Training Global Health Research Managers for the 21st Century

Professionals working in research and scientific management had the chance to learn and share experiences at the second Course in Science Management for Researchers from Portuguese-Speaking African Countries from 20 to 31 May at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, Portugal, and at CosmoCaixa, in Barcelona, Spain. The workshop was jointly organised by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and ”la Caixa”, with support from the Manhiça Health Research Centre (CISM) and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). It was designed for professionals from Portuguese-speaking African countries with at least five years of experience as researchers and/or managers of scientific projects.

Workshops of this sort provide an excellent opportunity for participants to share their experiences and challenges, discuss their everyday management-related problems, boost their knowledge and learn about tools that can help them improve their work processes. In this second edition of the course, participants received training in a wide range of areas, including project management, financial management, strategic planning in scientific institutions, scientific communication, governance and integrity in scientific research.

During the workshop, participants also visited the facilities of research centres and science parks, where they had the opportunity to observe the management challenges faced by institutions comprising multiple facilities, centres and research teams, each with its own specific characteristics and needs.

On the last day of the course, two debates were organised with the participation of leading experts in the world of science and scientific management. The first debate, on the governance of scientific institutions, featured Àngel Font and Enric Banda, members of the ISGlobal Board of Trustees representing the ”la Caixa” Banking Foundation. The speakers reflected on the role of partner institutions of research centres, the trust-based relationship that develops between the two parties. They also discussed the expectations and alignment of goals and results that arise from collaboration between the institution they represent and the institution they collaborate with. The second debate, on the challenges of global health research in sub-Saharan Africa and collaboration with other research centres in the North or South, featured Pedro L. Alonso, Director of the Global Malaria Programme at the World Health Organisation; Eusebio Macete, Director of CISM; and Antoni Plasència, Director General of ISGlobal.