A two-year research capacity intervention with faculty members and clinicians in Uganda and Rwanda significantly improved research competence on nearly every item of the CRAI-12 scale, with the exception of confidence in asking staff to leave the project team and locating appropriate grant application forms.
The research training intervention significantly improved participants' self-efficacy in designing and collecting data (Factor 1 of the CRAI-12 scale).
Participants showed significant improvements in Reporting, Interpreting and Presenting research findings (Factor 2 of the CRAI-12 scale) after the intervention.
Significant improvements were observed in Conceptualizing and Collaborating (Factor 3 of the CRAI-12 scale) following the training program.
Setting Expectations for Research Staff (part of Factor 4) improved significantly, but Confidence in Asking Staff to Leave the Project Team (also part of Factor 4) did not improve significantly.
Describing the Funding Process (part of Factor 5) improved significantly, but Locating the Appropriate Grant Application Forms (also part of Factor 5) did not improve significantly.
Protecting Study Participants (Factor 6 of the CRAI-12 scale) showed significant improvement after the research training program.
Analyses revealed significant improvements in nearly every item on the CRAI-12 scale after the research training program.
The authors proposed a conceptual framework outlining hypothesized pathways through which training and skill development influence research-related career planning and progression, guided by Social Cognitive Career Theory.
This research suggests that a structured two-year training program in research skills can meaningfully improve the confidence and abilities of healthcare workers and university faculty in Uganda and Rwanda to conduct scientific research. The study measured participants' research competence before and after the program using a standardized 12-item questionnaire called the CRAI-12, which covers areas like study design, data collection, reporting results, collaborating with others, managing research staff, securing funding, and protecting research participants. Out of the 12 competency areas measured, all but two showed statistically significant improvement after the training. The two areas that did not improve significantly were the ability to ask underperforming staff to leave a research project, and knowing how to locate the correct grant application forms. This research suggests these specific skills may require different or additional types of training beyond what was offered. The findings also highlight that practical, hands-on research training embedded within existing institutional structures can be both an effective and cost-efficient way to build local research capacity in low-resource settings. This research matters because strengthening the ability of local healthcare professionals and researchers in Sub-Saharan Africa to conduct high-quality research on sexual and reproductive health is critical for addressing health challenges that are specific to their communities. The authors also proposed a theoretical framework connecting training and skill-building to longer-term career development, and they call for future studies to track whether these improvements are maintained over time and whether the approach works in other settings or with different populations.
Buser J, Tengera O, Jiang C, Kumakech E, Gray R, Mukeshimana M, et al.. (2025). Impact of a comprehensive two-year research capacity intervention with sexual and reproductive health researchers in Sub-Saharan Africa.. Reproductive health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-025-02047-5