DRPCUnits
Prof. Reginald Kavishe
Director of Research Publications & Consultancy
The Directorate of Research, Publications & Consultancy(DRPC) at KCMC University is committed to fostering high-quality research, ethical compliance, and knowledge dissemination. Through its specialized units, DRCP supports researchers in securing funding, managing grants, ensuring ethical research standards, and facilitating data and material transfers.
DRPC operates through the following key units:
Victor Selengia
Head of OSP
Office of Sponsored Projects
The Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) serves as a pivotal entity within the DRCP office, dedicated to managing and facilitating externally funded research and scholarly project activities. Its primary mandate encompasses comprehensive support throughout the lifecycle of sponsored projects, from pre-award to post-award stages, ensuring compliance with institutional and sponsor-specific regulations. It also functions as the primary contact for external funding organizations and linkages.
Key Objectives of the Office of Sponsored Projects:
- Pre-Award Administration:
- Proposal Development Support: Assist researchers in identifying funding opportunities and developing competitive proposals, including budget preparation and alignment with sponsor guidelines.
- Proposal Review and Submission: Ensure proposals meet institutional policies and sponsor requirements, facilitating timely submission through appropriate channels.
- Award Negotiation and Acceptance:
- Agreement Review: Facilitate negotiation for terms and conditions of grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements to safeguard institutional interests and ensure compliance.
- Post-Award Management:
- Financial Oversight: Monitor project budgets, expenditures, and financial reporting to ensure adherence to sponsor and institutional guidelines in close liaison with the accounts office.
- Compliance Assurance: Oversee compliance with applicable regulations and policies.
- Project Closeout: Facilitate the completion of required reports and proper closure of projects in alignment with sponsor expectations.
- Training and Staff Development:
- Staff Supervision: Oversee individual project administrators, providing guidance and professional development to enhance their effectiveness in managing sponsored projects.
- Educational Programs: Organize short term training sessions and workshops to faculty and staff on topics related to project write-up, research administration and compliance.
The OSP ensures that research activities are conducted efficiently, responsibly, and in compliance with all relevant guidelines, thereby fostering a robust research environment within the KCMC University under DRCP.
University Research Ethics Review Commitee (URERC)
Beatrice Temba
Secretary of URERC
UNIVERSITY RESEARCH ETHICS AND REVIEW COMMITTEE (URERC) was established in 2001. URERC is responsible for ensuring health research proposals are reviewed to safeguard the dignity, rights, safety and wellbeing of research participants and safeguarding the image of KCMC / KCMC University by ascertaining the quality of the research output. URERC is also responsible for overseeing all issues pertaining to health research data and material transfers.
The Committee consists of up to 14 members who collectively have the relevant qualification and experience to review and evaluate the science, medical aspects, and ethics of health research proposals. It is composed of both scientists and non-scientists with varying backgrounds to promote a complete and adequate review of health research proposals commonly received by NIMR.
- The URERC includes the following category members:
- Clinical scientists
- Social scientists
- Representatives of religious/Faith-Based Organizations
- Unaffiliated community representatives
- Legal representative
- Biomedical scientists
The Committee members are appointed by the Vice Chancelor. Members are appointed based on knowledge, qualification and interest on matters of health research and research ethics. The URERC chairperson is non-affiliated to KCMC University whereas the Secretary is affiliated.
URERC has guidelines, regulations and standard operating procedures for ethics review, as well as evaluating, monitoring and controlling new, ongoing and approved health research. These documents include:
APPROVAL TO CONDUCT HEALTH RESEARCH
The whole process of receiving, reviewing and approving the proposals takes a maximum of 6 weeks. URERC carries research monitoring by on-site.
Research certificate approval is renewed annually and PIs are required to submit progress reports biannually. To publish the findings, the principal investigator will have to seek permission from URERC and the National Institute for Medical Research. Copies of the final publications must be made available to NIMR and the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children.
All proposed health research in Tanzania must get an Institutional Ethical approval at the host institution where the research will be based. In case there is no any Institutional Ethics Committee, the approval will be sought from the NatHREC. For all health research involving external collaborators (non-Tanzanians), the researchers must apply for the Institutional Ethical Clearance as well as the National Ethics Clearance. Non-Tanzanian researchers are required by law to get Research
Clearance and Research Permit from the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) (www.costech.or.tz).
Protocols for Clinical trials to be conducted in Tanzania are reviewed by another specialized sub-committee, Clinical Trials Sub-Committee. This sub-committee has nine members, and meets monthly and reports to the NatHREC. Clinical trials are required to also obtain a Clinical Trials Certificate from Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority (TMDA)(www.tmda.go.tz) before the commencement of the study.
- GUIDING DOCUMENTS AND TEMPLATES
DataManagement Unit (DMU)
The Data Management Unit (DMU) is designed to enhance the efficiency management, security, and accessibility of research data. Its primary mandate is to oversee and support all aspects of data management, including the development of data collection tools, electronic data capture, real-time data storage, data analysis, and data sharing. By centralizing data management processes, the DMU aims to improve data integrity, ensure compliance with institutional policies, and facilitate secondary use of research data.
Key Objectives of the DMU:
- Centralized Data Storage and Security:
- Provide a secure and structured system for storing research data to prevent data loss and ensure institutional ownership.
- Implement harmonized Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for data handling and protection.
- Support for Research Projects:
- Assist researchers and students in developing efficient data collection and analysis tools.
- Offer consultations during project development to integrate robust data management strategies.
- Data Processing and Quality Control:
- Facilitate data cleaning, entry, and processing through trained data staff.
- Monitor data accuracy and integrity to ensure high-quality research outputs.
- Enhanced Data Accessibility and Sharing:
- Promote ethical and controlled data sharing for secondary analysis.
- Develop policies to regulate data archiving and retrieval while maintaining confidentiality.
- Capacity Building and Support for Students:
- Provide MSc and PhD students with professional guidance on research data management.
- Ensure that student research data is processed through the DMU for improved quality and reproducibility.