Makerere University’s Grants Administration and Management Support Unit (GAMSU), conducted a grant writing workshop for the College of Engineering, Design, Art, and Technology (CEDAT) on Wednesday, 24th September 2025. Participants, who included academic staff, researchers, and postgraduate students, were equipped with skills and strategies to secure national and international funding.
Prof. Sylvia Antonia Nakimera Nannyonga-Tamusuza, the Head of the Grants Administration & Management Support Unit (GAMSU), Makerere University, guided participants through the fundamentals of proposal development, how to explore various funding opportunities, and shared effective techniques for crafting competitive grant applications.
She explored key processes and systems essential for effective grant handling, emphasized the importance of compliance and accountability, and introduced participants to eMakGAM, which is the Makerere University Grants Management System. This comprehensive approach provided attendees with a deeper understanding of the institutional frameworks that support grant administration, while also equipping them with practical tools to navigate the grant lifecycle more efficiently.
Prof. Tamusuza said it was intentional that GAMSU mobilizes staff to write and win grants and that they plan to hold continuous engagements with members of staff at different levels to position them to appreciate their role in the grants administration and management chain. She said future trainings would bring on board other categories of staff, mainly the finance managers, accountants, and project managers, and in this way provide a platform to members of staff to actively contribute to grants administration and management. She said GAMSU will be working with some members of staff from CEDAT who have been core in grant writing to train, onboard, and mentor others to expand the grant profile of the College and the University as a whole. She advised academic staff to form a research team that can compete for grants, comprised of staff with different strengths, abilities, and competencies, to enhance their chances of winning the grants