Capacity Building Workshop on Research with PARES
A two-day staff research workshop focused on research grants, publishing, dissertation supervision, policy research, and qualitative methods. 186 staff participated across six faculties.
Anthony Kamara
Eastern Technical University of Sierra Leone (ETU-SL), Kenema
A two-day staff research capacity building workshop was held on 4–5 April 2025, organised by the Partnership for Resilience (PARES) Project in partnership with the Eastern Technical University of Sierra Leone. The workshop attracted 186 staff members (22 female, 164 male) from all six faculties.
Day One: Research Methods and Policy
The training commenced with welcoming remarks from the Vice Chancellor and Principal, Professor Mohamed Tailu Lahai, who stated that the workshop was designed to strengthen the knowledge base of all staff in research grant writing, textbook writing, publication, and dissertation supervision.
Facilitators were introduced by Dr. Lawrence Sao Babawo, Dean of Post Graduate Studies:
- Professor Susannah Mayhew, Adjunct Professor of Eastern Technical University and Principal Investigator
- Professor Freddie Ssengooba, Makerere University, Uganda
- Professor Dina Baladanova, ISHIM, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- Professor Kemoh Rogers, Dean, School of Public Health, Njala University
Professor Mayhew led the first session on qualitative data collection methods, covering in-depth interviews, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and ethnography. She emphasised the distinction between hearing and listening, and the importance of probing and observational skills in qualitative research.
Professor Baladanova continued with a session on critical appraisal of medical research, using a case study on managing HIV in the Indian private medical sector. Groups analysed the roles of medical practitioners, caregivers, and patients, identifying issues of confidentiality, counselling, and consent.
Professor Ssengooba closed the day with a session on policy research insights, discussing why policies exist (common resource problems and distribution of capacity), policy instruments, and the stages model of policy development from problem definition through to evaluation.
Day Two: Research Funding and Publication
Professor Mayhew led a session on research grant funding, covering criteria for quality proposals including research identity, collaborative approaches, funder eligibility, and application best practice. She provided links to funding organisations including African Leaders Funding Schemes and Climate Financing Instruments.
Professor Baladanova presented on publishing research, discussing how to maximise chances of journal acceptance, choose appropriate journals, and write up qualitative research. She noted that whilst AI can assist with evidence synthesis and creating outlines, it is not yet reliable for analysis or interpretation.
Professor Ssengooba led a session on dissertation supervision, covering roles and responsibilities, effective communication between supervisor and supervisee, and managing expectations and timelines.
The final session was facilitated by Professor Kemoh Rogers on qualitative research methodology, distinguishing between types of qualitative research (phenomenology, grounded theory, case study, ethnographic study, narrative analysis) and discussing ontology, epistemology, and the importance of reflexivity.
Report submitted by Anthony Kamara, Secretary General, Academic Staff Association, ETU-SL.