The Building Stronger Universities programme is a Danida-funded capacity development programme focusing on institutional development and research support structures at six universities in Africa, two in Ghana, three in Tanzania, and one in Uganda. The programme, which is led by the universities in the South began in 2011 and will  conclude its third phase in 2023 has worked on three outcome areas:

I. Administrative/Institutional Capacity
○ University capacity is improved by strengthening administrative frameworks for university research.

II. Research and outreach capacity at system/organisational level 
○ University capacity is improved by strengthening organisation and systems for researcher education and research processes.

III. Research and outreach capacity at the level of individuals:
○ University capacity is improved by strengthening research and outreach practices and networks.

For the concluding seminar, Danida Fellowship Centre has invited representatives from the involved universities in Building Stronger Universities to take stock and discuss the programme outcomes and results, as well as explore how the experiences from this extensive network and cross-border and cross-continental partnership can be used in the future.

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All day – Arrival at JRO and check in at MS TCDC

19:00 – Dinner at Dining Hall
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Day 1: Theme of the day: What changed (in terms of outcomes and results)?
Pan African Hall & breakout setups

07:00-09:00 – Breakfast at Dining Hall

09:00-9:30 – Welcome from MS TCDC: Makena Mwobobia, Executive Director MS TCDC

9.30 – 10.30 – Welcome and introduction to the seminar
Lars Arne Jensen & Vibeke Quaade, Danida Fellowship Centre 

Family photo

10:30-11:00 – Tea/coffee break

11:00-11:05 – BSU BESTS: Video w statements about BSU 

11:05-11.30 –Let’s talk about outcomes and results, intro
Stella Agara, MS TCDC

Identification of results and outcomes:

Defining success

Share an introduction brief of the notes above (Slides) (15mins)

Share the Project Objectives and discuss the meanings of each objective to have a shared understanding. (5minutes)

Use a sample story to demonstrate the group assignment (15min)

11:30-12:30 –Let’s talk about outcomes and results, diving in
Stella Agara, MS TCDC

Divide participants into 6 university groups and discuss key outcomes and results

Guiding questions to discuss

1: Identify outcomes that provide evidence that something was created in the research groups during the lifetime of the project;

2: Identify outcomes that provide evidence that something has changed or transformed in the university admin during the project time of intervention;

3: Explore unintended outcomes, results, and effects.

Under each question discuss

What motivated the results?

Which interventions/ approaches produced the results?
Are these one-off results, or trends to be noticed?

NB: Group notes in google drive!

12:00-13:30 – Lunch break at Dining Hall

13:30-14:45 – Let’s talk about outcomes and results, presenting
Stella Agara

Feedback session: Presentation of group reports and listing of results that did not fit in any of the above group’s classifications

14:45-15:00 – Let’s talk about BSU challenges and learnings that we shouldn’t forget but learn from and build on, intro
Lars Arne Jensen

15:00-15:30 – Tea/coffee break

15:30-16:15 – Let’s talk about BSU challenges and learnings that we shouldn’t forget but learn from and build on, group work 

Mixed groups of 

1. BSU researchers 
2. BSU coordinators
3. BSU admin 

Guiding questions to discuss for researchers:

•  1: Collaboration – at WP level within and across projects?; Being a participating academic/researcher in this type of modality – enough research or too much system/admin? Time spent vs time allocated.
• 2. Capacity development: – advanced careers because of BSU? – Career advancement in general, is BSU a suited modality. – Lessons learned/takeaway regarding academic career advancement.

Questions to discuss for coordinators:

• 1: Collaboration – amongst BSU coordinators?; – institutional collaboration within university management; – time allocated for BSU management/coordination tasks, balanced/unbalanced? – Time spent vs time allocated.
• 2. Capacity development:  – career advancement because of BSU, or any other capacity development from coordinating BSU? – Opportunities for international collaboration arisen/explored?

Questions to discuss for BSU admin:

• 1: Collaboration – admin systems knowledge sharing across projects? – Time spent vs time allocated. – BSU admin collaboration compared to other international funding.
• 2.  Capacity development: – career development because of BSU? – Lessons learned/takeaways regarding admin capacity development /career advancement.

NB: Group notes in google drive!

16:15-17:00 – Feedback to group and plenary discussion. (20 mins)
Lars Arne Jensen

Intro to how we will do the fireside stories
Vibeke Quaade

17:00 – End of Day 1

19:00 – Dinner and bonfire storytelling in the garden
Stella Agara

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Day 2: Theme of the day: What made change happen & next steps
PanAfrica Hall & break out setups

07:00-09:00 – Breakfast at Dining Hall

09:00-10:30 – Let’s talk about the “magic” that made change happen
Stella Agara,

Dialogue about what is emerging from the stories; what do the stories say about the following:

Review the group reports from the Perspectivity Session on what made the magic happen in plenary. Presentation ( 10mins)

Split participants three groups. Answer the question: (40mins)

What made the magic happen?

How can this magic be sustained?

Reflect on the opportunities that were available and was utilised  

NB: Group notes in google drive!

10:30-11:00 – Tea/coffee break

11:00-12:30 – Let’s talk about engagement and communication: Planning on engagement and communication of outcomes and results
Stella Agara and Vibeke Quaade

How to transform stories into communications products that resonates withaudiences as well as tips on achieving it and keeping it relevant.

Group work
Choose a signifikant change and conduct an audience analysis on who it is relevant for: (30min)

1. Who is the audience of our outcome and results?
2. What information do they need from us?
3. What feedback do we need from them?
4. How will we package the information?
5. What mediums of engagement will we use?

Plenum
Presentation and discussion (30 mins)

NB: Group notes in google drive!

12:30-13:30 – Lunch at Dining Hall

13:30-15:00 Let’s talk next steps: How to sustain the BSU actions and interventions
Harriet Gimbo, Director Women for Women International (30 min) 

13:30-14:15 – Group work: Sustaining the BSU actions and interventions – Outside

Group work: All projects have prepared their best stakeholder story which is now shared in groups and discussed with the view to withdrawing best practices (45 min)

1. What do the outcomes and significant changes mean for the future 
2. How do we sustain the positive change and build on the successes and learnings
3. How do we organize these networks to sustain the results of the BSU project beyond the life of the project? and build agency?
4. What can be improved or may need more strategic action from the stakeholders involved moving forward
5. How do we build on the opportunities we had and explore new opportunities

NB: Group notes in google drive!

14.15 – 14.45 Group presentations 

15:00-15:30 Tea/coffee break

15:30 – 16.15 The power and art of networking
Presentation by Harriet Gimbo, Director Women for Women International

Q & A 15 min

16.15 – 17.00 Let’s talk next steps: South-South & North-South Networking

Presentation: Experiences and best practices from North South research networks, online (30 min)
Dr Line Gissel, Roskilde University

Q & A (15min)

19:00: – BBQ Dinner in the garden 

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Day 3: Next steps & goodbye: How we build on the outcomes, and results of our 13 years of partnership
Pan African Hall & breakout setups

07:00-09:00 – Breakfast at Dining Hall

09:00-10:30 – Let’s talk next steps: South-South & North-South Networking
 Harriet Gimbo and Stella Agara

Presentation: South-South networking: Experiences and best practices from a South-South research network – The Arua network by Prof. Sarah Ssali (30 min)

Q & A and discussion 

10:30-11:00 – Tea/coffee break 

11:00-12:30 – What types of networking and collaboration have resulted from the project interventions? What can be built on?
Harriet Gimbo & Stella Agara

Mixed group work. Guiding questions:

• What form types/forms of networks have been formed?
• What forms of collaboration have been identified?
• How can these networks be sustained (agency)?
• How can we sustain the collaborations beyond the project?

NB: Group notes in google drive!

12:30-13:30 – Lunch at Dining Hall

13:30-15:00 – Let’s talk about being a stronger university and how to utilize this in the future
Harriet Gimbo and Stella Agara

Closing plenary discussion: Are you a ‘stronger university’ now compared to pre-BSU status? In what way? And If not, why then? How to utilize the experiences in the future.

DFC /Julie Bune makes notes in google drive!

15:00-15:30 – Tea/coffee break

15:30-16:45 – Goodbye and closing remarks, end the seminar
Lars Arne Jensen and Vibeke Quaade 

Last remarks in google drive

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