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Since
the
commencement of BIO-EARN Phase II in 2002 in Uganda, the BIO-EARN Programme activities mainly emphasized building capacity in
order to make use of and work towards overcoming the challenges of modern
biotechnology and biosafety as well as promoting appropriate related
policies under local conditions in the region. The
Programme consisted of three main areas namely; Biotechnology research,
Biosafety and Biotechnology Policy Development. The
Programme was implemented through: short courses, workshops and
internships for researchers, policy makers and students.
For
biotechnology research, a total of 5 Ugandan PhD research projects
were completed during phase II which represented 25% of the total number
of BIO-EARN PhD projects in the region. The Programme
substantially contributed to the improvement of research infrastructure,
equipment and stocking of consumables in the participating institutions.
It provided about 70% of the funds that established a state of the art
modern biotechnology and tissue culture laboratory in the Faculty of
Agriculture, Makerere
University. Laboratories at Faculty of Biochemistry, Makerere University, Makerere
Institute of Environment and Natural Resources and Med Biotech
Laboratories were also equipped with computers, PCR machines, printers, a
laminar flow hood and a water distiller. BIO-EARN also facilitated the
participating institutions to get connected to the internet and
facilitated local area network setups. This not only greatly enhanced
communication among the network members, but also facilitated access of
information from the internet so as to keep abreast with the new
biotechnology developments in the world.
BIO-EARN
also contributed to human resource development in Ugandan institutions and
organisations by organising and/or sponsoring several Ugandans to attend
short training courses, workshops and seminars within and outside the
country. The trainings were attended by a diverse range of people
including scientists, BIO-EARN PhD students, policy makers, and
representatives from public and private research institutions, farmers’
organizations and relevant non-governmental organizations.
As
for Biosafety research and capacity building, during phase II, BIO-EARN
initiated and implemented the national
biosafety systems studies which analysed the current biosafety regulatory
framework in
Uganda
with a view to provide constructive ideas on actions to improve
performance. A major output of these studies was the Biosafety Systems
Resource Book which is currently available for use in
Uganda
.
Several
activities were undertaken under biotechnology policy and outreach from
which impact could be assessed including supporting
the development of Institutional Intellectual Property (IP) policies at
Makerere
University
and the Uganda Industrial Research Institute and a review of the IP regime
in
Uganda
. As a result of these initiatives,
Makerere
University
now has an IP unit housed in its legal office as well as an office to
record all research and innovations housed at the school of postgraduate
studies. In addition, the Programme commissioned a study which produced a
report useful for Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) in the BIO-EARN
region.
The study highlighted the salient
constraint hindering the smooth running of PDPs in
Uganda
including lack of a clear legal regime governing PDPs in the country. The
study recommended that the government of
Uganda
should put in place adequate legal arrangements to facilitate PDPs if it
is to tap the benefits of modern biotechnology.
In
conclusion, BIO-EARN Programme during phase II achieved a lot by
spearheading development of biotechnology, biosafety and biopolicy through
capacity building both for human capital and infrastructure. Furthermore,
the foundation laid by BIO-EARN has resulted into a multiplier effect
which has led to various organisations funding activities that support
biotechnology and biosafety issues in
Uganda
. The human resource capacity
that BIO-EARN has built is
currently engaged in training more people and attracting grants from
international bodies.
From
the findings of this impact assessment, it was noted that there is a need
for BIO-EARN Uganda to consolidate the impact the Programme has achieved
in the area of biotechnology research by supporting the scientists to
apply or disseminate their findings to stakeholders. This could be
achieved through BIO-EARN’s facilitation of workshops/seminars and
dissemination materials like handouts, manuals, pamphlets, etc. There is
also need for the BIO-EARN Programme to make use of more participatory
approaches in future in order to ensure that the end users are involved
from the start and benefit from the research.
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