By Bettina Senga,

A recent federal training grant will help Aga Khan University (AKU) in Kenya and its sub-contractor, the University of Michigan (U-M), expand research administration expertise and bolster administrative infrastructure support across sub-Saharan Africa.

The $340,000 National Institutes of Health (NIH) supplemental grant tops off $600,000 in funding awarded to UZIMA-DS—Utilizing Health Information for Meaningful Impact in East Africa through Data Science—over the last two years by the NIH. UZIMA-DS is a collaborative research initiative housed at AKU and supported by researchers at U-M. The original grant provided training to bolster research administration capacity at AKU, building skills in areas like budgeting and funding allocation, compliance, and reporting. The additional funding recognizes the success of that work and will enable the UZIMA-DS team to develop training materials and extend their expertise to other research institutions across the continent.

Addressing a Critical Need

The need for enhanced research administration support was emphasized at the 3rd Annual DS-I Africa Consortium meeting in Rwanda in November 2024. Discussions among NIH, the DS-I Africa coordinating center, and project teams revealed that while these institutions are conducting cutting-edge health research, many lack robust research administration infrastructure. Some institutions need to establish foundational systems across human resources, finance, and research administration departments with institutional leadership buy-in. Others have administrative staff in place but need to build capacity and empower those teams to work more effectively with principal investigators.

Building on Success

AKU has successfully established a global research administration office to support faculty, grant administrators, and the research community. The new funding builds on and expands efforts through aims achieved in UZIMA-DS’s first administrative supplement, Enhancing Research Administration capacity within the DS-I Africa Consortium: An Initiative with The Aga Khan University and the University of Michigan. UZIMA-DS is a U54 Research Hub funded under the NIH Data Science for Health (DS4H) initiative.

The ongoing partnership between AKU and U-M has strengthened both institutions’ educational and research capacity to leverage data science to improve health outcomes. Multiple grants have been awarded to joint projects led by researchers at both institutions, with UZIMA-DS being the first NIH grant awarded under this partnership.

A Regional Solution: The DS-I Africa Consortium

AKU is among several NIH-funded research hub institutions leading data science research projects across sub-Saharan Africa, collectively called the DS-I Africa Consortium. The consortium includes institutions across the African continent—all of which stand to benefit from the new research administration resources under the supplemental grant.

The administrative supplement aims to address these challenges within the DS-I Africa Consortium by developing a robust, shared research administration training resource in partnership with Aga Khan University and U-M. This initiative includes bidirectional learning opportunities and engagement with the DS-I Coordinating Center and Research Administration Community of Learners to help identify ways to expand this work to other lower-resourced partners and build a more robust research administration network as projects gain momentum across consortium institutions.

Innovative Tools and Resources

Plans call for an online research administration resource with comprehensive tools, including:

• A virtual resource library with essential templates, guides, and best practices
• An AI chatbot specifically designed for research administration inquiries
• A structured peer-review network connecting administrators across institutions
• Self- and risk-assessment instruments to identify capacity gaps
• Collaborative learning opportunities and peer mentorship programs

This hub will serve as a central repository of knowledge and expertise, enabling research administrators across the consortium to access critical resources, share best practices, and build a sustainable community of practice.

Looking Ahead

The AKU–U-M Collaborative invests in the capacity development of Research Administrators, bringing together expertise from both institutions to create sustainable solutions for health research across the continent. By leveraging institutional support from AKU and U-M, combined with the increasing volume of proposals and the diversity of sponsors, this initiative is poised to create a lasting impact on research administration capacity throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

As NIH funding continues to grow across DS-I Africa partner institutions, this investment in research administration infrastructure ensures that scientific excellence is matched by administrative excellence—creating a foundation for sustainable health research that can truly transform outcomes across the continent.

This project is made possible by funding from the NIH U54 administrative supplement grants U54TW012089-042S2, Enhancing research administration capacity within the DS-I Africa Consortium: An initiative with The Aga Khan University and the University of Michigan as well as U54TW012089-042S1, Furthering research administration capacity within the DS-I Africa Consortium.