The participants of the workshop.
Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology’s School of Natural Sciences (SONAS) researchers have undergone a capacity building workshop in a bid to polish their grant proposal writing skills. The one-day workshop, which took place on 8th June, 2023, was geared towards establishing grant winning proposals which will not only solve societal problems, but also attract funds to support the University operations. It was presided over by the Registrar (Planning, Research and Innovation)- Prof. Alice Ndiema, who was representing the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Planning, Research and Innovation)- Prof. Charles Mutai.
In order to achieve this, the school which is led by Dr. Joseph Owino commissioned facilitators from reputable institutions who trained the researchers on writing successful grant proposals. The facilitators were: Prof. Peter Njoki from Hampton University and Prof. Collins Ouma from Maseno University. The workshop consisted of researchers from the departments of Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Mathematics.
In her opening remarks, Prof. Ndiema acknowledged that science is the backbone of society which helps us navigate our ever-changing world. She added that the school has scientific-based researchers who are rich in knowledge that offers solutions to societal problems. “The University is lucky to have scholars who are committed to establish possible solutions to everyday challenges especially in this era of artificial intelligence. Let us support our researchers to thrive in the fast-paced market dynamics,” she urged.
According to Prof. Peter Njoki from Hampton University, a good proposal should convey the attitude that you have identified an important problem, and you are the right person to do the work and find the answers. In addition, he stated that a good researcher should have a great scientific idea which has relevance to an identified target and can be investigated thoroughly within the context and reasonable time frame.
“Before writing a grant proposal we must understand the needs, the proposal procedure and guidelines, as well as the target audience. As scientific researchers, our aim is to train students to become medical researchers. Therefore, I urge you to seek supportive collaborators who will help us achieve this. Let us be ready to tackle challenges ahead,” said Prof. Njoki.
Prof. Collins Ouma from Maseno University (far right) making a presentation while Prof. Peter Njoki from Hampton University (second right) and other participants listening keenly.
In his presentation, ‘Applications for Grants: Key Aspects of a Competitive Proposal’, the Professor of Biomedical Sciences- Prof. Collins Ouma who is also the Director Research (Maseno University), noted that an outstanding proposal is based on new ideas, knowledge of published relevant work, experience in essential methodology, as well as the future directions and contingency plans. Additionally, he said that the proposals should be published in reputable journals, presented at high-quality meetings, as well as fundable on competitive grant review.
“Obtaining grant funding comes with a wider array of benefits to both the individual and the institution. Let us balance the teaching load, research and community service in order to benefit from it. The University should consider research as its first priority. I urge you to utilize the available opportunity appropriately and embrace teamwork in order to be successful in the field of research,” stated Prof. Ouma.
Further, the renowned professor reiterated Matthew Lesko saying that Grant writing is very competitive, takes time, requires persistence, involves careful attention to details, can be hard on one’s self-esteem, and one must be able to accept rejection and try again. He encouraged the scholars to pick up the mantle, beat the low self-esteem caused by rejection, and continue making more applications in order to succeed.
The Director Research and Postgraduate Support, Prof. Peter Bukhala guiding the participants through the topics of the group discussion during the workshop.
The Director Research and Postgraduate Support, Prof. Peter Bukhala noted that the University funds workshops to increase capacity of researchers for successful grant proposals. He engaged the participants in active group discussion where they came up with ideas in the areas of agriculture, energy, technology, theory and modeling in research.
“It is our commitment to have multi-disciplinary teams, more outputs from the school, address concerns about our products, establish evidence based research, and proper leadership. I welcome you all to the Directorate so that we can work together towards the success of our proposals. I urge you to attend research meetings to share knowledge and increase our chances of winning. Let us embrace modeling with other areas to increase our numbers,” stated Prof. Bukhala.
Prof. Bukhala advocated for provision of adequate equipment and facilities for conducting research, establishing collaborations in well- established institutions, teamwork, and sacrifice in order to come up with a deliberate paper.
Chemistry group holding a discussion during the workshop.
Expressing his delight, the Dean SONAS- Dr. Joseph Owino pointed out that such workshops are key to empowering scholars to write fundable grant proposals and the school is expecting proposals which attract funding. He stated that commercialization of research will enable the University to get income to support its operations.
“I believe this is a golden opportunity that will enable our researchers to come up with top notch grant proposals. It is my pride that the knowledge gained will be used to obtain equipment and facilities of research, teaching and learning in the school. It is our mandate to concentrate on the innovative research that saves livelihoods. I thank the University management for their support towards this cause. We look forward to increasing the number of successful grant proposals,” stated Dr. Owino.
Certainly, the workshop empowered the scholars to produce competitive grant proposals as well as conduct effective scientific research which will help them develop various areas of study. Moreover, the knowledge gained will help the researchers solve pre-existing problems and new ones that might occur in the future.
By Verna Awuor Kungu
Photos by Wangari Wambugu
