Albero Garcia, Fernando

Kagwesage, Anne Marie

Mugwagwa, Julius

Twiringiyimana, Remy

Washbourne, Carla-Leanne

Yongabo, Parfait

English

UCL Discovery

FIRST RWANDA STI CONFERENCEAt KCC 31st March-1st April 2022 COVID-19 and science systems in Africa: an opportunity to build forward betterLeveraging the Potential of Science and Technology to Mitigate Challenges Associated with Covid-19 Pandemic in Developing CountriesParfait Yongabo & Anne Marie Kagwesage (UR)Julius Mugwagwa, Carla-Leanne Washbourne, Remy Twiringiyimana & Fernando Albero Garcia (UCL, UK)Presentation Outline 11/26/22 The First Rwanda STI Conference: 31st March – 1st April 2022  at  KCC 21. Research context and relevance 2. Aims & objectives 3. Research rationales and methodologies4. Research findings5. Discussion 6. Implications of our research7. Conclusions 8. References9. Acknowledgements Relevance and Novelty of the Research11/26/22 The First Rwanda STI Conference: 31st March – 1st April 2022  at  KCC 3Ø The University of Rwanda – University College London InnovationEcosystems Laboratory (IEL) is an offshoot of interdisciplinary researchendeavours into science systems in Sub-Saharan Africa.Ø The IEL research seeks to understand how technical, economic, social,political and institutional factors emerge and interact to influence science,technology and innovation ecosystems in developing country contexts.Ø Besides interdisciplinarity, the IEL is a unique, real-time research space for:• Dialogue and visibility in many forums in Africa and Europe• Operationalization of researcher-driven collaboration• Capacity building and mentorship opportunities.Background (1)• Over the last 3 years, the UCL-UR IEL team has undertaken the following studies:• Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) Training Effective Case Studies (STECS Project) (IDRC) –covering 9 African countries.• STECS-Plus Project (IDRC) – analysing and documenting the contribution of science-granting councils (SGCs) to Covid-19 responses in 9 African countries.• Africa Innovation Ecosystems (AIESyS) Project (funded by FCDO) – to analyse innovation ecosystem support interventions in 10 African countries.11/26/22 The First Rwanda STI Conference: 31st March – 1st April 2022  at  KCC 4Background (2) 11/26/22 The First Rwanda STI Conference: 31st March – 1st April 2022  at  KCC 5Current project:• SGCI Political Economy Analysis 3  (PEA 3)Project (IDRC)• A 20-month project: June 2021 – Feb 2023• Main aim: to inform SGCI programming through a nuanced analysis of national research and innovation ecosystems and the national, regional and international political economy contexts for SGCs• Project encompasses more than 10 countries in Eastern, Western and Southern Africa• Partnership also includes the University of JohannesburgAims and Objectives• This presentation stems from the process and findings of the STECS-Plus Project (June 2020 – April 2021)Context• Beyond health system frailties, the COVID-19 global pandemic exposed weaknesses in the policy architecturessurrounding many aspects of society.Overarching research question was:‘Has the development of science, technology and innovation capacities in the councils enabledthem to act more swiftly, more decisively or with greater impact in their response to the pandemic?.”Our hypothesis was that ‘pressure’ from the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates rethinking how science systems areconfigured, the levels of capacity in these systems, and their relevance and agility at points and times of need.11/26/22 The First Rwanda STI Conference: 31st March – 1st April 2022  at  KCC 6STECS-Plus Project Conceptual Framework11/26/22 The First Rwanda STI Conference: 31st March – 1st April 2022  at  KCC 7An exploration of the nexus of existing structures and required responses.Methodology (multi-sited case study)Country case studies:• 9 countries, namely Burkina Faso, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda & Zambia.Data collection methods:• Desk research (secondary data).• Questionnaire-led semi-structured interviews with SGCs, CTAs and the SGC IMT – more than 25 intervieweesData analysis: • Thematic analysis (qualitative data).• Tabulation and statistical analysis (quantitative data).11/26/22 The First Rwanda STI Conference: 31st March – 1st April 2022  at  KCC 8Research Findings1. Being skilled in research management in a robust and broad-based way allowed SGCs to be active in their national scienceecosystems, which placed them in a good position to contribute toresponses to the pandemic in the study countries.2. Regarding research funding activities for Covid-19, SGCs wereinvolved in:• engaging significantly in funding mechanisms for responsiveresearch.• lobbying for more government funding for science, inpartnership with other science system actors.• issuing, managing and evaluating calls for research proposals.• soliciting external funding for research.11/26/22 The First Rwanda STI Conference: 31st March – 1st April 2022  at  KCC 9Research Findings3. SGCs clearly leveraged inter-SGC networking and partnershipopportunities facilitated through SGCI, and especially throughthe Covid-19 Africa Rapid Grant Fund.4. SGCs were also able to influence national responses eitherdirectly as members of national COVID-19 response taskforcesor through feeding ideas, evidence and advice from a range ofdifferent contexts into designated response mechanisms.11/26/22 The First Rwanda STI Conference: 31st March – 1st April 2022  at  KCC 10Research Findings –Rwanda’s Case5. NCST’s influence in national response to Covid-19pandemic• Feeding ideas, evidence and advice.6. NCST’s role in funding R&I in response to pandemic• One call funded by the national government.• One call through a collaboration with South Africa’sNRF under Covid-19 Africa Rapid Grant Fund.11/26/22 The First Rwanda STI Conference: 31st March – 1st April 2022  at  KCC 11DiscussionWhile SGCs played roles in decisions and actions in response to the pandemic, issues such as• Adequacy• Relevance• Timeliness• Trust... of tools, resources, decisions and capacities remained achallengeFor example,• Peer reviews for calls were lengthy and in some cases therewere no sufficient reviewers for complex, interdisciplinarycalls.Traditional external sources of knowledge and financial capitalwere also constrained, raising the importance of depending on,leveraging and trusting local sources and resources.11/26/22 The First Rwanda STI Conference: 31st March – 1st April 2022  at  KCC 12Implications • The pandemic revealed the importance of functional, embeddedcapabilities for different functions in the science systems – fromadvocacy and funding, to peer review and decision-making.• Practice makes perfect/enhances response preparedness – thereis need for co-working spaces where theory meets practice forexperience and trust-building.• Synergy and coordination of capabilities are also key.• There is need for agency and institutional entrepreneurshipamong both centre and periphery actors in science systems.• Dominance of and investment only in traditional sciencedisciplines is no longer appropriate - urgent need for inter-,multi-and cross-disciplinary working arrangements which de-centre privileged ways of knowing and doing.11/26/22 The First Rwanda STI Conference: 31st March – 1st April 2022  at  KCC 13Conclusion – it cannot be science as usual beyond Covid-19 Rethink, reconfigure, retool For science systems, as sources of tools and knowledge forresponding to societal challenges, the pandemic has revealed theneed for rethinking how these systems are configured, the levelsof capacity in these systems, and their relevance and agility atpoints and times of need.Building forward better - the pandemic is a key moment for new choices and actions regarding the science-technology-society nexus. But • Will the needed science system adjustments be feasible, quick enough and sustainable?• Is there institutional and collective will to make and accommodate adjustments?11/26/22 The First Rwanda STI Conference: 31st March – 1st April 2022  at  KCC 14ReferencesImpact to the society 11/26/22 The First Rwanda STI Conference: 31st March – 1st April 2022  at  KCC 15Mugwagwa, J., Washbourne, C. L., Kagwesage, A. M., & Twiringiyimana, R. (forthcoming 2021). STECS Plus: An analysis of contributions to COVID-19 responses by science granting councils in selected African countries. University College London [PDF]University of Rwanda – UCL Seminar. September 2021. ‘UCL-UR Collaboration on Science Systems and Development in Africa – Work-in-Progress Seminar’ Mugwagwa, J., Washbourne, C. L., Kagwesage, A. M., & Twiringiyimana, R. (presenting)Development Studies Association Conference 2021. July 2021. Panel: ‘Science as (un)usual: COVID-19, science, innovation and societal recovery in Sub-Saharan Africa.’ Mugwagwa, J., Washbourne, C. L., Kagwesage, A. M., & Twiringiyimana, R. Mugwagwa, J., Washbourne, C. L., Kagwesage, A. M., & Twiringiyimana, R. (2020). Case studies on the effectiveness of capacity strengthening activities of the science granting councils initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa. Final Technical Report / Rapport Technique Final. University College LondonUCL STEaPP Lunch and Learn. April 2020. ‘STECS Final Report’ Mugwagwa, J., Washbourne, C. L., Kagwesage, A. M., & Twiringiyimana, R.SGCI Phase 1 Close Out workshop, Dakar, Senegal. February 2020. ‘Preliminary Findings of Science Granting Councils Initiative in sub-Saharan Africa Training Effectiveness Case Studies Project’ Twiringiyimana, R.SGCI Forum 2019, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. November 2019. ‘Science Granting Councils Initiative in sub-Saharan Africa Training Effectiveness Case Studies Project’ Mugwagwa, J., Washbourne, C. L., Kagwesage, A. M., & Twiringiyimana, R.Acknowledgment Impact to the society 11/26/22 The First Rwanda STI Conference: 31st March – 1st April 2022  at  KCC 16Conference Organisers and Participants in this SessionUCL and UR leadership and colleaguesPrimary respondents from SGCs, CTAs and IMTOther stakeholders – SGCI Annual Forums; Close-Out WorkshopSGCI funding partners (IDRC, DFID, NRF, Sida)Thank you!11/26/22 17The First Rwanda STI Conference: 31st March – 1st April 2022  at  KCC

COVID-19 and science systems in Africa: an opportunity to build forward better

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COVID-19 and science systems in Africa: an opportunity to build forward better

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