Research Excellence & Research Quality Workshop

15 Apr 2025, 09:00 → 16 Apr 2025, 17:00 Africa/Accra

Conference Room (Association Of African Universities)

Fredrick Armah (Association of African Universities), Ruth Dickson Nyarko (Association of African Universities)

To enhance the project's substantial impact and to reinforce its accomplishments, the AAU intends to utilize a modest grant from IDRC/FCDO to promote the integration of the knowledge shared with councils during Research Management Phase I. This integration of knowledge regarding Research Excellence will be pursued through a dual approach, which includes a benchmarking exercise and country-level support that engages both the Councils and the beneficiaries of the SGCI-funded Project.
A 2-day country-level workshop is being organized in Accra, Ghana to address Research Excellence, Research Ethics, and Research Quality. The workshop is specifically targeting Science granting council staff members in Ghana (The Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology) and its beneficiaries from the funded projects under the Research and Innovation Project. This workshop falls under a series of engagements planned for the seventeen Science Granting councils. The workshop will be duplicated in seven additional councils, which will subsequently convene with the other remaining Nine (9) science granting councils to review and discuss the consolidated recommendations derived from the country-level discussions.
The country-level engagement will introduce participants to the essential elements of conducting high-quality research, while addressing the core ethical considerations involved in research design, data collection, and dissemination.

Research Excellence and Research Quality Ghana.pptx

Research Excellence & Quality Workshop__ Concept Note .pdf

Dilemma Game

• Dilemma Game App Instructions and Suggestions.pdf
• original-dilemma-card-game.pdf
• Privacy Statement Dilemma Game app.pdf

Links

• Embassy of Good Science
• Equator Network
• Open Science Wheel
• Reporting Guidlines Decision Tree

Videos Ethics Dumping.mp4 Video on research success

Workbooks

• GRANTS ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES MATRIX BLANK.xlsx
• Open Science Taxonomy Exercise 1.docx
• Open Science Taxonomy Photo.jpg
• Workshop on Research Excellence, Research Ethics and Research Project Implementation.docx

Tuesday 15 April

1 Keynote Address on Research Excellence

• Defining Research Excellence: What it means in terms of quality, innovation, and impact.
• The role of integrity, rigor, and reproducibility in research.
• Highlighting examples of research excellence from different fields.
• Interactive Q&A: Participants can ask questions based on their specific research domains.

Speaker: Frederick Armah (Association of African Universities)

2 Understanding Research Ethics

• Overview of ethical considerations in the research process: Informed consent, confidentiality, conflict of interest, data integrity.
• The importance of ethical review boards and protocols.
• Case Study Exercise: Participants will review a case study involving ethical dilemmas in research and discuss possible solutions.

Speaker: Fredrick Armah (Association of African Universities)

10:30 Morning Break

3 Best Practices for Designing High-Impact Research

• Strategies for developing innovative research questions and hypotheses.
• Research design: quantitative vs. qualitative, mixed methods, and interdisciplinary approaches.
• Open Science Wheel: https://figshare.com/articles/figure/Wheel_of_Open_Science_practices_image_/4628014/2?file=7564978
• Engaging with stakeholders and community involvement in the research process.
• Interactive Exercise: Participants will brainstorm research topics in small groups and develop a clear research question.

Speaker: Fredrick Armah (Association of African Universities)

4 Ensuring Rigor and Reproducibility in Your Research

• The importance of transparent methodologies, data sharing, and open access.
• How to ensure research validity, avoid bias, and maintain high standards of data integrity.
• The use of reporting guidelines in qualitative (SRQR, COREQ), quantitative (STROBE), systematic reviews (PRISMA) and mixed methods research. Examples from the EQUATOR Network. See https://www.equator-network.org/
• Discussion: Researchers share their personal strategies for maintaining rigor in their work.
• Reporting Guideline Decision Tree: https://www.equator-network.org/toolkits/selecting-the-appropriate-reporting-guideline/

Speaker: Fredrick Armah (Association of African Universities)

12:30 Network Lunch

5 Writing an Effective Research Proposal

• The components of a strong research proposal: Introduction, methodology, objectives, expected impact.
• How to align research goals with funding priorities and relevant funding bodies.
• Practical Workshop: Participants begin drafting sections of their own research proposals, with feedback from facilitators.

Ethics Dumping.mp4

6 Navigating Research Ethics Review Processes

• The steps involved in obtaining ethical approval for your research project.
• Best practices for ensuring ethical compliance and dealing with ethical challenges.
• Ethical Dilemmas Game: Participants play the ethical dilemmas game and report on lessons learned. See https://www.eur.nl/en/about-university/policy-and-regulations/integrity/research-integrity/dilemma-game

Speaker: Fredrick Armah (Association of African Universities)

7 Day 1 Wrap-up and Q&A

• Recap of the day’s discussions.
• Open floor for any questions or final thoughts on research excellence and ethics.

Wednesday 16 April

8 Registration and Morning Networking

• Welcome and informal networking.
• Brief overview of Day 2 objectives and agenda.

9 Introduction to Grant Proposal Writing

• The anatomy of a successful grant proposal.
• Key sections: Executive summary, needs assessment, objectives, methodology, budget,
and sustainability.
• Interactive Exercise: Participants will critique a sample proposal and identify strengths
and weaknesses.

Speaker: Fredrick Armah (Association of African Universities)

10 Identifying the Right Funding Opportunities

• How to find funding sources that align with your research goals.
• Key platforms for discovering grants (e.g., government, foundations, international
organizations).
• Understanding the different types of grants: seed grants, institutional funding,
collaborative funding, and more.
• Group Discussion: Participants will share their experiences with finding funding and
discuss strategies for identifying the right fit.

Speaker: Fredrick Armah (Association of African Universities)

10:30 Morning Break

11 Writing a Persuasive Research Grant Proposal

• Crafting a compelling narrative that connects your research to broader societal needs
and priorities.
• Writing an engaging budget justification and ensuring cost-effectiveness.
• Common pitfalls in grant writing and how to avoid them.
• Practical Workshop: Participants will work on drafting an abstract and specific aims
section of a proposal, applying the tips learned.

12:00 Networking Lunch

12 Fundraising Strategies for Research Projects

• Fundraising basics: How to identify and approach potential donors and funding partners.
• Building relationships with private donors, foundations, and corporate sponsors.
• Crowdfunding for research: Emerging strategies and platforms for raising funds for
research initiatives.
• Interactive Group Exercise: Participants will brainstorm fundraising strategies for their
projects and develop a pitch for potential donors.

13 Understanding Grant Compliance and Reporting Requirements

• Monitoring and evaluation: How to track project progress and outcomes.
• The importance of compliance with grant terms and conditions, and best practices for
maintaining transparency and accountability.
• Practical Case Study: A walkthrough of a grants management compliance scenario,
where participants will evaluate and propose solutions for addressing challenges. Excel
worksheet on roles and responsibilities in post-award phase.

Speaker: Fredrick Armah (Association of African Universities)

14 Closing Remarks and Next Steps

• Recap of key learning points from both workshops.
• Opportunities for participants to continue collaborating post-workshop.
• Provide resources for ongoing support (e.g., grant writing guides, ethics resources, online
communities).
• Q&A session and final thoughts from participants.