Value of Collaboration: A Case of UiB-Mak Frame Agreement

Prof. Edward K. KirumiraCoordinator Mak-UiB Collaboration &Principal CHUSS Makerere UniversityNovember 29, 2013

The Place of African Universities“today, more than ever, the future of Africa is

dependent on the future of African universities. And the future of Africa’s universities depends on successful cooperation in the increasingly competitive and global arena of research and higher education” (Svendsen, 2005).

Teaching and learning in African Higher Education Institutionsuniversities’ contract with national

development and international cooperationuniversities as centers of excellencenationalism and internationalization of

universitiesthe public sector approachthe equivalence of the future of Africa’s

universities to the future of the continent

AfricaA reminder

57 nations

Mediterranean climate in Tunis and Cape Town

Axis:East-West 7400 kmNorth-South 8000 km (1/5 of Earth’s circumference)

Area: 30 244 000 km2

20,4% of Earth’s land area 6 % of Earth’s total area

(North-America: 24 300 000 km2)

Iberian peninsula: 597 000 km2

The Sudan: 2 500 000 km2

Background to the UiB/Mak Collaboration1988 Prof. Endre Lillethun visits Makerere

• Application to NUFU for capacity building in Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics

1991-1995 NUFU Project 39/91 “Basic Science for Technological Development in Uganda” (Phase I)

1997 Professor Livingstone Luboobi project coordinator at Makerere (July)

1998 Professor Andreas Steigen project coordinator at UiB (May)

Frame Agreement signed (November, 1999) for 15 yrs

Student Exchange Addendum signed 2004

The Frame AgreementArticle 1: Areas of co-operationThis agreement shall be considered an

element in the strategic work at Mak and UiB by giving priority to collaboration projects between scientists from the two academic institutions.

There shall be mutual information on ongoing and new international activities, and scientists may be invited to participate in ongoing and future research projects if funding can be provided.

Other ArticlesArticle 2: Research and teachingArticle 3: Exchange of staffArticle 4: Exchange of graduate studentsArticle 5: Funding and financeArticle 6: Annex (on course of action)Article 7: Management and

administration of the collaborationArticle 8: Disputes, time frame,

termination, and ratification

Some ProductsMore than 100 PhDs and MPhil in varied trainedNUFU projects - Six running projects in Phase 4

(2007-2011)NUCOOP supported Library project UiB/Mak/Juba2 NRC projects – Nature, Water & Society; MatrixEnPe-NORAD Geoscience/Petroleum Master

ProgramArticles and booksCapacity for grant makingFINIS and HURIS Best Practices training

What Has Made it Work (1)Medium to long-term institutional commitment

including collaboration offices both ways

Multi-Departmental and multi-disciplinary research with diversified funding source

Joint supervision of Masters/Ph.D. students esp. under the NUFU projects and now with Norhed

Spreading the collaboration to include administration, finance, and libraries divisions

Example of Finance and AdminBest Practices sharing

Practical Training in Financial Management and in Human Resources systems development

Hands-on Implementation of Financial Systems:Workshops/SeminarsStaff Visits both waysExchange of Information

What Has Made It Work (2)Signing of an Addendum of University of Bergen-

Makerere University agreement on student exchange on November 12th 2004

4-yearly evaluation and re-commitment workshops within a long-term Frame of collaboration

Reaching out to regional Institutions (Juba, National Univ. of Rwanda, Dar es Salaam) – Library and Technicians Training for Juba

Collaboration Progression

Current Coordination Team:Thorkild Tylleskär, Thelma Ingeborg Kraft, Kristin Svartveit and Edward K. Kirumira at Bergen Nov 2013

Makerere University Welcomes Uppsala University Delegation