Call for MUBAS Internal Research Grants (2024)

The Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS) has set aside MK450 million for the 2024 to 2025 fiscal year for internal research grants, offering up to MK50,000,000 per research proposal over a period of three (3) years. The grant has been established in recognition of the importance of collaborative research and commitment to fostering mentorship and professional development. The research areas for this call shall be based on themes that will be guided by the MUBAS Strategic Plan, National Research Agenda, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Malawi Implementation Plan (MIP) 1.

  1. - To support the development of transdisciplinary and collaborative research teams that shall accelerate national development and advance evidence-based policy, practice, and improved wellbeing of society.
  2. - To facilitate professional growth and development of junior faculty members and early-career researchers at MUBAS by pairing them with experienced mentors within the groups.
  3. - To create a supportive environment that promotes knowledge exchange, skill development, and successful grant proposal writing.

The MUBAS Internal Research Grant is an open call for MUBAS-based research groups.

All applicants must submit their application through the MUBAS Research Grant Application online system. Click here to access the online submission portal.

  1. Applications must be submitted by the Research Group Lead (i.e. a Professor, Associate Professor or Senior Lecturer).
  2. The research group shall have between 5-10 team members (co-investigators), with at least a Professor, Associate Professor, or Senior Lecturer (in the currency of research), as team lead/principal investigator.
  3. The research group shall include junior faculty members, early-career researchers and experienced mentors from various disciplines within MUBAS. These could be from the same or different schools. Female researchers are encouraged to join the research groups.
  4. Applications should address research gaps as outlined in the Malawi Implementation Plan (MIP1), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Malawi National Research Agenda
  5. Application deadline is 1st November, 2024, by 23:59 (CAT).

  • Applicants are required to submit a detailed proposal for their research idea.
  • The research proposal is limited to 8 pages including the reference section and must be completed in Arial 12 point with 1.15-line spacing and uploaded as a .pdf document in the portal.
  • APA referencing approach should be used throughout the research proposal.
  • - References should be listed at the end of the document (not as footnotes) and must not exceed one page.

The research proposal must include the following sections with clearly marked headings within the case for support:

  1. Title of the proposed project - Provide a concise and descriptive title for the project
  2. Lay Summary: - A summary of the research proposed including key goals and outcomes for a general audience.
  3. Background and Rationale - Provide the problem statement, significance of the research project and literature review in brief
  4. Which of the Research Pillars/Themes is addressed in the proposed research and how the proposed research contributes to the National Research Agenda. - For research proposals targeting SDGs, clearly show which SDGs are targeted and their alignment to MIP1.
  5. Aims and Objectives- Specify research objectives and goals that the project aims to achieve.
  6. Proposed Methodology
      Include:
    1. - Proposed Study Design
    2. - Target Population/Sample
    3. - Data Collection Methodology (surveys, interviews, experiments etc.)
    4. - Data Analysis Plan
  7. Anticipated Timeline- Include key milestones and deadlines
  8. Anticipated Outputs - Including (but not limited to):
    • Anticipated manuscripts published in peer reviewed journals, additional proposals, conference presentations, compostion of a play, poem or musical art, short stories and language corpora.
  9. Impact of the research beyond academia
    1. - Explain the potential broader impact of the research project on society, policy, and/or practice
  10. Consideration about equitable partnerships where applicable
  11. Ethical considerations
    1. - Detail any ethical concerns and how they will be addressed, including obtaining necessary approvals e.g. MUBASREC
  12. Dissemination or public engagement:
    1. - This section should include an outline of plans to engage with non-academic stakeholders as well as plans for the dissemination of findings to all stakeholders (i.e. how will the research findings be shared? Publications, conferences, etc.)
  13. Sustainability or Innovations
    1. - Any possibility that the research project’s impact may be sustained post-funding?

- It is a requirement to present a letter of support from the Executive Dean of the school where the research group leader belongs. The letter should confirm that the grant will be used for the intended purposes within the stipulated time period.

- Provide a detailed budget including justifications for each item (i.e. Item, Cost, Justification)

- The grant will provide:

  1. Research expenses
    1. Note that costs for research assistants and/or laboratory technicians should be included as research expenses where necessary.
  2. A training budget, if necessary
  3. A local travel budget, if necessary (e.g. to support data collection)
  4. Procurement of research equipment and laboratory disposables, if necessary
  5. Research dissemination budget

- The grant will not fund:

  1. Research group members’ salary
  2. Non-research related activity costs
  3. Furniture such as office and laboratory furniture
  4. Utilities such as water and electricity

- Value for money is an assessment criteria and budgets (in MK) must be fully justified and commensurate with the grant objectives. The budget should follow this template and be uploaded in the portal in excel format.

  1. - Upload your CVs through the portal. Please include CVs for the members in your research group only.
  2. - CVs for all members of each research group should be uploaded as one document in pdf.
  3. - Individual CVs must not exceed 3 pages. Items should be listed in reverse chronological order with the most recent first.

- To qualify for tranche 2 funding, research groups must show how they intend to exhaust research funds by March 2025. In addition, they must indicate the key milestones they plan to achieve (such as publications, innovation prototypes, software, policy briefs, etc.) before the next funding cycle.

End of Application

Please Note:

  1. - Once you submit your application, you will no longer be able to edit the form.
  2. - After you submit your application, you will receive an automated email confirmation from the administrator

For any questions, please contact rsu@mubas.ac.mw


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