This call was made on Wednesday at the end of a three-day Research Management training program designed for Tertiary and Higher Education Institutions held at the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology conference room in Kanifing.
Funded by UNESCO-NATCOM, the training ended with awarding certificates of completion to all participants.
At the event, James Gomez, Director of Research at the ministry, on behalf of the minister, said as Research Managers, they are now positioned to be catalysts for change in their various institutions.
He said research activities at all levels must now be guided by a clear pathway to impact, just like the National Qualifications Framework that promotes structured progression and accountability in learning.
He informed that researchers across tertiary and higher education institutions must be encouraged to embed impact considerations into the very fabric of their research, from conceptualisation to implementation.
“Our institutions must foster a culture of translational research—research that does not sit on shelves but speaks to our social, economic, and developmental needs.” he said.
Dembo Kanteh, president of West Africa Research and Innovation Management Association (WARIMA), revealed that research is a collaborative enterprise, highlighting the need to have a system put in place in institutions that would enable them to implement grant into what is called compliance.
Omar Jallow, a representative of UNESCO-NATCOM, expressed his institution’s delight to work on highly impactful project on environment, culture, and on communicating knowledge into communities.
