BSU II Progress Report: July-December 2015

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BSU II Progress Report for the Period: July-December 2015.

This format is used for the half yearly progress report. The key issues that are in focus in this format relate to the activities since the annual reporting earlier in the year, and include the following:

Project basic information

Progress since last reporting

Progress against Log frame / results framework

Overall reflection and challenges (New) Project administration

Signatures

The BSU II Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that this form is completed and submitted. As stated in the general Conditions, missing or unsatisfactory submission of reports and accounts is considered as non-compliance to the grant conditions. Deadline for submission is March 15, 2016. Please note that a combined annual accounts form (Appendix 3) must be submitted along with the half yearly progress report. The form for the accounts can be downloaded here http://dfcentre.com/research/building-stronger-universities-bsu/general-conditions-forms-and-templates/. Please note that the combined annual accounts should undergo external audit. Deadline for submitting annual accounts is April 1st, 2016. In case of doubt, please do not hesitate to contact DFC by mail at: research@dfcentre.dk.

Guidance We encourage you to seek support from all partners in the writing of this report,

keeping in mind that the South coordinator is overall responsible for the reporting.

Please keep in mind that you don’t have to write lots of pages - keep it brief.

Please expand the text boxes as necessary and copy/paste more boxes in the log frame table, if needed.

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Project basic information

Project title Building Stronger Universities (BSU) II

DFC File no. BSU2-KNUST

Project coordinator Robert C. Abaidoo

E-mail of coordinator abaidoorc@yahoo.com

Responsible institution Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Partner institutions University of Copenhagen (UCPH)

Danish Technical University (DTU)

Aarhus University

Aalborg University

University of Southern Denmark

Progress since last reporting

Changes / Comments regarding project management

Describe any main changes in management setup, if any - and how these have been implemented.

There have been no major changes in the management setup of the BSUII. The joint management structure made up of the two Coordinators from KNUST and the Danish Consortium supported by the Work Package (WP) Leaders and the project management support team has been maintained. As of August 2015 the DA WP 1 leader was replaced by a new resource person. In addition, due to the numerous components and activities of the project, a Project Administrator has also been engaged at KNUST since August, 2015, to provide day to day administrative support for the Anchor and WP leaders in carrying out the various activities. KNUST and Danish Work Package Leaders have worked together to lead and implement WP activities and the Coordinators have also overseen the overall management of the project.

Have you shared information about the Partnership, the project and lessons learned with other BSU II projects or other relevant stakeholders since the previous reporting?

Please specify the type of information, and name(s) of stakeholder(s) with whom you have shared the information.

Information on the project and activities have been shared with the University leadership at various meetings, especially on the various partnerships being built with other universities and stakeholders. The University community has been apprised of all BSU-related activities through the university website. Also, a jointly planned South-South collaboration between KNUST and Kathmandu University (KU) in Nepal (a BSU II institution) was jointly implemented in November, 2015. A five (5) member team from Kathmandu University Nepal paid a three-day visit to KNUST from 23rd - 25th November, 2015 to share knowledge and experience on the BSUII Project. The team was made up of Dr. Sagar Raj Sharma (Lecturer & BSU Project Coordinator), Mr. Mukunda Prasad Upadhyay (Chief Administrative Officer at KU) Ms. Jyoti Pradhan (Human Resource Manager at KU) Mr. Chandeswor Shrestha (Finance Manager at KU), Ms. Rubina Pradhan (BSU Project Officer and Research Associate) and Mr. Christian Gregart (Denmark Partner & Consultant). The initiative which was spearheaded by the Danish partner and offered opportunities for both KU and KNUST to learn and share knowledge on research administration and management support systems. The two universities also shared information on respective project goals, progress, successes and lessons learnt. Discussions on areas of collaboration within the BSU project and beyond were also held. The team had the opportunity to interact with a number of stakeholders including the KNUST-BSUII team, the Vice Chancellor, Finance Officer,

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Deputy Registrar (Human Resource), College Provosts, some members of faculty and students. Further, as part of the midterm evaluation of the project detailed information on the project, progress and plans was shared with the evaluation team from DFC.

Progress against Log frame / results framework

Please report on the outputs/outcomes and implementation of activities as planned in the Inception Report, stating the progress and status of the started/completed activities, as well as any changes in the plan of activities (if any) and reasons for the change(s).

State outcomes and outputs exactly as approved in the Inception Report and report on each.

Please number the Outcome/Output, and insert more rows/boxes, if needed.

WP1 Climate Smart Agriculture and Environmental Management (CSAEM)

Output 1.1.1: By 2016, KNUST staff are actively involved in the joint preparation of CSAEM research problem identification, designing pilot studies, proposal development, scientific writing and communication of research results to non-academic stakeholders

Narrative: The rationale behind this output was to ensure that KNUST will be more competitive internationally in conducting high quality research in CSAEM. Again, the evolving nature of science requires that researchers constantly upgrade their knowledge in their field of work. Specifically, the output sought to take KNUST staff through the process of training and mentoring in the entire research process to enable them acquire new and more effective ways of conducting research in CSAEM. The key activities planned to be executed under this output include; stakeholder workshop and needs assessment, identification of staff, training workshop on research process, conducting specialist short courses and pilot studies, training and mentoring on data management and scientific writing and development of proposals for external funding. It is envisaged that by taking staff through these sets of activities, they will be more knowledgeable and skilled in performing their mandate as researchers while enhancing the reputation of KNUST in terms of conducting quality research in CSAEM for the desired outputs. Progress/Status: To be able to conduct meaningful research in CSAEM, it was imperative to hold discussions with relevant stakeholders in the field. The stakeholder workshop held in February 2015, informed KNUST researchers on some Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) activities in the country e.g. new alternative livelihoods being practiced to reduce pressure on reserves and mitigate climate change effects. The workshop also revealed some of the resources available to industries as well as challenges and practices which could be taken advantage of by academia to promote quality research. For instance, Zoomlion (waste management company) had produced huge volumes of compost which farmers were not patronizing anymore. It was discovered that the quality of compost was compromised because it had high levels of heavy metals due to lack of sorting waste before composting. Also, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) brought out policy implementation challenges such as farming too close to rivers. These challenges brought out research questions to be explored as well as opportunities for academia- industry collaborations and inter-disciplinary research. Besides, this was the first of such an institutionally organized platform for academia and industry partners to discuss issues bordering on research. Against this background, three specialist short courses (1.1.1.6) have been conducted in the areas of Climate Smart Agriculture & Agricultural Water Management (CSA), Ecosystem & Natural Resource Management (ECOSYS) and Optimal and Sustainable Use of Bio-Resources (BIORES). These were jointly facilitated with Danish partners. The short courses in CSA and ECOSYS were conducted in July 2015 while BIORES was held in August, 2015. The resultant benefits from these short courses cannot be overemphasized. For instance, the short course on ECOSYS which trained 25 staff members resulted in the identification of some research problems in the local environment. Participants identified

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researchable challenges of the Owabi River, the source of 20% of the region’s water supply, and its catchment; which hitherto had been only marginally researched into. Out of the identified problems, research topics were developed into pilot study proposals. Based on the specializations of the participants, three pilot study groups were formed to look at the different aspects of the researchable issues associated with the catchment area. The groups were the “Biology” group to focus on the biological communities in the Owabi River and its catchment; the “Chemistry” group on the chemical loading in the Owabi River and its catchment, and the “Physics” group on the hydrological aspect of the River and its catchment. Similarly, the short course on CSA was attended by 20 staff members from varied disciplines. Participants were introduced to the concept of agro-ecosystem where participants performed basic field work on the soil and crop. Specifically, participants were taken to a maize field to collect soil samples from a soil pit for characterisation of soil profile. The sampled soil was analysed at the Soil Sciences Laboratory and related the field data to model-based results and literature in order to evaluate and improve the CSA and agricultural water management scenarios.

The BIORES short course also trained 24 faculty members on anaerobic digestion and bioremediation of hydrocarbon contaminated soils and water, biowaste composition and properties in Ghana, soil fertility, waste recycling and environmental impacts e.g. (fertilizer value of biowaste, composting, greenhouse and ammonia gas emissions). One of the facilitators of this course is the lead investigator in another DANIDA-funded bioenergy project at KNUST and shared knowledge and learning with the participants. Aside from the new knowledge gained in CSAEM research, participants had the privilege to learn the use of new software such as Arcview/QGIS and SWAT provided by our Danish partners. A number of individual researchers also continue to engage with the Northern partners on their own individual research. The short courses therefore resulted in the identification of research topics and development of objectives for the pilot study projects. Seven pilot study groups were constituted to research into different aspects of the Owabi river and its catchment (1.1.1.7 and 1.1.1.8). The proposals were reviewed by both KNUST and Danish facilitators who helped the groups shape their respective proposals. The inter-disciplinary nature of the group composition has been very much appreciated by the participants for its ability to foster team work as well as inter-disciplinary research. The pilot projects is planned to kick start from January, 2016 after which the results will be utilized to write bigger proposals for external funding. A research methodology workshop will be conducted for participants in April, 2016 to enable them hone their research skills and prepare them for the development of the bigger proposal. Subsequent to these activities will be the training and mentoring on data management and scientific writing (1.1.1.9 & 1.1.1.10) which are aimed at equipping participants with the tools and techniques in analyzing their data, writing good manuscripts as well as competitive research proposals. It is important to note that a great number of staff, particular younger faculty members, have been motivated to write research proposals which hitherto seemed to be quite difficult an adventure. The pilot study process in particular has reassured participants of their abilities to write research proposals, secure funding for implementation and disseminate findings to society. 21% of the training and pilot study participants in this work package were women.

Output 1.1.2: By 2016, a PhD Program in Environmental Science, Policy and Management is developed and advertised for students’ enrolment; the existing PhD Soil Science program revised to reflect current research needs in CSAEM

Narrative:

Prior to BSUII, a number of BSc and MSc programmes in Environmental Sciences were fragmented

across difference disciplines. The Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology (TAB) had produced over 500 graduates in Environmental Science (at the Masters level) and identified the need for an upgrade to PhD. Hence, the proposal was to develop a PhD programme in Environmental Science, Policy and Management to cut across several disciplines. As a result of current trends in CSAEM, it also became necessary to revise an existing PhD programme in Soil Science to reflect these developments. Progress/status: A draft curriculum has been developed and is currently receiving inputs from different departments in the

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university. Some of the inputs received so far include developing core and elective taught courses as part of the programme so that candidates, who are expected to come from different backgrounds, could take the elective courses in their respective disciplines. The AGRA supported PhD programme in Soil Science has run for the past six years. To be abreast with current trends and direction in CSAEM, the curriculum is being reviewed by members of the development team to enable improvements in it. The team will propose revisions in order for the programme to reflect current trends, learnings and research needs in CSAEM. The revision is expected to be completed by May 2016.

WP2 Entrepreneurship and Job Creation (EJC)

Output 2.1.1: By 2016, 15 KNUST staff (with at least 25% women) have improved their

competences in proposal development on issues in growth and employment areas.

Narrative: This output is aimed at making KNUST highly responsive toward broader societal and market needs in research and economic development. This is in recognition of the need to 'restore confidence' in academia and directly engage with external stakeholders through university-industry relations. To achieve this, the following activities were planned to be executed: Stakeholder workshop for needs assessment, training materials preparation and training on Research Process, Materials preparation and conducting of specialist short courses on Agricultural Value Chains (AVC) and Business Innovations and Entrepreneurship (BIE), Research proposal writing, Pilot studies, training and mentoring on data management and scientific writing (Writeshop) and the development and submission of proposals for external funding. Progress/status:

Following stakeholder workshops (2.1.1.3) held in February and May, 2015, a solid relationship has been established between a number of industries in and around KNUST. The collaborative approach in identifying research problems together with industry partners ensured that research topics to be explored do not exist in a vacuum but responded to the specific needs of industry and society at large. This engagement resulted in the joint development of the research topics by industry and academia. These included Aqua production, Energy-saving Stoves; Honey Production; and Fish Food/Feed Production which are all of relevance to industry. As a result, there has been a reorientation of minds with regards to how industries see academia and vice versa. Also, a research methodology training workshop (2.1.1.4) was held in May 2015. A major output of the research process workshop was the formation of four research groups comprising researchers (10% being female) and industry partners with the aim of developing competencies in writing research proposals that address specific problems in the society. Furthermore, the four research teams were mentored to develop research proposals on the following themes: “improving locally fabricated stoves and ovens for efficient energy use and clean environment, improving honey and beeswax production for poverty reduction, improving the quality of farm-made feeds in tilapia and pond culture and improving shelf life of processed cereal based foods by cereal processing company”. During the research methodology training, participants were introduced to Agricultural Value Chains (AVC) and Business Innovations and Entrepreneurship (BIE) (2.1.1.5 &6) to equip them in developing their pilot projects. The research teams received mentorship and guidance from the course facilitators from both KNUST and Denmark. This approach appeared to have worked very well since all the four research teams have already transformed their research proposals into pilot studies that are being supported by the BSUII project. The follow up sessions on AVC and BIE is scheduled to take place in March 2016 to provide more depth in these subject areas and inform subsequent research. Under the pilot studies (2.1.1.7 & 8), each research group selected a Principal Investigator who on behalf of the group signed a contract with the BSUII project to undertake a pilot study on a particular topic. The Four Principal Investigators (comprising 3 males and 1 female) are to ensure that the team undertake all the planned activities to achieve the research objectives while ensuring the efficient use of the financial support from BSU II project. It is expected that these pilot studies will produce relevant research information that would be used to develop “bigger” research proposals for external funding (which is the final activity under this output). These studies are also providing hand-on training and experience for

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researchers in leading and managing funded projects. The pilot studies are currently ongoing and are expected to complete by the end of March, 2016. The participants are expected to bring this learning to bear in writing proposals for external funding and managing any subsequent award. To further equip the research teams in data management and manuscript writing for their pilot studies, as well as enhance their knowledge and skills in research proposal development, it is planned that training and mentoring workshops on data management and scientific writing (2.1.1.9 & 10) will be conducted for researchers in March 2016. This will be facilitated by resource persons from KNUST and Danish partner Universities. At the end of the workshop, participants would have acquired the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to analyse their data, disseminate their research findings and develop more elaborate research proposals that can be submitted for external funding (2.1.1.11). Although activities planned under this output are not yet completed, it is important to highlight some significant achievements or outcomes. First, there has been a paradigm shift in terms of how researchers identify research problems. Bringing together researchers and industry partners on the same platform to identify specific problems have ensured that academia directly responds to the needs of industry with relevant research outputs. Again, the cordial relationship that has been established between the two parties has created the avenue for larger collaborations between KNUST and industries. The approach also reduces the time and energy involved in identifying research problems that respond to societal needs. Again, KNUST researchers have improved their knowledge and competence in developing research proposals. Not only have participants received training in research proposal development, they have also learnt to work together in teams with persons from different disciplines. Another significant outcome of this output has been the fact that the selected industries have indicated their willingness to provide support for organizing such stakeholder platforms in the future. Also the industries have realized the mutually beneficial nature of having a relationship with academia and are willing to contribute to training and research.

Output 2.1.2: By 2016, PhD curriculum developed and approved in two faculties for enhanced entrepreneurship teaching and research.

Narrative: Under this output, KNUST staff will be mentored to develop curriculum as well as strengthen entrepreneurship teaching and research based on academia-industry linkage models. The objective here is to develop two main PhD programmes in Agribusiness and business administration, with active participation and inputs of industry partners. The output is expected to respond to the call by industries to have a doctorate degree in the areas of business and management which is currently non-existent in KNUST. The idea is to move away from the usual academic-based curriculum development to a more participatory approach that provides avenues for receiving inputs from industry stakeholders. Activities planned under this output include: Review of related exiting PhD Programs at KNUST and beyond (2.2.1.1); Curriculum development (2.2.1.2) and Submission to approving bodies (2.2.1.3). Progress/status:

In December 2015, a five-member team was put together at the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Extension to complete the curriculum development. The team, which was led by the Head of Department, has been able to develop two PhD programmes namely PhD Agricultural Development and Policy Management and PhD Sustainable Integrated Development as well as MPhil and MSc in the same disciplines. Similarly, a draft curriculum in PhD Business Management has been developed and is currently receiving inputs from the Danish partners.

A stakeholder workshop will be held in the first quarter of 2016 to discuss these curricula and receive inputs from a larger group of academic and industry partners. Feedback from the stakeholder workshop will then be incorporated into the final curriculum output which will be submitted to the University for approval. The final output is expected to be completed by May, 2016.

Output 2.1.3: Database on KNUST Alumni and Consultative Partnerships with industry established

Narrative:

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This output is aimed at supporting KNUST's strategic choice and intent to become highly responsive toward societal and market needs and direct engagement with external stakeholders (e.g. through university-industry linkages). An innovative approach that links the university to a broader range of stakeholders enables KNUST to be more effective in its mission of teaching, research, entrepreneurial training and service to society. In this light, BSUII sought to develop and institutionalize a web-enabled database tool that will serve as a repository for all forms of collaborative partnerships between KNUST and its partners (Industry, Alumni, government agencies, donors and international organizations) to promote Business Innovations and Entrepreneurship as well as stakeholder-focused training and research. Progress/status: The database development team has put together a comprehensive plan of action to guide their activities. Among other things, the Academic-Industry (AI) database proposal details out the objectives, structure, content of the database, expected outputs as well as implementation timelines. The period between October and December 2015 was used for the conceptualization of the project; formation of the database development team and the development of a comprehensive plan. The second phase of this activity will look at establishing the requirements of the database which includes defining objectives and functionality, stakeholder consultation needs and data collection. Subsequently, the team will look at database analysis, design and development, implementation and testing as well as training, monitoring and maintenance. The plan is to have the AI database fully functional by October, 2016.

WP3 Health Care Delivery Systems

Output 3.1.1: One more staff at CHS is upgrading to PhD level and conducting high quality research and generating new knowledge for teaching at undergraduate level

Narrative: The College of Health Sciences registered the need for staff upgrade due to the limited number of staff with doctorates conducting high quality research in health care delivery. Hence BSUII granted one PhD scholarship to a member of staff at the School of Public Health after a competitive and transparent process was followed.

Progress/status: The selected PhD candidate (Mr. Emmanuel Appiah-Brempong) has successfully enrolled onto a PhD program with the School of Public Health. Initial challenges regarding the identification of Supervisors have also been addressed. The student has been assigned to two internal supervisors (Prof. Muriel Haris, who is a visiting professor & Dr. Samuel Newton) and one supervisor from the University of Southern Denmark (Prof. Gabriel Gulis). According to the student’s progress report, series of discussions have been held with both internal and external supervisors. This has helped in the scoping of the research idea and the search strategy. A detailed research proposal is currently being developed under the title: “Effectiveness of A Theory-Based Hand Hygiene Educational Intervention For Enhancing Hand Washing With Soap And Reducing Diarrhoea Episodes Among Basic School Children In The Ejisu-Juaben Municipality Of Ghana”. A reconnaissance survey is planned to be conducted in the study area from February, 2016. While this research area is expected to generate new knowledge for teaching, it will also provide practical solutions for addressing some health care challenges in the society. The School of Public Health is a new school and hence has a huge need for upgrades and doctorate trained faculty.

Outcome/Output 3.1.2:

By 2016, KNUST staff are actively involved in the joint preparation of HDS research problem identification, designing pilot studies, proposal development, scientific writing and communication of research results to non-academic stakeholders

Narrative:

The focus of this activity is to train and encourage staff to undertake quality research in Health Delivery Systems. To achieve this, the following activities were planned to be executed: Stakeholder workshop for needs assessment, identification of staff to be involved in process, hands-on training on research proposal development, specialist short courses, conducting pilot studies, training and mentoring on data management and academic writing and the development and submission of proposals for external

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funding.

Progress/status:

Although activities under this output were delayed due to joint scheduling difficulties, a lot of work is planned to be undertaken in the first half of 2016. The stakeholder workshop and needs assessment organized for staff in January, 2015 reemphasized the need for staff to be involved in high quality research in three main thematic areas namely; Drug resistance, Maternal and Child Health and Water and Sanitation. Some staff members from the College of Health Sciences have been selected to lead the preparation of course materials to be used for the training workshops. The research methodology course is planned to take place from 22nd to 25th February, 2016 followed by the specialist short courses scheduled for March and April 2016. Meanwhile, four research teams have been competitively selected to conduct pilot studies in the aforementioned research areas. The call for research proposals was openly advertised in the university and 25 applications were received. A committee was constituted to review and select the best four applications based on agreed criteria. It is planned that the selected researchers will participate in the upcoming research methodology training workshop as a way of sharpening their skills in conducting the pilot research projects. The pilot projects are expected to start from March and completed in June, 2016. Similarly, the training workshops on data management and academic writing are scheduled for July 2016, to equip researchers with the requisite skills in handling research data and outputs. The knowledge and skills gained from the training and conduct of the pilot projects is geared towards the development of proposals for possible external funding. It is also expected that, staff who participate in these planned activities will develop interest in doing research and continue even after the exit of BSUII.

WP4 University-wide services, facilities and procedures supporting research

Output 4.1.1: Highly transparent, upgraded grant management system installed and in operation at OGR and CHS and new systems in place in two additional Colleges (CANR and CoE)

Narrative:

Prior to BSUII, KNUST had limited capacity in grant administration and financial management in terms of staff and systems. This often resulted in the delay in submitting research proposals and project reports to funders by researchers due to lack of adequate support. To improve the system, a number of activities were planned to be executed under this output. These included needs and capacity assessment, establishment of College Research Offices, development of grant administration and financial management software, course facilitation training for administrators and accountants, training on grant administration and financial management for researchers, administrators and accountants and implement administrators and accounting staff exchange programme.

Progress/status:

As previously reported, agreements have been reached with the Provosts of three Colleges to establish the College Research offices. The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources has designated an office for the purpose while the College of Health Sciences is awaiting the completion of a new office complex to allocate the College space for its office. The College of Engineering research office is already functioning with the help of the Research Manager. Progress has also been made with regards to the procurement of equipment and supplies for these research offices. All procurement requirements have now been fulfilled and agreements reached with a vendor to provide the necessary supplies for the offices. By May 2016, it is expected that the three College research offices will be fully equipped with computers, printers, stationery, etc to enable them function effectively. One of the Colleges have already engaged a Research Manager who has begun to give support to the College. The other two Colleges are still working to address the issue of personnel to man these offices. On the development of grant administration and financial management software, work has progressed successfully. While the Research Management Information System (ReMIS) looks at the managing data on KNUST researcher profiles, grants and proposals, the Grants Accounting Software addresses the challenges associated with financial reporting and budget monitoring. The development of these software

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has received support and input from Danish partners. A joint software development meeting was held at KNUST in July 2015. A workshop was also conducted to introduce researchers, administrators and accountants to the newly developed software. The three-day workshop took place from 27th to 30th July, 2015 at the IDL Conference room, KNUST. Mr. Hanan Larsen Zakariah and Jakob Vester from Aalborg University, Denmark, joined four other KNUST resource persons to facilitate the workshop. The objective was to train administrators on their roles and responsibilities in grants and research management and also obtain feedback to further improve the software being developed. A total of thirty-six (36) participants made up of 12 administrators and 24 accountants attended the training workshop. Twenty (20) researchers also attended the workshop on the 30th of July, 2015. It is important to note that, the training workshop created a rare platform for all the key players in grants management to work together and share ideas. The practical sessions enabled participants to try their hands on the software while the group work emphasized the essence of team work in grants and research administration. During the plenary sessions, very productive debates and discussions ensued regarding the roles and responsibilities of all parties in the grants and research management business. This also enabled participants to suggest practical solutions to address some of the challenges the university face in terms of research administration and particularly for the improvement of the grants management software. Some participants noted that, the development of grants management software was in the right direction since it will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their work as well as improve transparency and trust among all parties. Currently, the software development team is in the process of fine-tuning the two software as well as linking them to the existing financial management software (PANACEA) of the University. This will ensure that the software do not exist in isolation but well integrated into the university system. The team is expected to complete the software by May 2016, after which another training workshop will be held for users to practice and use it for their work. Further to this training, a grants financial management training was held from 15th to 16th October, 2015 led by the Office of Grants and Research. The training, which was targeted at researchers and all project leaders, recorded forty-four (44) participants across the six colleges of the university. Facilitators for the workshop were six (6) seasoned researchers and financial management experts from within the university in addition to one external resource person. The workshop particularly trained researchers on budget preparation, budget monitoring, roles and responsibilities of financial management team and generally on how to develop a winning budget in writing research proposals. Sessions with staff from the Finance Office and the Internal Audit brought to fore some challenges and suggestions for tackling these challenges. As an outcome, the workshop has increased the enthusiasm and confidence of researchers in writing research proposals since the budgeting component had relatively been made simpler after the training. This was revealed in the workshop evaluation where about 91% of participants noted their

expectations for the training were fully met. KNUST planned both North-South and South-South partnerships to learn and strengthen grant management capacity at participating universities. Exchange and partnership with Kathmandu University (KU) in Nepal is being implemented. A five-member team from KU together with their Danish partner visited KNUST in November 2015. Being a comparatively younger university, the visiting team particularly sought to learn and understand the structures and systems in place at KNUST that support research work and gather some best practices that could be replicated in their university. The team therefore had the opportunity to interact with a number of stakeholders at all levels of the university structure. This offered opportunities for both KU and KNUST to learn and share knowledge on research administration and management support systems as well as general administration processes. A similar programme is planned in Nepal during the second quarter of 2016 to afford similar learning and facilitation of some training sessions at KU. Again, the administrators and accountants exchange programme with Denmark is planned to take place from 9th to 16th April, 2016. The purpose is to get exposed to a more advanced grants management set up and learn some best practices which can be implemented by KNUST. This will also encourage peer learning and further collaboration between KNUST and Danish universities. By the end of BSUII, it is expected that these activities will jointly contribute to the implementation of a more effective grants and research administration at the central Office of Grants and Research and newly established College Research Offices. These offices will then be well positioned to offer support to researchers in terms of writing research proposals and managing grants.

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Output 4.2.1: By 2016, increased numbers of Central Library users have easy access to research publications and high impact journals

Narrative: The baseline survey conducted prior to BSUII revealed a 46% user satisfaction level for the KNUST Central library. This was evident in the lower number of persons who accessed the library facilities over the period. In quest to increase the number of library users it was equally important to equip the library with the necessary facilities and resources to function effectively. BSUII sought to support the library by carrying out the following activities: inventory and assessment of existing software, procurement and installment of selected library hardware and software, purchase equipment for central library "Research Commons", develop materials and conduct course facilitation training for librarians, develop materials and conduct training on library software packages for librarians (ToT), conduct training on library software packages for librarians and implement library staff exchange programme. Progress/status: Following the needs and capacity assessment conducted in March 2015 with the help and expertise of our Danish partner from Odense/Southern Denmark University Library, a number of critical issues were brought up for the library to address. Among them were the limited number of hardware and software packages that support research. The exercise helped to validate and prioritize the planned activities for this component of WP4. In view of this, a list of required items (mainly hardware) was compiled to be procured for the library. Although some software packages were equally needed, they all required recurrent subscriptions which could not be sustained with the BSUII support. Hence the focus has been to procure the hardware facilities for now while the university itself finds the means to subscribe to the relevant software packages thereby ensuring sustainability. Meanwhile, the library makes use of some procured software, open source software and open access resources to support researchers. Progress has been made with regards to the procurement process. Agreements have been reached with a contractor who is expected to deliver these items by March 2016. The items include desktop and laptops computers for use by faculty and postgraduate students at the Research Commons; video and audio conference facilities to enhance research collaboration, projectors for training and self-service displays among others. This equipment is expected to boost the capacity of the library to offer better services to researchers and the entire university community. On the other hand, a four-day training of trainers (TOT) workshop was conducted for librarians and library staff from 28th September to 1st October, 2015 with the support of our Danish partner Tove Faber Frandsen from the Odense Hospital University. The workshop was attended by nineteen (19) library staff comprising 9 females and 10 males drawn from all the six colleges of the university. It exposed participants to new trends in the library profession and also challenged them to upgrade themselves in order to meet the ever demanding needs of the contemporary researcher and information users. A follow up training has been scheduled for May-June 2016 whereby participants of the first training would co-facilitate with the Danish resource person to train a larger group of library staff on selected topics. Prior to this, a course facilitation workshop will be held for the TOTs to sharpen their training skills as well as improving their leadership capacity. Meanwhile, the exchange program for librarians is expected to take place from 13th to 18th March at the Odense University Hospital Library in Denmark. The idea is to explore a more advanced library in Denmark and share knowledge on best practices that can be transferred to KNUST library. It is anticipated that these activities would enhance the capacity of the KNUST library and position them to offer better services to researchers and library users.

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Output 4.2.2: By 2016, KNUST Central Laboratory has guidelines in COSHH operationalized and available for staff and student users

Narrative:

This Output is very relevant since the KNUST central laboratory was a newly established centre. The existence of ultra modern facilities and equipment necessitated the preparation guidelines for usage and uniform standards of operation. In view of this, the following activities were planned to be executed: conduct needs and capacity assessment, Develop SOPs and protocols, procure and install a laboratory management system, develop materials and conduct course facilitation training for laboratory managers, Develop materials and conduct training on laboratory management and quality control processes and implement central laboratory managers exchange programme

Progress/status:

With the assistance of three Danish partners from University of Copenhagen, Michael Alifrangis and Christian Wang, the needs and capacity assessment took place from 14th to 17th September, 2015. Having been exposed to a more advanced laboratory, the Danish partners brought on board objectivity and expertise in identifying the gaps and needs of the KNUST Central Laboratory. The needs assessment report reveals that the central laboratory needed to install fume hoods with extractors, recruit more technical staff to work at the facility, develop and implement a communication strategy including a web page, increase bandwidth, install firewall and antivirus on all computers and provide safety apparels for laboratory staff and visitors among others. Although some of the gaps were not planned to be addressed under BSUII, the needs assessment report now served as a guiding document which has been presented to the university and other agencies for support. It is important to acknowledge that steps have also been taken to address some of the gaps identified during the exercise. For example, two additional staff have been assigned to the lab after a proposal highlighting the need was sent to the Vice Chancellor. Again, the exercise brought about the need to revise some of the activities planned under this output. For instance, it was resolved that a full Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) was not necessary for the lab since such a system was more suited for commercial labs. Instead, certain functions of the LIMS such as booking, tracking usage and operations could be incorporated into the lab’s website to serve the same purpose. In view of this, a consultant has been identified to work together with the University Information Technology Services (UITS) to develop a comprehensive website which will not only publicize the central lab but also incorporate lab management components such as booking, tracking, etc. The team is expected to complete work by May, 2016. To guide operations at the lab, it was also critical to develop Standard of Operations (SOPs) especially for a shared facility like this lab. This will not only ensure standardization of results but also ensure proper use of the facilities at the lab. Therefore a 13 member team made up of laboratory managers, technicians, scientists and graduate students was composed to develop SOPs for the lab within a period of three months (October-December, 2015). Although the original plan was to develop 4 SOPs, it is important to note that 15 more SOPs have been develop to guide the operations of the central lab. These include instrument specific SOPs such as Automatic Digital Refractometer, Emergency Shower, etc as well as General laboratory standard operating procedures. All the 19 SOPs developed have been tested and are currently being used at the lab. Another important outcome of this exercise is the fact that other labs at the various departments in the university have initiated the process of developing SOPs for their respective labs which hitherto did not exist. Again the team that developed the SOPs for the central lab have now gained substantial expertise in the field thereby extending the knowledge to other lab managers in the university. A series of training workshops has been scheduled for July, 2016 to train laboratory managers and users on quality control processes. Before this, two KNUST staff at the central lab will travel to Denmark to explore a similar lab and learn some best practices that can be replicated at KNUST. They will also receive training on some equipment at the lab to enable them use these equipment and train others to do same. The knowledge gained will also be shared with other laboratory managers during the training workshops. These trainings are expected to further enhance the operations of the lab and ultimately promote the conduct of research in KNUST.

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Outcome/Output 4.3.1:

Improved skills in PhD research supervision and new PhD research and QA approach in use

Narrative: The main purpose of this output was to ensure the strengthening and rationalization of university-wide guidelines for postgraduate education in KNUST. This is due to the fact that the existing guidelines were not only inadequate but also not fully implemented in all colleges. Hence, there was the need for KNUST to develop university-wide guidelines for postgraduate research and supervision which clearly outlined responsibilities for students and supervisors and quality requirements. Again, the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) runs an ineffective manual system for tracking and monitoring thesis assessment which often resulted in poor monitoring and evaluation of students’ research. Against this background, BSUII sought to liaise with the School of Graduate Studies to coordinate and approve university wide guidelines, improve supervision skills (through mentoring and training) and install an electronic tracking system for the PhD research thesis monitoring process. Progress/status:

Six (6) main guidelines have been developed or improved and submitted to the Academic Board for approval. These guidelines bordered on Thesis Assessment Fees, Upgrade from MPhil to PhD and MSc/MA to MPhil, Duration of Programme, Comprehensive Examination, Payment of Bench Fee (Research Support Fee) and Similarity Report (Plagiarism). Through the initiative of BSUII, these guidelines have now been approved by the university and currently made available on the SGS website (http://sgs.knust.edu.gh/documents). A follow up meeting with postgraduate students is scheduled for the first half of 2016 to assess the extent to which these guidelines have improved postgraduate education processes and receive feedback from the students, after which the documents will be improved. These guidelines are expected to assist postgraduate students in making sound judgement during their studies as well as provide clear direction for SGS to carry out their mandate.

Also, agreements have now been finalized with our Danish partners at University of Copenhagen to conduct the workshop on the development and pre-testing PhD supervision assessment tools from 16th-24th February, 2016. The plan is to bring together some selected supervisors to work together with the Danish partners to share ideas and produce a document that will serve as a tool for assessing PhD students and their supervisors as well as the School of Graduate Studies. These tools will then be pre-tested with a number of PhD students in order to ascertain their effectiveness.

With regards to the PhD tracking system, the Graduate School Automation and Support Services is near completion (60% complete). The application suite which is based on client-server pedagogical architecture provides services including admission processing, Supervisor Appraisal, Student Semester Report and Thesis Deposition. This platform will enable the SGS to monitor progress of each student right from the period of enrolment to the time of completion. The system will also provide the opportunity for both students and supervisors to track the progress of the student’s research work at any point in time.

Output 4.3.2: University-wide PhD courses

Narrative: It is universally acceptable that Universities with a large pool of postgraduate students offer methodology and analytical courses that help students conduct better research. These courses may include Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods, Scientific and Academic (thesis) Writing, Research Planning and Research Proposal Writing, Reference Management, Networking and collaborative research, Tutorials in some selected Statistical software, and PhD supervision. At KNUST, very few of these courses have been taught by some departments but are totally non-existent in many other departments. Therefore, BSU II intended to support in packaging and institutionalizing these university-wide courses so that every PhD student will be mandated to take these courses as part of the PhD requirements. Moreover, training workshops will be conducted on Problem Based Learning, quantitative and qualitative research methods and academic writing as a way of setting the standards on how these courses should be taught.

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Progress/status:

Initial discussions have been held with a number of stakeholders within KNUST as well as our Danish partners on this assignment. The scoping and identification of relevant courses appropriate for university-wide implementation; stakeholder review and development of the plan for rolling it out will be done in the second quarter of 2016. The three initially selected courses (Problem Based Learning, quantitative and qualitative research methods and academic writing) will be conducted in the first, second and third quarters of 2016. This activity will be spearheaded by the School of Graduate Studies which will oversee the institutionalization of this initiative and ensure sustainability after the project period.

Overall Assessment (X/tick boxes as relevant):

The project design and logic remains sound, the planned outputs will eventually

contribute/lead to the desired outcomes X

The project design and logic may have to be reconsidered (please explain below)

The project implementation is largely on track, and activities will result in the

envisaged outputs within the current phase II timeframe X

The project implementation is somewhat off track, some outputs may not be fully

achieved within the current phase II time frame (explain below)

The project implementation is off track, several outputs will not be achieved within the

current phase II time frame (explain in full detail below)

Narrative - Please explain the reasons for your selections (ticks):

Though there has been delays in some activities, the project is largely on track. All planned activities will be completed and expected to result in the envisaged outputs within the current Phase II timeframe. The Gantt chart has been updated to ensure this is achieved.

Overall reflections and challenges

Please explain how progress in the individual outputs jointly are contributing to the overall aim of the outcome area / work package including how you assess the implemented activities to contribute to strengthening the capacity of your institution improving the academic research environment and research processes, i.e. in terms of research policies, strategies, organisation and research processes improved:

Although a number of activities have been implemented concurrently, it must be noted that they are all contributing to making KNUST a stronger university in terms of delivering on its core mandate of teaching, research and community engagement.

In WP1, the three short courses in CSA, ECOSYS and BIORES have not only enhanced knowledge in these areas, but have increased the enthusiasm and commitment of staff to conduct research in these areas. Again, the process of identifying research problems together with industry partners is a novelty that BSUII has initiated for KNUST to continue. The formation of interdisciplinary research teams for the pilot study has also fostered team work which will continue even after the exit of BSUII. To ensure the sustainability of these initiatives, postgraduate students have been deliberately included in the pilot study teams to be trained and mentored.

Similarly, in WP2, the academia-industry relationship is strongly being developed to ensure that KNUST becomes more responsive to the society. The stakeholder workshops which brought together a number of industry partners and faculty members provided the grounds for further collaborations between KNUST and industries. Industries which never thought of having any relationship with academia now are aware they can benefit from the academia in a ‘win-win’ situation. Some are even willing to contribute funds and factory premises for training and research. This is something that KNUST can take advantage

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of to expand its research outcomes as well as its community engagement efforts. Moreover, knowledge, creativity and cognitive abilities of researchers have improved profoundly as a result of the series of research capacity building courses and workshops conducted under BSUII.

Although a number of activities are yet to be executed in WP3, initial engagement with various stakeholders in the College of Health Sciences created some level of awareness on the research gaps in the field thereby generating interest in these research arenas. It also helped identify the research and staff training areas to be focused on presently. On the other hand, the upgrading of one staff member to PhD contributes largely to tackling the KNUST’s quest of having all its faculty being PhD trained.

Every institution’s research enterprise can only be successful if it has a strong support system. This is what KNUST intends to build with the provision of University wide services (WP4). A number of activities implemented under this WP are jointly contributing to making KNUST well positioned for quality research. Under the grants management activities, it can be noted that the development of grants and research management database when completed will enhance transparency and efficiency in carrying out research activities. Additionally, the establishment of College Research Management Offices as well as training of administrators and accountants will ensure that researchers are provided with all the administrative support in writing research proposals and management of grants. On the library and laboratory activities, the provision of the necessary hardware and software facilities as well as training of staff will enable these facilities to offer better services to KNUST researchers. Activities being carried out to enhance postgraduate education are not only building staff capacity but also creating a favourable environment for both students and staff members to conduct research and to provide quality training for future faculty for the university. The PhD assessment tools and guidelines being developed as part of BSUII activities will provide specific direction for postgraduate education and eliminate some of the challenges associated with PhD education at KNUST. In the end, the university becomes more effective in delivering its research mandate thereby boosting its reputation in Ghana and around the world.

Narrative text including references to progress and changes implemented: (approximately ½ page using elaborated text – no bullet points):

Please explain what the main major risks and challenges are to successful implementation of the overall objective and how these risks are being managed or mitigated Prior to the start of BSUII, five main risks were foreseen. These are:

Low motivation and commitment from participating staff: Due to the work load on staff members, it was anticipated that they will not be able to dedicate ample time for the BSUII project activities. Having this in mind, the strategy adopted was to involve younger faculty members to assist the core team spearheading the BSUII activities. Again, the timing of BSUII meetings and activities are always planned in such a way that they do not interfere with other major university activities like student examinations and planned and unplanned management meetings.

Competition from other programs: This was particular anticipated due to the fact that there are several other projects that may be running parallel to BSUII. Although predicted, this has not been a major problem for BSUII. Perhaps this is largely due to the uniqueness of BSUII in terms of the involvement of Danish partners in each activity, the management structure in place and the overall objectives of the project which give support to subject specific projects.

Government research support and interference: So far this risk has not had any major impact on the implementation of BSUII activities. No government support or policy has interfered with BSUII activities and the university has had the freedom, as mostly happens, to implement its activities.

Age skewedness at the university (gap between junior and retiring members of academic staff): For continuity, sustainability and mentoring, BSUII placed a lot of focus on developing young faculty. This was done both for participation in training sessions, pilot studies, WP management and coordination of activities.

BSU ll Progress Reporl: July-December 201 5

Delays in timely monitoring and reporting. This risk has been mitigated by using a multi-layeredmanagement structure to ensure effective monitoring. The Project Coordinator is supported by aProject Manager and a full time Project Administrator who was recruited to provide day to dayadministrative support for the project, assist in WP leaders and assignment holders in organizinglogistics for various activities, monitors and sends reminders for the timely delivery of activities andassist in writing progress reports.

iilrir ill ir, llilllSubstantive chanqes in the proiect (content and/or persons) - if anySpecify and explain thechanges that have beenidentified and agreed to.Please attach an updatedversion of the GanttChaft/Plan of Activities.

No major changes have been made in the project activities. Some activitieshave been refined but they ultimately yield the same results and thereforewill not affect the overall achievement of the project goals. An updatedGantt chart has been developed to address delays and ensure that allactivities are implemented within the BSU ll timeframe.

Date of approval fromDFC (if required accordingto the GeneralConditions).

N/A

Circumstances which require action from Danida Fellowship Gentre - if any

Specify type of requiredaction?

Approval of updated Gantt chart

The project coordinator and the responsible institution herewith confirm that the information givenin the progress report is correct:

Project Coordinator:t\

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Responsible I nstitution :

Date: 15th March 2016 Printed name: William Otoo Ellis Sisnature:

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