African research funders in global spotlight

African research is receiving a major visibility boost with the indexing of 10 national funders in Dimensions, the world's largest linked research database.

This project is a collaboration with Digital Science, the Africa PID Alliance (APA), the Association of African Universities (AAU), the Training Centre in Communication (TCC Africa), and the Research Organization Registry (ROR).

“This project connects the research outputs from leading African funding bodies to the global research ecosystem,” said Joy Owango, Executive Director of TCC Africa and Project Lead at the Africa PID Alliance. Indexing and linking their data in Dimensions allows these African national funders to increase transparency around their research investments, demonstrate the impacts and outcomes of funded projects, facilitate new regional and global collaborations, inform strategic funding priorities through insights on research trends, and amplify Africa's overall research contributions on the international stage,” she said.

Digital Science CEO Dr Daniel Hook said: “We’re excited to be able to partner with research organizations in Africa, and to help drive improved visibility of African research both to Africans and around the world. As Africa increases its investment in research, it is critical to ensure that its funding is routed to the most impactful projects that make a difference for Africans; and for Africa to showcase its research insights in a global context. Digital Science’s Dimensions will help researchers and decision-makers across the continent to garner deep, strategic insights into research – such as areas of strength or areas of opportunity in collaborations, expertise, and resourcing. We hope this collaboration can form part of the foundation for a stronger research ecosystem across Africa that will lead to global recognition of Africa’s unique research proposition."

The SGCI funders now globally accessible in Dimensions are:

• National Research Fund (Kenya)
• National Commission For Science, Technology & Innovation (Kenya)
• Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology
• Uganda National Council for Science and Technology
• Malawi National Commission for Science and Technology
• Fundo Nacional de Investigacao (Mozambique)
• Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) (Nigeria)
• National Science and Technology Council (Zambia)
• Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (Ghana)

Efforts are underway to index the remaining seven councils to fully capture funding across the 16 SGCI participating nations.