The total number of individuals who are recognised as research management professionals through the International Professional Recognition Council (IPRC) increased to nineteen following the second open call for professional recognition which closed on 31 March 2021 and a special call for IPRC members.
The IPRC was established as an autonomous body that awards professional status to research managers. Applications are reviewed by peers who serve on the Technical Review Committee of the IPRC. “Although no applications are excluded, the IPRC aims to establish the programme in its initial stages as a programme for Africa,” says Dr Pamisha Pillay, the Head of the IPRC Secretariat that is hosted by the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA).
Since its inception the Professional Recognition Programme for Research Management has seen a steady increase in research managers lining up to present their portfolios of evidence for review to demonstrate to their employers, colleagues and others in the research management environment that they have demonstrated functional and transferable competence through their contributions and achievements in research management. “It is wonderful to see how the applications seem to be improving since the start of the programme. Research management in Africa has a bright future with these competent and committed professionals. We are hoping to see many more applications from across Africa during the next round,” says Dr Marilet Sienaert, the Chairperson of the Technical Review Committee.
Currently nine research managers are recognised as Senior Research Management Professionals (SRMP). This category recognises research managers in a leadership/strategic role for their professional knowledge, experience and functional and transferable competence. They are:
Name | Institution/Organisation | Country | Recognised |
Dr Elliott Kulakowski | Research Administration and Management Strategy Group | United States | June 2018 |
Dr Marilet Sienaert | University of Cape Town | South Africa | June 2018 |
Dr Jose Jackson-Malete | Michigan State University | United States | March 2021 |
Dembo Kanteh | MRC Unit The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine | The Gambia | March 2021 |
Prof Joze Frantz | University of the Western Cape | South Africa | June 2021 |
Prof Lessing Labuschagne | University of South Africa | South Africa | June 2021 |
Prof Mogodisheng Sekhwela | University of Botswana | Botswana | June 2021 |
Prof Olanike Adeyemo | University of Ibadan | Nigeria | June 2021 |
Dr Thabi Maitin | South African Medical Research Council | South Africa | June 2021 |
A further nine individuals are recognised as Research Management Professionals (RMP). This category recognises mid- or advanced career research managers in a management role for their professional knowledge, on the basis of recognition of prior learning, experience and functional and transferable competence. They are:
Name | Institution/Organisation | Country | Recognised |
Barbara Herweg | University of the Witwatersrand | South Africa | March 2020 |
Sydney Engelbrecht | University of Cape Town | South Africa | March 2020 |
Natalie Le Roux | University of Cape Town | South Africa | May 2020 |
Dr Anita Edwards | Africa Health Research Institute | South Africa | October 2020 |
Chantelle Sonnekus | Vaal University of Technology | South Africa | June 2021 |
Kouassi Jean-Pierre N’Guessan | Institut de Recherche en Santé, de Surveillance Epidémiologique et de Formation (IRESSEF) | Senegal | June 2021 |
Mandla Tirivavi | Africa University | Zimbabwe | June 2021 |
Taariq Surtee | University of the Witwatersrand | South Africa | July 2021 |
Palinji Mungoni | University of Malawi, College of Medicine | Malawi | June 2021 |
The IPRC has also conferred the first honorary recognition, that of Honorary Senior Research Management Professional (Hon. SRMP) to Dr Tembeka Mpako-Ntusi. Dr Mpako-Ntusi is a retired research manager with a research management career spanning over twenty years during which she did not only demonstrate commitment to grow and strengthen her own career trajectory, but the profession as a whole. She still continues to share her expertise through service on the IPRC. When asked what research management means to her Dr Mpako-Ntusi declared: “Research management is a part of my life, and my life is part of research management. It has been such a fulfilling career.”
A next call for professional recognition will open in September 2021. A new professional category, that of Candidate Research Management Professional (CRMP) for new entrants to the profession will be launched. Applicants can also look forward to using a brand-new online application system. Through the generous support of the African Academy of Sciences, the IPRC will be in a position to support a number of applicants to apply for professional recognition. Prospective applicants are encouraged to be on the look out for the call for applications for these grants.
The IPRC gratefully acknowledge the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) hosted at the World Health Organization (WHO) and co-sponsored by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the World Bank and WHO and the ESSENCE on Health Research initiative for the financial support to implement the IPRC activities.
Find all the information on the IPRC website: https://iprcouncil.com/
Written by Karin Dyason, Project Manager, SARIMA