One of the greatest challenges faced by higher education institutions is the effective and strategic management of their research portfolios to ensure sustainability and growth in an increasingly complex, competitive and changing global environment. Funding programmes are increasingly competitive, with a greater focus on excellence, the need to do more in partnerships with other institutions and companies, and the need to demonstrate research impact, efficiency, and innovation throughout. Skilled research managers are key players in institutional efforts to sustain and grow research and are critical enablers in helping research projects achieve maximum deliverables and impact.To address this challenge we have developed a professionalisation route for research managers and administrators (RMAs) in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region through this project. This has been achieved through a number of outputs, including the development and implementation of a new Post-Graduate Diploma (PG Dip) qualification for RMAs, and the establishment and implementation of a professional peer-recognition mechanism for RMA professionals that is aligned with current international best practices. The project also developed an Executive Masters in RMA business plan and curriculum outline for a future post-graduate qualification at Masters level, based on the needs evaluated in the partner countries in Southern Africa in particular. The project also focused on research- and research management-related exchanges of information and good practice, and the development of staff capacity in the various institutions and regions. This was done via two focused staff exchange programmes. One set of staff exchanges for capacity development and exchange of good practice was undertaken among the consortium partner institutions' staff members. A second set of regional staff exchanges was enabled via the professional associations for RMAs in the two regions - the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA), which is a project partner, and the European Association for Research Managers and Administrators (EARMA), which is a project associate. This interaction was also aimed at advancing improved and ongoing research cooperation between the EU and Southern African regions in the future. The project partners furthermore undertook a number of collaborative comparative studies aimed at promoting leadership, capacity development, and mutual understanding of the differing Higher education (HE) contexts. Topics of these studies include a benchmarking of research management structures between the partner institutions; a comparison of research publication trends and incentives among the partner institutions; a comparison of internationalisation policies among partner institutions; and a study of the lessons learned through the staff exchange programme as well as a set of guidelines for the management of such programmes. The project outcomes will contribute to the development of RMA as a profession and the implementation of good RMA practice and capacities in the partner institutions, in particular those in the lesser-developed partner countries and the Baltic region of the EU. This will promote improved institutional research capacity, and hence research outputs and outcomes. Through improved mutual understanding and cooperation between the EU and Southern African regions, it will promote and facilitate the HEI's ability to lead, participate in and obtain funding for high quality and original scholarship, knowledge generation and impact. The outputs from this project can in future be adopted for the broader Sub-Saharan African (SSA) region, and hence lead to a wider implementation of good RMA practices leading to enhanced research outcomes produced by HEIs in this region.

The AEIP builds a network of African and European stakeholders strengthening links between innovation ecosystems in an inclusive and collaborative manner, ensuring equal benefits. The AEIP will stimulate collaboration among stakeholders and institutions implementing other programmes, contributing to mutually beneficial partnerships. The focus will lie on launching new activities (linked to capacity-building, mobility opportunities, knowledge production and transfer, investment readiness and access to finance) based on an assessment of the needs of all target groups, including researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs, incubators/accelerators, civil society, women and youth. These will be activated through a combination of virtual outreach and in-person stakeholder meetings as a forum for discussion. Sustainability will be built into the AEIP from the start by making sure that new activities are linked up and designed in such a way that they can be carried forward by AEIP members after the end of the Action. We aim to grow the AEIP further into a network of networks acting as a hub for the implementation of the short-term actions of the AU-EU Innovation Agenda, reinforcing existing initiatives rather than duplicating them. The Action has been designed to maximise societal, economic, and scientific impact by centring the Platform at the core as a forum where stakeholders convene for focussed and structured innovation cooperation. With the networks leveraged by the consortium partners and multiplier effect, our outcomes and impacts will be scalable. The AEIP will support the Agenda’s objective to strengthen Research and Innovation cooperation between the African and European Union, maximising the impact of funding and reinforcing interconnected innovation ecosystems, thus contributing to sustainable and inclusive development, economic growth and job creation.