Improving Research Outcomes

𝟳𝟱% 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀. 𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻. In Kenya, 76% of scientific publications are co-authored by foreigners. Most of our research is funded externally, driven by donor priorities, not local needs. We're the data points. But rarely the authors. Rarely the funders. Rarely the owners. This isn't just a knowledge gap; it's a power gap. Yes, Kenya spends 0.8% of its GDP on R&D , second in Africa. But over 80% of that is donor-funded. Even institutions like KEMRI depend on billions from abroad. This is parachute science. It’s neo-colonial. And it’s unsustainable. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘆 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱? ✅ Fund local research from national budgets. ✅ Shift from token collaboration to true co-creation. ✅ Commercialize African knowledge. ✅ Make universities the engines of innovation, not donor-dependent projects. Africa must move from being studied… to being the scholar. We don’t lack genius. We lack ownership. Let’s fix that. Let’s take this conversation further, let me know your ideas on local research funding models. Let’s build a pan-African brain trust. Wavinya Makai is a historian, development scholar, Pan-Africanist, and international relations expert. She reads the world not just to understand it, but to change it. Founder of unchained conversations. #ResearchOwnership #AfricaRising #KenyaScience #DecolonizeData #FundingOurMinds

Your research is only as good as your ability to get people to listen to it.  Here's 7 tips for making sure your insights actually land. 📂 Start with conclusions, not methodology Think of your debrief as a landing page–you need to hook people immediately. Put your key takeaways front and center. No one has time to wade through your research methods before getting to the good stuff. Everyone is busy with their jobs already. 📂 One finding per slide Don't overwhelm your audience with multiple insights at once. Share one finding per slide, support it with data (mix qualitative and quantitative), and include a clear recommendation. Yes, recommendations! Don't just drop insights and run. Your job isn't done until you've suggested what to do next. 📂 Connect to business goals Your organization cares about metrics and outcomes, not research for its own sake. Frame your insights in terms of business impact. For example, this finding will help us reduce the 30% churn we're seeing in week 1. 📂 Use real user voices Nothing makes research stick like hearing it directly from users. Include direct quotes and, if possible, short video clips. The more human connection you create between stakeholders and users, the more memorable your insights become. 📂 Ditch the UX jargon Simplify everything and speak in terms business stakeholders understand. 📂 Address stakeholder fears When executives push back, it's usually fear-driven. Find out what they're afraid of missing, losing, or failing at—then frame your insights as solutions to those fears. 📂 Save methodology for last Your professional expertise should be trusted. Keep the "how we made the sausage" details for the end. What's your best tip for making research insights stick?

The biggest research mistake? Choosing a topic before choosing a problem. A well-crafted research question is not just a sentence… it is the backbone of your entire research project. Here are simple, practical tips to help you write research questions that are clear, focused, and worth answering: 1. Start with the Problem, Not the Literature Dump Don’t begin by thinking, “What topic should I choose?” Start by asking: “What real-world problem or gap actually needs to be solved or understood?” Your research question should grow from a problem that genuinely puzzles you. 2. Make Your Question Answerable A great research question is: ✔ Specific ✔ Narrow ✔ Observable ✔ Measurable (even in qualitative research, “measurable” means “can be explored through data”) Avoid questions like: ✖ “Why is education important?” That’s an essay, not research. Instead aim for: ✔ “How do first-year teachers experience the shift to AI-assisted classrooms?” 3. Choose the Right Question Type Ask yourself: What exactly do I need to know? For quantitative studies → your question usually aims to: • Compare groups • Test relationships • Measure an outcome Examples: ✔ “Does training frequency predict employee retention in startups?” ✔ “Is there a difference in burnout levels between remote and on-site nurses?” For qualitative studies → your question usually aims to: • Explore experiences • Understand meanings • Unpack processes Examples: ✔ “How do women describe their decision-making process after receiving an infertility diagnosis?” ✔ “What challenges do teachers face when integrating assistive technology for autistic learners?” 4. One Question = One Direction A common mistake: asking questions that are trying to do too many things at once. Keep your RQ laser-focused. If you feel tempted to add “and” again and again — split it into sub-questions. 5. Make Sure Someone Actually Needs the Answer A strong research question has impact. Ask yourself: 👉 If I answer this, who benefits? 👉 Does this move the field forward? 👉 Will this help someone make better decisions? If the answer is “not really,” revise it. 6. Let Your RQ Guide Your Entire Design This is the part most students underestimate. Your research question should naturally lead to: • Your methodology • Your sampling decisions • Your analytical strategy • Your hypotheses (if quantitative) • Your interview questions (if qualitative) If your question doesn’t point clearly to the method, there’s a mismatch. 7. Don’t Aim for Perfect — Aim for Clear Research questions evolve. Refining your RQ is part of the research process, not a sign that you're doing it wrong. PS: What’s one mistake you made when framing your first research question — and what did it teach you? Share in the comments. REPOST to help others.

€605 million. 30 open calls. One of the biggest research funding windows Africa has ever seen, and most institutions don't even know it's open yet. If your university, research centre, or organisation works on any of Africa's defining challenges, this is the moment to pay attention. 🌍 HORIZON EUROPE — AFRICA INITIATIVE IV IS LIVE 🔬💶 The European Commission has just launched Africa Initiative IV under its Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026–2027 — and the scale of this is genuinely significant. ~€605 million. Roughly 30 calls for proposals. A clear mandate to put African institutions at the centre of joint EU–Africa research and innovation. This is the fourth edition of the Africa Initiative — bigger, broader, and more explicitly Africa-led than anything that came before it. It directly implements the AU–EU Innovation Agenda (2023–2033) and covers the issues that matter most to African communities right now. 🎯 Four priority areas driving the calls: 🌱 Sustainable food systems and natural resources 🏥 Health, climate resilience, and clean energy 🌐 Digital transformation and emerging technologies 🔬 Strengthening African research and innovation systems 📋 Who this is for: Universities, research institutions, NGOs, think tanks, and private sector organisations — especially those that can bring genuine African institutional leadership to a collaborative research project. African partners are not just welcome here. In many calls, they are required. ⚠️ One important clarification: This is not an individual scholarship or personal training programme. It is institutional and consortium funding for organisations ready to lead or co-lead joint research and innovation work at scale. If you know a research director, university partnerships lead, or innovation officer who should have this on their radar — tag them right now. These calls will not wait. Official links and practical positioning tips in the comments 👇 #HorizonEurope #AfricaInitiativeIV #EUAfrica #ResearchFunding #InnovationGrants #GlobalGateway #AUEUPartnership #AfricaResearch #InstitutionalFunding #EUFunding #Grants2026 #AfricaDevelopment #ScienceAndTech

New paper! How can developing countries build science capacity to ensure economic prosperity and security? New TBI research and data explorer provides a roadmap https://bit.ly/47utqji LMICs represent 85% of the world's population but produce just 14% of scientific publications and receive less than 10% of global R&D investment. This leaves them exposed in the face of geopolitical fragmentation Traditional development approaches have treated domestic research capacity as a luxury rather than a necessity. But the assumption that LMICs should focus only on technology adoption is flawed. Without investment in research institutions, talent and governance, countries remain dependent and fragile The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change has developed a new Global Science Capacity Explorer that maps 129 countries using 84 indicators across research ecosystems. It enables governments to benchmark against similar countries, identify structural gaps, and design data driven interventions aligned with their institutional realities and development goals Key insight: 65% of countries fall short of the 1% GDP R&D benchmark, yet efficiency varies dramatically. Yet the path to stronger science systems lies not just in bigger budgets, but in sustained, better-sequenced investment through capable institutions. For LMICs at different stages of scientific development, our analysis reveals four critical areas for strategic intervention: 💸 Funding: Money matters, but institutions matter more. Pakistan spends significantly less on R&D than Egypt yet achieves similar outputs—3-4x greater efficiency. In low-income countries, there's essentially no correlation between GERD and research impact. However, private sector R&D spend strongly predicts performance 👩🎓 Talent: Talent mobility trumps education spending as a predictor of research strength. Countries with above-median talent flow have 40-50% higher citation levels than peers. Malaysia's Returning Expert Programme brought back 4,600 professionals with fast-track residency and 15% tax rates 🏦 Institutions: Investing in flagship universities pays off. Uganda channeled 30 billion shillings annually to strengthen Makerere University, helping it rank 8th in Sub-Saharan Africa. Countries that focus resources on 1-2 leading universities see 50% higher national research impact than those spreading funds thinly 🎯 Strategy: Focus and coordination can help LMICs to become leaders in targeted areas. Rwanda's concise STI strategy identifies just 6 priority sectors with single ownership under the president's office, backed by a $4 million National Research Fund disbursed to 91 priority-aligned projects Excellent work by my colleagues Laura Ryan, Bridget Boakye, Rithika Muralidharan and Alex Otway – and collaborators Beth Kaplin and Karina Angelieva !

𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀; it 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝟭𝟬 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗴𝗮𝗽𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 ————————————— 1️⃣ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴? → Highly cited papers are influential but not perfect. → Pinpoint their blind spots for potential research opportunities. 2️⃣ 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵? → Are certain groups, regions, or demographics consistently overlooked? → Addressing these gaps can make your work stand out. 3️⃣ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆? → Most research papers highlight limitations. → These are opportunities waiting for a solution. 4️⃣ 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆? → Could outdated methodologies or tools in older studies benefit from modern advancements? 5️⃣ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲? → Divergent findings indicate areas that require deeper investigation to resolve discrepancies. 6️⃣ 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗲𝘁? → Look to the future. → Addressing new developments can position your research as groundbreaking. 7️⃣ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀? → Explore how theoretical concepts can translate into real-world solutions. 8️⃣ 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱? → Combine ideas from multiple fields to address complex issues in innovative ways. 9️⃣ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘀𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀? → Tackle challenges that align with pressing global or local needs for high-impact research. 🔟 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴? → Your unique perspective or background can often illuminate gaps others may not see. ————————————— 📌 𝗣𝗿𝗼 𝗧𝗶𝗽: Use these questions to guide your literature review or discussions with mentors to narrow down impactful research topics. ♻️ Repost to help fellow researchers sharpen their focus. #ResearchTips #AcademicJourney #LiteratureReview

Wonder why no African has ever won a Nobel Prize in the Sciences Black African representation in the Science Nobels remains vanishingly low. Why? And what can we do? ✊🏿🧪 It’s a hard truth: while Africans have won Peace and Literature Nobels, no Black African scientist has yet received a Nobel in Physiology/Medicine, Chemistry, or Physics. This isn’t about talent: it’s about systems. 🧠🚫 Why the gap persists ·      💸 Funding & infrastructure: Stop-start grants and fragile lab equipment pipelines. ·      🤝 Inequitable collaborations: Samples/data flow out; authorship, IP, and credit don’t always flow back. ·      🚪 Gatekeeping & visibility: Visas, high APCs, and editorial bias limit exposure. ·      🏛️ “Big science” concentration: Prizes cluster where endowments, core facilities, and mentoring ecosystems exist. ·      🕰️ Pipeline attrition: Heavy teaching/clinical loads, little protected research time, scarce mentorship. Is African science being neglected? Too often, yes: structurally. But it’s also under-leveraged: world-class ideas and cohorts exist, without the scaffolding (biobanks, data cores, long-term funding) to convert insight into prize-winning impact. 🌍🔬 What we can do now ·      🧬 Fund African-led consortia with multi-year cores (biobanking, data science, regulatory). ·      ⚖️ Make partnerships equitable by design (shared IP, senior authorship, capacity targets). ·      ✈️💳 Support visa/fee waivers and APC funds to boost visibility. ·      🧑🏾🏫⏳ Invest in mentorship + protected time for early-career investigators. ·      🏅 Nominate outstanding African scientists: relentlessly. If you’re keen to back a concrete example, message me about our Pan-African T1D initiative building the ethical, biobanking, and discovery pathways needed to change this story. 🙌🏾 #AfricanScience #NobelPrize #ResearchEquity #GlobalHealth #Africa #Diabetes #T1D #STEMLeadership #OpenScience #CapacityBuilding #DiabetesResearch

I’ve spent over 10 years working with stakeholders as a user researcher. Here’s what I’ve learned about making them happy 1. Make them successful Stakeholders don’t care about the number of studies you’ve run. They care about how your insights help them achieve their goals. Stop focusing on research as an output and start focusing on the outcomes stakeholders need. - Instead of saying, “Users struggled with navigation,” say, “Improving navigation could reduce drop-offs by 20%, adding $750K in revenue.” 2. Let them be the expert in their domain so you can be the expert in yours Your stakeholders know their products, metrics, and market better than anyone. Your job isn’t to challenge that expertise, it’s to elevate it. Ask questions to uncover their needs: - “What’s the biggest risk you’re facing right now?” - “What metrics are you trying to move this quarter?” Use their answers to tailor your research and position it as a tool to help them succeed. 3. Don’t just deliver insights, help them make decisions Insights are only valuable if they drive action. Make the path forward clear and impossible to ignore. For example: - Don’t say, “Users are frustrated with this feature.” - Say, “Users can’t find this feature, which is causing churn. Fixing the discoverability could improve retention by 15%.” Always connect the dots between findings and action. 4. Speak in outcomes, not research jargon Stakeholders need to understand how your research helps them solve problems. Instead of, “We conducted 10 usability tests on the onboarding flow,” say, “We found that 7 out of 10 users couldn’t complete onboarding, which is leading to trial drop-offs.” 5. Frame research as a strategic advantage, not a speed bump Stakeholders often see research as slowing things down. Show them it’s the opposite. For example: If a stakeholder says, “We don’t have time for research,” respond with: “Without research, we risk building the wrong solution, which could cost more time and money to fix later.” Show them how research saves resources and reduces risk in the long run. 6. Focus on clarity and action Dense reports full of data don’t drive action, but clear, concise recommendations do. Instead of a 20-page slide deck, provide a one-pager with: - The top 3 findings - Why they matter (tied to business goals) - The next steps Make it easy for stakeholders to act. 7. Be their ally, not just their researcher When stakeholders feel like you’re invested in their success, they’ll invest in you. - Proactively check in on their goals and challenges, even when you’re not running research for them. - Celebrate their wins and show how research contributed to their success. Stakeholder relationships are partnerships, not transactions. Want more actionable strategies to build stronger stakeholder relationships and make your research indispensable? Subscribe to my Substack for weekly insights: https://lnkd.in/eR5M2geZ

As a scientist who has long advocated for a national research agenda in Ghana, I was thrilled to hear our Education Minister affirm the government's commitment to operationalising the Ghana National Research Fund. This fund should not merely be about disbursing money to academics; it must be a structured program that aligns scientific research with priority national challenges. What matters most is not the funding amount, but a national commitment to using research as a driver of development. Since independence, this has been the missing link in our progress. We can begin by creating a framework that maps existing research in our institutions to national needs. This will require little to no funding but would send a powerful signal that our work is valued and that we are finally ready to build solutions rooted in our own expertise. The real motivation for researchers is not money or legislation, but the assurance that our work will meaningfully impact national development. #Research #Ghana

One of the most important shifts we need to see in global health innovation is greater investment in African-led drug discovery – from within Africa itself. I’m encouraged to see this beginning to take shape through a recent commitment by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), which has allocated funding to support early-stage drug discovery platforms within the Grand Challenges African Drug Discovery Accelerator (GC ADDA) network. This investment goes beyond funding individual projects. It contributes to building the foundations of a sustainable research ecosystem – strengthening capabilities in areas such as antibiotic discovery and toxicology, while supporting emerging scientific leadership, including women researchers across the continent. For too long, Africa has been positioned primarily as a recipient within the global R&D landscape. Yet the reality is that the continent holds both the scientific talent and the contextual understanding needed to address its own health challenges – and to contribute meaningfully to global solutions. Initiatives like GC ADDA are intentionally designed to be globally connected, but locally driven – linking African institutions, researchers and partners into a collaborative network that can deliver both scientific excellence and real-world impact. If we are serious about advancing drug discovery for unmet medical needs, then local investment must become a central pillar, not an afterthought. This is how we build resilience, retain talent and ensure that innovation is both relevant and sustainable. Read more: https://lnkd.in/dGhn_mPx #KellyChibale #GCADDA #SAMRC #AfricaScience #DrugDiscovery #GlobalHealth #CapacityStrengthening #WomenInScience #AMR #ScientificLeadership