Institutional Reform of the University Eduardo Mondlane into a Research-led University

This project consists of a research-based consultancy that aims to support the transition of the University Eduardo Mondlane (UEM) from a teaching-oriented to a research-led institution. The project brings together an international and multi-disciplinary team of seven researchers associated with CIPES to assist the structural transformation of UEM into a research-led institution by 2028. At the heart of the project is research-capacity-building at the level of the system and its actors, including an examination of the capabilities and know-how of UEM academic and administrative staff to suggest training solutions and indicate goals (via a Roadmap). To this end, the project adopts a participatory-action-research methodology, which can be broken down into a theory of change and a participatory mode of action, to promote a process of engagement in the change across all relevant stakeholders in the institutional transformation process. The basis of our change analysis is both theoretical (formal and informal organising, communities of practice) and evidence-based according to the tacit understandings of internal and external stakeholders relevant to UEM’s research capacity building. Hence, the organisation of the first stage of the project into five working phases: (1) Institutional document analysis; (2) Selection of interviewees and tool development; (3) Data collection (individual and focus groups interviews) and preliminary data analysis; (4) SWOT analysis and focus groups analysis; and (5) Roadmap.