Vice Chancellors call for research funding as USAID exit impacts institutions

Stakeholders in academia are advocating for increased funding for research, as institutions face cash crunch following the departure of USAID, a major research funder.

The stakeholders warned of the dire need for research funds in institutions, saying that the majority of higher learning institutions that are instrumental in research are operating on minimal budgets.

Currently, approximately 0.8 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is allocated to research and development. The figure, according to education experts and researchers, falls short of the government's commitment to allocate 1 per cent of GDP to research and development, impacting key research projects in institutions.

Science, Research and Innovation Principal Secretary Shaukat Abdulrazak, admitted that the current funding was too low.

“If the government can increase the research and development funds by at least 2 per cent, a lot can be achieved, especially in breaching the gap on food insecurity,” Prof Shaukat said.

The calls for an increase in funding have been echoed by stakeholders in academia, especially following the exit of USAID.

During the ongoing National Research Funds festivals being held at Egerton University, dons from public universities expressed frustrations, noting that the overdependence on donor funding for research is now costing institutions.

Egerton University Vice Chancellor Isaac Kibwage said that while institutions have also been sourcing funds from external donors to carry out research, funding from the government is critical in upscaling.

“We need resources to move those products from the lab and scale up. We need our government to call the tune,” Prof Kibwage said.

The dons said that while most institutions have been banking on financing from external donors, they have to align to the regulations set by them.

Chuka University Vice Chancellor Henry Mutembei said that most institutions remain unexploited, and with proper research funding, they can contribute to sustainable developments.

“The interesting bit is that there is a lot of unexploited potential in these institutions that could contribute to sustainable development, the sad bit is, however, funding is limited and those heading universities are always mistaken whenever they call for additional funding,” Prof Mutembei said.

 Kenyatta University Vice Chancellor Prof Paul Wainaina emphasized that there was a need to increase funding for institutions to enhance research that solves current challenges that Kenyans are facing.

“We need research funding and the government needs to upscale it,” he said.

USAID provided critical research funding and support across various sectors in the country before the termination of its programmes.

USAID has been a major funder of health-related research and supporting research at institutions like the Kenya Medical Research Institute.

 Besides being critical in the health sector, the funds research from USAID was key in the agriculture sector.

The funds were channeled towards improving agricultural productivity, developing new technologies, and enhancing food security for smallholder farmers. Before its exit, the organisation was also critical in supporting research and innovation in the education sector, particularly in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math fields.

Although the Science, Technology, and Innovation Act of 2013 stipulates that research should be allocated 2 percent of the country's GDP, the sector is allocated 0.8 per cent.

Leaders now warn that, coupled with the little allocation and the exit of USAID, which has been a key source of research support, the sector hangs in the balance.

Baringo North MP Joseph Makilap urged lawmakers to prioritise funding for research and innovation, noting that the current allocation is too low to bring meaningful changes in a country with key research institutions.

“We need to utilise our science and research. If we do not utilise, we will end up being consumers of other people’s research. We have been talking of an increase in research funding since 2013. We need to at least raise the funding to one percent,” Makilap said.

He also proposed policies that would support local farmers and control unnecessary exports to promote the agriculture sector.