Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation of Internal Training for Research Management and Administration (RMA) Human Resource Development at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)
- VernacularTitle:ケニア中央医学研究所（KEMRI）におけるResearch Management & Administration（RMA）人材を育成する内部研修の計画・実施・評価
- Author:
Kozo WATANABE
1
;
Yukari MULINDA
2
;
Raita TAMAKI
3
Author Information
- Keywords: Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI); Research management and administration (RMA); Human resource development; Internal training (In-house training); Training evaluation
- From:Journal of International Health 2025;40(3):113-124
- CountryJapan
- Language:Japanese
- Abstract: Background The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) is a national institution (state corporation of the Kenyan government) that conducts human health research in Kenya. The institute is important in the East African region. During the COVID-19 pandemic, KEMRI played a major role in conducting half of the PCR testing in Kenya. In response to the excessive burden on researchers during the COVID-19 pandemic, to improve support to researchers, KEMRI decided to conduct internal training to develop skills in research management and administration (RMA) for mainly administrative staff, to strengthen collaboration between researchers and administrative staff.Planning, implementation, and evaluation of the RMA Training From July 2023 to January 2024, in cooperation with Kyoto University and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a series of internal RMA training courses on the basic knowledge required for RMA staff was planned and conducted for the first time at KEMRI. As part of the training, Kyoto University’s practices were learned, and the “KEMRI RMA Process Mapping” workshop was held to make these processes easier to visualize for researchers by having the training participants compile the organization’s rules and regulations of KEMRI that were difficult to understand for researchers. This paper describes KEMRI’s first internal RMA training in planning, implementation, and evaluation through group discussions.Conclusion KEMRI conducted its first internal RMA training, which incorporated a combination of lectures and workshops. The training evaluation revealed that participants developed a more comprehensive understanding of the RMA-related work and enhanced their comprehension of the researchers’ work. The training participants began to utilize the learning of RMA-related specialized knowledge and organizational management related to the work for research support. The communication between RMA-related departments and between RMA staff and researchers was enhanced, and behavioral changes towards cross-departmental collaboration were observed. KEMRI is planning to revise its personnel and organizational regulations and strengthen internal training, including the RMA training.
