Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture

The Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) runs a competitive grants programme to encourage, strengthen and support training of Graduate students in agriculture and related disciplines through research on management and husbandry of agricultural resources. The aim is to assist faculties of agriculture and related sciences to develop and implement high-quality training programmes at Graduate level, designed to use participatory methods to address problems of communities and small-holder farmers. It is also intended to build capacity in research that advances frontiers of knowledge. Grant applications are received throughout the year, but are considered usually twice, February-March and August September, depending on availability of funds. Proposals are reviewed initially by the RUFORUM Secretariat for eligibility and compliance. Subsequently, proposals that meet basic criteria are sent for external review to 3-4 experts; final approval is done by a 10 person Technical Committee consisting of 5 university and 5 non-university representatives, of whom 5 are female and 5 are male. Because of the rigorous review process involved, it is strongly advised that the initial project proposals be submitted at least six months in advance of the anticipated funding.

Eligibility
The Principal Investigators (PI) must be Ph.D holders (or in exceptional cases Full Professors without PhD), on full time employment in any one of the 12 RUFORUM participating universities in Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The universities concerned are; Kenya - Egerton, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenyatta University, Moi University, University of Nairobi; Malawi- University of Malawi; Mozambique – University of Eduardo Mondlane; Tanzania- Sokoine University of Agriculture; Uganda- Makerere University; Zambia- University of Zambia; and Zimbabwe – Africa University and University of Zimbabwe. However, the universities must partner with other institutions outside the University, from within and outside the region, and the collaborators may not necessarily have PhD. Multi-disciplinary research teams are encouraged.
All proposals must include training of at least two Graduate students in the research and must include a realistic and practical work plan for the students to complete their training within the research agenda. Proposals should provide a clear economic rationale for the research question and how the interventions, if successful, would impact on communities and smallholder farmers’ welfare. Collaboration with social scientists will be an added advantage, especially for proposals that require field research on farmers’ fields or policy interventions.

Thematic Areas
RUFORUM research for development thrusts are indicated below, but RUFORUM will also consider any innovative proposal:

Understanding farmer organisations and expanding their capacities for service provision
Strengthening breeding, biotechnology and seed/breed systems
Re-vitalising African traditional crops and exploring their roles in contemporary diets
Strengthening natural resources management through improved agroforestry, soil and water management
Sustainable management and conservation of fragile rangelands and cultivated drylands through focused research and community based interventions to enhance quality of life of the rural poor
Harnessing opportunities for post harvest management, value addition and commercialisation
Strengthening local government planning and decision making through Geographical Information System and other planning tools
Strengthening agricultural policies and markets
Strengthening capacity of communities and institutions to respond to HIV/AIDS pandemic
Improving the capacities of national universities for upstream research and outreach

Short term (2 years) for Masters/M.Phil training	$54,000
Mid term (3-4 years) for 2 Masters and 1 PhD student	$75,000
Mid-term (3-4 years) for 2 PhD students	$80,000

Allowable costs may include graduate student stipends and fees, labour, capital equipment, field living expenses, research and direct operational costs. The RUFORUM pays an overhead fee (7.5%) to participating universities to support the host department or faculty for purposes of strengthening its overall research, training and outreach capacity.

Grant Application Formats
Each proposal should not exceed 15 A-4 doubled spaced pages of Font 12 Roman. It should include:, cover page giving title, names and contact details of Principle Investigator and collaborators, amount requested (US$), and anticipated starting date; summary; Background/Justification including literature review; key research questions or hypotheses; expected results/outcomes; Methodology which should clearly spell out activities of each graduate student; partners and their roles; Work plan; Budget (broken on yearly basis); and a short Log frame (maximum 2 pages).

Overall project design and feasibility, including write-up
Appropriateness and innovativeness
Good conceptual framework and hypotheses that advance knowledge
Clear identification of research issues, objectives and research methods
Alignment with thematic areas, RUFORUM goals/core values
Partnerships – relevance, quality, bringing new dimensions (value addition)
Research for development (regional, national).
Contribution to scientific knowledge and methods
Graduate students as key players in the research team, and their research activities clearly defined
Technical details such as research methods, dissemination methods, Intellectual Property and data ownerships, international guidelines (ethics, bio-safety), etc

Above all, RUFORUM relies on the professional expertise, experience and judgment of the reviewer. The reviewers are urged to be objectively critical while at the same time offering suggestions for improvement of the proposals, even for those being recommended for rejection.

Grant Application Procedure
Inquiries, and proposals for consideration under this programme, should be sent by the Principle Investigator electronically and as hard copy to the address below. The Application documents should include cover letter from the PI, recommendation letter from the Institutional Head of PI (Dean or other Faculty Representative), letter of commitment from Collaborators, and short CVs (Max 2 pages) of the PI and Collaborators.

The RUFORUM Secretariat
Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM)
Plot 151 Garden Hill, Makerere University Main Campus,
P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda Fax: +256 41 543153
Tel: +256 41 535939
E-mail: secretariat@ruforum.org
Website: www.ruforum.org