Partnership – Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College
Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College’s Building Stronger Universities
BSU phase 3 builds on lessons learned from BSU phase 2, consolidates results and focuses on fewer research themes. It also adds emphasis on the capacity of the Southern universities to perform outreach, engage with a variety of stakeholders and encourage uptake of research results relevant to growth and development.
BSU Phase III 2017-2021
Program Outcomes
- Sstrengthening of Research Administrative and Research Infrastructure
- Strengthening Institutional Research Education and Research Processes
- Strengthening Individual Research Capacity and Outreach Practices
BSU-3 Progress & Achievements
- BSU-2 performance was consolidated into BSU-3 program
- Activities are in line with and influenced KCMUCo policies and strategies as well as enhanced compliance with the National Regulatory Authority, the Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) – University Quality Framework (UQF).
- Research and research capacity building as well as outreach services continue to been enhanced.
BSU-3 Thematic areas
- Reproductive health (RH) and women health including obstetrics and gynaecology and linkage with pathology through telemedicine. Research capacity building and sustainability in collaboration with University of Southern Denmark and the active collaboration with several Departments at Odense University Hospital.
- Malaria & febrile illnesses: Builds on the long, successful collaboration on malaria research between KCMUCo and University of Copenhagen as well as the collaboration with Danish Technical University (DTU).
- HIV: Though BSU-2, new collaborative links have been established between early/midterm carrier HIV researchers at KCMUCo and researchers at University of Copenhagen/ Copenhagen University Hospital.
University administrative systems, better university-wide services, Research proper, Research-based education, Outreach and Joint supervision of the Ph.Ds, Postdocs and sustainability of BSU-3 outcomes have all contributed to increased research capacity at KCMUC.
BSU-3 has enabled KCMUCo to expand its network with S-S and S-S-N partners in the areas of pedagogy training, curricular review/development and integration of sustainability, innovation and entrepreneurship. Through new collaboration we secured funds from EU (Erasmus) aimed at Enhancing Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Sustainability in Higher Education in Africa (EEISHEA). It also aims to enhance e-learning, research and dissemination. (See. https://eeishea.org).
The Case challenge project involves KCMUCo, SUA, SUZA, Gulu, UCPH and AAU. The EEISHEA project involves KCMUCo, SUZA, SUA, KNUST, UG, UPC-Barcelona, AAU, RUC-Roskilde, KTH-Sweden) and builds on existing strong network under BSU-2.
The unallocated funds from DANIDA (KCMUCo, UCPH, AAU, DTU/Danish National Genome Centre) and funds from FFU to support next generation sequencing and bioinformatics and vector borne diseases (VBD) research at KCMUC.
Through the various within BSU-3 thematic areas, we have the following collaborations:
- Tanzanian National laboratory for easy uptake of the HIV diagnostic test.
- Diagnostics for Real World (DRW) at the Cambridge University, UK on HIV point-of-care testing, the HIV group is also working with Northumbria University on antimicrobial resistance.
- Malaria group is linked with KEMRI-Welcome trust fund, Kilifi, KEMRI-CDC, Kisumu research initiatives, Liverpool and London school of Tropical Hygiene.
- Reproductive health group continues to have research collaboration with American Society for pathology through DUKE University. These efforts help to mentor our Ph.D students and Postdoc fellows.
- Administrative Networking Meeting with all 6 BSU institutions to enhance linkage within BSU.
Overall, KCMUC continues to develop an effective and research-based learning environment for postgraduate students, better organised research producing winning research proposals and knowledge translation and communication, increasing regional and international collaboration.