Science councils will benefit from more ‘science on science’

Africa needs to establish and enhance its networks for researchers in innovation studies to investigate the process of research, science, technology and innovation, with the aim of establishing how it is driven and what obstacles exist for those working in these disciplines.

This, in turn, would ensure that the limited funding African governments give to science granting councils (SGCs) is effectively used, says Professor Rebecca Hanlin.

Hanlin is an innovation and development specialist for the AfricaLics network, which endeavours to connect scholars who work in the fields of innovation and development. She is also the coordinator of the Science Granting Councils Initiative for the Nairobi-based African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS).

According to Hanlin, the African continent is lagging behind in realising the importance of researching the process of research, science, technology and innovation, mainly due to the inadequate numbers of social scientists who work in the fields of innovation and technology studies.

“Unfortunately, we lack significant numbers of these scientists in Africa, and those who are working in this area – because of a focus on disciplinary fields in many African universities, despite increasing rhetoric of multi- and trans-disciplinarity – are often hidden,” said Hanlin.

Knowledge of science systems is critical

Speaking during a webinar organised by AfricaLics and ACTS held in February about the role of science granting councils in building science systems, Hanlin posited that, whereas a lot of attention is focused on funding research in science or innovation, there is a need for equal attention on “research or science on science”.

“If we do not know how the science, technology and innovation [STI] systems work, we cannot effectively ensure funding goes to where it is most needed,” argued Hanlin.

Speaking to University World News, Hanlin said that SGCs play a key role in advancing the science, technology and innovation landscape of a country through management and disbursement of research grants; management and disbursement of scholarships for graduate studies; and training, advisory and infrastructural support.

As a result of these multiple mandates, she said, the SGCs have interactions and multiple interdependent relationships with multiple stakeholders.

“Our work within the Science Granting Councils Initiative has shown that councils work at the intersection of many different actors and relationships because of their multiple mandates.

“This provides them with an opportunity to thrive within a unique ‘intermediary space’ and have the ability to actively bring together constellations of actors, influence policy discussions and change practice,” she said.

Hanlin said this privy to the fact that many SGCs in Africa have decried inadequate funding as a bottleneck to their success.

“No African country – and, by virtue of this, no science council – has managed to reach the 1% target that was agreed by the African Union for funding of research and development that is only one element of STI that is required,” said Hanlin, adding that the complication is how the statistics are collected as many science councils, unfortunately, are not the only conduit of research funds into a country.

In many instances, funds are channelled through line ministries and in countries like Kenya, she said. Those line ministries have research institutes citing the Kenya Medical Research Institute and Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization that are disconnected from the science councils.

“In many countries, science councils are only about funding researchers in universities and they often find it difficult to even offer more than just a small grant fund each year,” she said.

Limited human resources

Hanlin, added, however, that the Science Granting Councils Initiative has created an opportunity for science granting councils to leverage the funding they are receiving from the SGCI to arrange matched funding from their governments. For instance, Malawi has adopted this, resulting in the National Commission for Science and Technology operationalising funds that it already had.

Hanlin lauded Malawi’s ability to leverage more funding and cited Namibia’s and Senegal’s councils being on the roadmap after reviewing their science, technology and innovation policies.

The increasing focus on innovation for science granting councils, she cautions, creates competing demands for time and resources, despite being important and necessary for economic and social development in a country.

“Councils now have to start focusing on trying to fund, not just research that takes place in universities, but also the incubation and commercialisation of that research as well as incubation and commercialisation of innovation efforts outside of universities,” said Hanlin.

The costs and requirements to collect innovation, research and development data that meets international standards, she added, are also enormous for science granting councils, with those that collect such data not doing it on a regular basis being unable to meet these standards.

Besides funding challenges, Hanlin said, many science granting councils are insufficiently capacitated in terms of human resources, thus limiting their abilities to run their activities.