Institutional barriers to excellent and useable research in engineering and applied science Producing more high quality research that contributes to economic and social development is a key challenge facing many African countries, especially research in applied sciences and engineering (Molla & Cuthbert, 2016; Atuahene, 2011; Sawyerr, 2004). Research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields represents only 29 percent of research in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa), and the share of STEM research has been declining by 0.2% annually since 2002 (World Bank, 2014). The quality of STEM research, measured by the average citation index, is also lower than that of all other disciplines in the region (Blom et al., 2016; UNESCO, 2015; World Bank, 2014). Furthermore, university-industry interactions in the region are highly heterogeneous and are often not knowledge intensive (Kruss et al., 2012). African countries and donors are pursuing multiple strategies to support excellent and useable STEM research on the continent. Many efforts focus on human capacity (training students and researchers), provision of infrastructure, and reforming and increasing funding streams. However, research on capacity building for computer science in East Africa (Harsh et al., 2018) demonstrates that institutional and structural factors – such as university and departmental structures and strategies, and the relationship between a university and the private sector – strongly influence researcher productivity and research impact. The term institutional capacity refers to a range of enabling capabilities that are essential to providing a conducive research environment, including: linkages and networks with industry and other universities; mechanisms and policies to support acquisition of research funding; norms of mentorship, peer support, and scholarly communication; and strategies and structures that create space to balance research and teaching. Institutional capacities can act to connect other capacities, and create a research culture which values and supports research across sectors and organizations (Jones, 2008; Nchinda, 2002; Marjanovic et al., 2012, Whitworth, et al. 2008). This in turn, helps couple supply and demand for knowledge, leading to research that has intellectual merit and local relevance.

Several reports on the state of engineering education and training in Africa highlight similar challenges to building capacity in STEM fields. Important constraints include lack of academic staff with industrial experience; shortage of opportunities for short industrial placements for students; and lack of university-industry linkages to support curriculum development, research or consultancy (Royal Academy of Engineering, 2012; Ssebuwufu et al., 2012; UNESCO, 2010; World Bank, 2014). High teaching demands due to the increasing university enrollments also leave little time for faculty to conduct research (Mohamedbhai, 2008).

This project is piloting an approach to build institutional capacity for the field of computer science in Kenya. Computer science is a field that undergirds the development objectives of Kenya as articulated in the government’s Vision 2030 strategy. While all fields in engineering and applied sciences can contribute to science- and technology-driven innovation – a key ‘enabler’ in the Vision 2030 strategy – computing research is poised to provide significant societal benefits because of previous public and private efforts to build Kenya’s information and communication technology (ICT) sector (including undersea cables for high-speed internet connections and the M-Pesa mobile money system). Computer science research can provide valuable techniques and strategies (including algorithmic analysis and machine learning) to support research from other disciplines that address UN Sustainable Development Goals related to energy, food, climate change, infrastructure and health.

Objectives

The overall objective of the project is to support a vibrant and sustainable research culture in computer science, in order to produce better quality research that strengthens local industry and helps Kenya reach its 2030 vision of becoming a high- middle income country, and supports development objectives in agriculture, health, finance, and transport.

The specific objectives are twofold:

1. Co-create and evaluate initial programs that address institutional barriers to building research capacity.
2. Conduct further policy-relevant research to advance knowledge about institutional capacity building and better understand how the pilot strategy might be applied to other STEM fields and African countries.

Methodology

Conceptual and theoretical framework

The frame of reference that guides this project is one of co-creation and action research (Greenwood & Levin, 2006; Denis & Lehoux, 2009; Dick et al., 2015) which enables ‘real-time’ social learning between the research team (social scientists in the USA and Kenya) and computer science researchers, administrators and industrial managers, taking a systemic view of innovation. A pilot versions of the three programs will be piloted. The conceptual rationale of the programs is as follows:

1. Industrial fellowships: Computing faculty members will spend 3-6 months in a firm conducting a collaborative research project. These fellowships will provide faculty with the opportunity to learn about the skills and knowledge requirements of industry and help produce research that is usable in the local context. They will also help firms better absorb research.
2. Industrial studentships: A program will be created to enable faculty to retain their best students to work on research projects. Through this program, a student with a job offer, or who is already working, could finish their degree and continue researching while working. Not only would this program build institutional capacity through forging connections between universities and industry and create more relevant research, the program would also enable faculty to build research teams and help retain students on research pathways.
3. Postdoctoral fellowships: Recently graduated PhDs would serve as postdoctoral fellows in departments to strengthen the research functions of a university. It is noted that postdoctoral positions in engineering and applied science are very rare in Kenyan universities and do not exist in any computer science departments in Nairobi.

The combination of these three programs, and the collaborative way they will be created, run and evaluated constitutes a theory of change that will provide an integrated approach to building institutional capabilities and strengthening research cultures in computer science in Kenya.

Implementation of pilot programs