A Research Hub for Capacity Empowerment Using Data for Impact

Develope a research hub as a one-stop shop for capacity empowerment, including for donor funding, to enhance Nigeria's research output.

Ducit Blue Foundation - Esteller Mbadiwe - Director

The Covid-19 pandemic response in Nigeria showcased some strengths in expertise, but also highlighted some weaknesses in the multidisciplinary coordination and use of advanced data analytics across the response value chain, for decision making, research output and impact. A recent study by the BMJ, outlined the low representation of African authors in research, with only 3% of reviewed articles on Covid-19 by African authors, despite a lot of good lessons to be shared globally.

There is a significant capacity gap for research, despite the expertise across multiple research institutions and academia. This results in reliance of imported data, resulting in limited economic, behavioural and emotional implications of health challenges. This funding is a great opportunity to address some inequity in global health, including research capacity and output spearheaded by African institutions.

The quality and quantity of research across various higher education institutions are suboptimal, showcased by lower global survey ranking, with research output cited. Our recent webinar series on research capacity building, was completely oversubscribed, showing interest. The causes of the problem are multifaceted, including, poor funding, engagement for research, poor motivation, funding, suboptimal research infrastructure, capacity gaps and collaborations. We are confident that the research hub will address all.  

The target audience are everyone involved or interested in research including, researchers, academics, governement teams, young researchers, policy makers, funders etc.

They are in education, working at the research institutions, government and those interested in funding or supporting research activities.

The support will be multifaceted, including, opportunities to fill the capacity gaps, including extensive data analytics upgrade, providing a coordinated platform for ease of doing research, collaborations, funding opportunities and identifying champions. Our solutions aligns with improving in-country capacity as seen with initiatives such as from the WHO, the high burden to high impact initiative for malaria, such initiatives recognises the need for vital work affecting countries, should be country led to increase the chances of success. 

In order to understand their needs, we will conduct a situation analysis, including desk reviews, stakeholder mapping and a high-level SWOT analysis. we will then conduct quantitative and qualitative studies to identify practice, incentives and barriers including for open research. A pilot with a developmental will be done across selected zones in the country before a roll out. There will be wide initial and continuous stakeholders engagement, to ensure buy and better impact.

Our solution provides knowledge, data, research capacity empowerment services and products. it will have an open research model with a free to use dash board and opportunities for multiple peer review publications and white papers.

The goal is to also create access to those in the rural / underserved communities to encourage research access and input nationally.

Improving cross learning, collaboration among researchers will foster better research outcomes, including open research; improve access and use of research findings and data for decision making and impact. The need for change behaviour of researchers towards research is important, achieved through socio ecological model of behaviour change; first understanding factors affecting behaviour and providing guidance for developing successful programmes, provide insight into personal and country benefits of open research, identify champions to lead the behaviour change and provide enabling environment such as incentives, national honour, recognition and community of practices(CoP). Key behaviour change activities will be adopted and various behaviour maintenance implemented.

This initial scale up would be to include more research institutions and centres in Nigeria, following the stakeholder mapping, then increase the types of capacity empowerment solutions proffered, as well further developing the partnership for equity in global health agenda. The goal is the increase the tiers of people conducting research and publishing from Nigeria.

further potential scale up of the solution can be scaled for a hub for addressing maternal health, where maternal and child health indices in Nigeria is amongst the worst in the world, resulting in severe economic and health impact, including high mortality and morbidity rates. According to WHO, Nigeria accounts for approximately 20% of the maternal mortality rate.

All these has potential to impact millions of lives once scaled up over the next 3 years.

We can then test the scale up across the continent, with links between the countries encouraged.

Evaluation

The extent of increase in research openness will be evaluated. The project will be guided by the theory of change, “When researchers are properly sensitized on personal and national benefits of open research, mentored and properly incentivised, a pathway of change will be determined and a result framework developed.

The impact will be based on the data analysis of the intervention across board, with key KPI set from the onset.

Capture of success stories and lessons learnt. Quarterly report of achievements against targets will be developed and submitted. conducting baseline and end line evaluation using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies among selected researchers to determine their knowledge, attitude and behaviour to open research before and at the end of the implementation to measure change.  

Some indicators to monitor include: 1.  Access and use of Hub

2. Number of publications , included new collaborations

3. training opportunities and workshops developed and attended

4. research streams identified, including new collaborations

5. funding opportunities, including nee streams

1. Infrastructure / cost: To get maximum benefit, there should be stable data infrastructure to access the tools on the platform. The covid-19 pandemic and the need to access various online platforms, showed that people have pivoted in response to the need. Organisations requiring further support will be reviewed and provided with the tools to support capacity building.

2. Policy /Legal: data access and governance challenges may inhibit the open research agenda. The key stakeholders will be carried along the process, to increase buy-in and mitigate this barriers as much as possible.

3. Finance: this is scope / scale specific

The funding for research in the country is suboptimal. the platform provides an ease of doing research support tool, making easier for potential funders. Additional sources of income could be by providing commercial services in line with addressing the goal of improving research capacity.

4. Capacity gaps: The stakeholder mapping process and access to a vast network will aid in the identification of expertise as well as gaps.

5. Coordination: an advocacy strategy will be developed, as well as addressing need from the stakeholder survey, to enhance engagement and coordination.

Ducit Blue Solutions

The trinity challenge aligns with our organisational goals of making quality healthcare delivery and patient safety accessible to all across our chosen markets. The funding from the challenge will help with a proof of concept for our solutions towards improving Nigeria's research capacity, using data from decision making and impact.

the project will address the barriers by:

1. Infrastructure / cost: The solution will support some of the infrastructure bottlenecks,

The solution is designed to address the following three challenges through the advocacy strategy and coordination that platform affords.

2. Policy /Legal:

3. Capacity gaps: The stakeholder mapping process and access to a vast network will aid in the identification of expertise as well as gaps.

4. Coordination: an advocacy strategy will be developed, as well as addressing need from the stakeholder survey, to enhance engagement and coordination.

 The solution will provide some much-needed financing as well as providing an ease of doing research platform, which further funders can also access.

5. Finance: this is scope / scale specific

The funding for research in the country is suboptimal.

We believe in collaborations and partnerships in line with SDG -17, partnerships for goals. The solutions is designed as a multi stakeholder collaboration including but not limited to academia, government and policy makers. We would like to partner with local / indigenous firms, including for data management, in line with developing local capacity for global health equity.

Some international partnerships of interest from you members include:

1. Value add: For overall data capture and evaluation systems

Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation

2. Value add: Globally renowned academia and research institution, support capacity empowerment. I am also a former alumni of the * ones and understand their strong research and policy formulation

- Imperial College London*

- London School of Economics and Political Science*

- HKU Med

- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

3: Value add: support for behavioural change strategies, which is a key component of the solution

- The Behavioural Insights Team

4: Value add: Data management expertise as well as GIS mapping support

Google - GIS