Building and sustaining research capacity in resource limited settings such as Uganda depends on training local researchers to develop innovative fundable proposals as well as building grants and finance administration capacity to be able to successfully support grants submissions and post award activities. MUJHU CARE LTD is a local research entity in Kampala, Uganda which began in 1988 as a collaboration between clinical investigators from Johns Hopkins U. (JHU) and Makerere U. School of Medicine. Over the years MUJHU CARE LTD has had a highly successful track record in carrying out HIV prevention research. In recent years, it has focused its efforts on taking a leading role in NIH grant submissions with a number of successful grants now funded directly to MUJHU. In administering these grants, the leaders at both MUJHU and JHU have recognized the need to further strengthen grants and finance administration infrastructure, including grant support software and further training of grants administration and finance staff. The overall aims of this G11 training application are: 1) To standardize and strengthen a grants and finance management training program using a variety of staff engaged in grants and finance management at MUJHU Care LTD; 2) To develop a Grants & Administration Support Office handbook for use as a training and reference tool to assist investigators and support staff at MUJHU CARE LTD.; 3) To provide MUJHU CARE LTD researchers and administrative staff with hands on training and mentorship for both grants submissions and post-award management; and 4) To leverage this increased grants management knowledge and capacity of MUJHU CARE LTD staff to then serve as experts mentors / Train of Trainers in grants administration to other Ugandan and regional African research institutions. Expected outputs from this proposal include long term training of one MUJHU CARE LTD administrator to receive a Master's Degree in Research Administration from Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences; an intermediate training of one of the Grants and Management Officer at MUJHU for a certificate of research administration program offered by JHU School of Medicine; and short term trainings in grants writing and administration; cohesive MUJHU grants teams compromised of MUJHU administrative/finance/regulatory staff with researchers working on grant applications; and post award activities; with submission of 4 or more NIH type grants during the 3 year grant period; and development of a grants management handbook for training of grants management staff useful to other research groups in Uganda and East Africa.
This 3 year grant application will combine Knowledge, applied Skills with Mentorship and a Systems Approach to strengthen research administration capacity at MUJHU Care LTD, a leading HIV-research institution in LIC country of Uganda. Outputs will include a Masters in Research Administration, a Certificate in Research Administration, attendance at tailored short-term training workshops; development of cohesive trained grants management/researcher teams using 'Mentored Output-Driven Multidisciplinary Team' (MOD-M); and submission of 4 or more NIH grants.
