO UNIVERSITY OF ELDORET”

The National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI) has renewed the accreditation of the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) Institutional Ethics Review Committee (IERC) for the next three (3) years. The JKUAT (IERC) was first accredited in October, 2016. The Chairman of the JKUAT IERC, Dr. Patrick Mburugu, said, after getting the accreditation renewal, the committee “will therefore continue with its independent mandate of reviewing and evaluating research proposals to ensure researchers comply with the guidelines … Continue reading “NACOSTI RENEWS ACCREDITATION OF JKUAT IERC”

The continent’s research and innovation ecosystems need effective private sector engagement, argues Salome M. Guchu African economies are coming under increasing socioeconomic pressure due to diminishing resources, changing demographic trends, rising demand for goods and services, and emerging sustainability and security concerns.  To address these challenges, many African governments are exploring research and innovation as an engine for stimulating growth in line with Sustainable Development Goal 9, which underscores the importance of fostering innovation and investment in R&D.   However, in … Continue reading “AFRICA’S INNOVATION GAP: A VIEW FROM KENYA”

EU-AFRICA PERMED LAUNCHING EVENT: BUILDING LINKS BETWEEN EUROPE AND AFRICA IN PERSONALISED MEDICINE A kick-off meeting of the EUAfrica PerMed project (https://www.euafrica-permed.eu/), which is funded under Horizon 2020, the European framework programme for Research & Innovation took place on 4th March 2021. The EU-Africa PerMed project has the final objective of integrating African countries into ICPerMed (https://www.icpermed.eu/) activities as a means to contributing to a successful implementation of Personalized Medicine (PM) in the global context, fostering joint PM projects and programmes between Europe … Continue reading “PARTICIPATION OF NACOSTI IN EU-AFRICA PERMED PROJECT”