The Makerere University Research and Innovations Fund (Mak-RIF) invites applications for Round 8, Track 1 — New Research & Innovation Agenda-Based Grants, supported by the Government of the Republic of Uganda. This call funds original ideas with a clear link to the national Research and Innovation Agenda, for implementation in Financial Year 2026/2027.
Key facts at a glance
Round
Round 8, Track 1 — New Research & Innovation Agenda-Based Grants
Financial Year
2026/2027 — the eighth year of the Fund
Applications open
Monday 31 August 2026 — online platform only
Closing date
Friday 2 October 2026 — 11:59pm East African Time
Who can apply
Appointed Makerere academic & research staff as PI and Co-PI. Students are not eligible as PIs.
Grants available
UGX 6 billion for at least 58 awards across five categories, up to UGX 150m each.
The money on the table
During Financial Year 2026/27, Makerere University expects to receive about UGX 20 billion (≈US$ 6.8 million) under the Government Research and Innovation Fund. Of this, at least UGX 7 billion will fund new ideas responding to the national Research Agenda, with the remainder funding continuing, multi-year, needs-based and commercialization/scaling projects. This call — Round 8, Track 1 — commits UGX 6 billion to at least 58 new awards.
About this call
Makerere University receives special funding from the Government of the Republic of Uganda to support high-impact research and innovations that contribute to national transformation. The objective of the Fund is to increase the local generation of translatable research and scalable innovations that address key gaps in Uganda’s development agenda. Over the last seven financial years, government appropriated approximately UGX 165.5 billion, through which Mak-RIF has funded over 1,480 projects across all sectors, of which 783 have been completed.
Research for economic development
The Government of Uganda is implementing the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV, 2025/26–2030/31), which — together with sector plans, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Makerere University Strategic Plan — requires research to fill evidence gaps. Round 8, Track 1 targets research and innovation projects that align with the priority thematic issues of the instructive Research Agenda and the budget priorities for FY 2026/27. Particular attention will be paid to unfunded priorities and to holistic, multi-sectoral approaches.
Priority thematic areas
Applications are sought in the following seven thematic areas of the national Research and Innovation Agenda. Grants are open to all technical disciplines, provided the research questions align with these themes.
- Agricultural Transformation, Food Security and Livelihoods — transforming the agricultural sector to drive development.
- Health and Well-being — achieving sustainable health as a means to sustainable development.
- Science and Technology — re-imagining education to unlock capacity for development; harnessing ICT to drive development.
- Natural Resources, Environment, Climate Change, Land and Water Management — water, sanitation and the environment; energy and minerals as drivers of rapid economic development.
- Cultural Heritage and Creative Arts — harnessing the social sector, culture and arts; harnessing tourism, wildlife and heritage.
- Governance, Social Justice and Equity — strengthening law, governance, human rights and international cooperation; sustainable peace and stability; efficient public service and local administration.
- Economic Growth and Innovation — catalysing business and enterprise; planning, finance and monitoring; works, manufacturing, science and technology; scaling and commercialization.
Categories and grant sizes
Two broad types of ideas will be funded: (a) New ideas with transformative potential and (b) Proven products/ideas ready for transition to scale. Grants are issued in five bands across two categories — Category 1 (New Ideas: 1a, 1b, 1c) and Category 2 (Proven ideas ready to scale: 2a, 2b). Applications that exceed their category ceiling are automatically disqualified.
| Category | Award amount (UGX) | Min. awards | Total (UGX) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cat 1a — New Ideas | 100,000,001 – 150,000,000 | 15 | 2,250,000,000 |
| Cat 1b — New Ideas | 50,000,001 – 100,000,000 | 20 | 2,000,000,000 |
| Cat 1c — New Ideas | 1 – 50,000,000 | 15 | 750,000,000 |
| Cat 2a — Proven idea, ready to scale | 100,000,001 – 150,000,000 | 4 | 600,000,000 |
| Cat 2b — Proven idea, ready to scale | 50,000,001 – 100,000,000 | 4 | 400,000,000 |
| Total | 58 | 6,000,000,000 |
- The GMC reserves the right to determine or change the number and size of awards based on demand, quality of applications, availability of funds and utilization by grantees.
- Over 50% of past applicants target Category 1, making it highly competitive — applicants are encouraged to consider all categories.
- Researchers who have applied several times before but were never funded are strongly encouraged to apply; added consideration will be given to them.
- Junior faculty (Lecturer or below, or fewer than 5 years’ research experience) are encouraged to apply.
- The grant supports ideas from both the sciences and the arts/humanities. “Products” means tangible products (physical or electronic) arising from research; “Ideas” refers to concepts, approaches or policy outputs that improve how services are provided.
Who can apply
This grant targets researchers and innovators from Makerere University. To be eligible, a research team should meet the following criteria:
- The Principal Investigator (PI) is an academic or research staff member of Makerere University on a permanent appointment or full-time contract issued by the Directorate of Human Resources — or a staff member of a research-linked administrative unit (Library, Gender Mainstreaming, Quality Assurance, Guidance & Counselling, Planning, or the Directorates of Research and Graduate Training).
- The PI is actively in service — not on study or sabbatical leave, and not due for retirement during the period of performance.
- The PI attaches a letter of support from their department, school or college, and a copy of their appointment or most-recent promotion letter.
- Each team indicates a Co-PI who co-signs the contract and is jointly responsible for results; the Co-PI meets the same requirements as the PI.
- A researcher may be PI on only one application, and a team member on up to three applications.
- Collaboration with resource persons from other universities, government, civil society, business and industry is encouraged (as co-investigators or resource persons, with a letter of support from their institution). Students may join a team but cannot be PIs.
Note on prior awards
PIs and Co-PIs who currently hold an active RIF award (RIF-1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7) that is not closed out will not be considered for a new award — that is, projects with pending accountabilities or without completed official close-out reports. Such applications will be rejected outright, and the GMC will enforce this rigorously.
What we fund
Only research or innovation problems with a clear link to national development priorities — and alignment to the thematic priorities above — will be funded. Ask yourself: “If I were a decision-maker in a government sector, would this research be very useful to me?”
New ideas with transformative potential
New ideas that, if developed, could contribute to national development. They fall into three kinds: (1) research to fill a critical knowledge gap; (2) an innovation (technology or approach) that addresses a critical pain point or community need; or (3) R&I ecosystem enhancement that overcomes a major barrier preventing high-value research. Articulate the knowledge gap, the stakeholder need, or the capacity gap respectively.
Proven products/ideas ready for transition to scale
Ideas that have passed proof-of-concept and have a minimum viable model that is scalable — either as a commercializable venture or a transformative public policy/programme model ready for uptake by implementers. Early-stage projects without proof of concept and a working product or model are not accepted in this category.
All projects must articulate the objectives, the proposed solution and its relevance, the anticipated outputs, outcomes and impact, and the primary and secondary beneficiaries. Because this funding is for a single financial year, projects must demonstrate tangible deliverables within one year — including multi-year projects, which must show actionable intermediate results within the first year.
Preparing your application
- Team composition. Teams are at an advantage. Represent the disciplines relevant to the problem; teams that include an industry, business, public-sector or implementing-agency partner have an added advantage.
- Capacity building. Projects that mentor students or junior faculty, or that strengthen the unit’s capacity, are favoured. Student attachments are strongly encouraged.
- Dissemination, scalability & sustainability. Show a clear plan to translate findings to policy/practice, or to scale an innovation commercially or through public-sector buy-in. Research without a clear link to policy/programme impact will not be funded.
- Ethics & environment. Address ethical issues for human or animal subjects and any environmental impacts, including the certifications you will obtain.
- Conflict of interest. Declare any competing interests, including strong linkages to GMC members.
- Budget. Budget in Uganda Shillings for one financial year only. No institutional overheads. Regular personnel costs (excluding field research assistants) must not exceed 33% of the budget. Attach a detailed budget and justification (MS Excel). Do not exceed your category ceiling.
- Workplan. Provide up to 10 key milestones with clear, time-bound deliverables achievable within one year.
How to apply
Applications are submitted online at rif.mak.ac.ug/portal. First register and create an account (or log in if you already have one). The application is a single-step online form — you can download a PDF/Word copy to prepare offline, then copy your text into the online domains. The Grants Committee will not consider applications submitted by any other means, and there are no remedial extensions. Remember to click Submit before the deadline.
You will attach: letter(s) of support (one from your Head of Department/School/College, plus one from each partnering institution), a short-form CV of the PI, and a detailed budget with justification (MS Excel).
Key dates
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Issuance of RFA (soft launch) | Monday 31 August 2026 |
| Researcher sensitisation meeting (Zoom) | Tuesday 8 September 2026 |
| Q&A period | Tue 8 – Tue 22 September 2026 |
| Posting of FAQs | Friday 25 September 2026 |
| Researcher support webinar | Friday 25 September 2026 |
| Closing date for applications | Friday 2 October 2026, 11:59pm EAT |
| Selection — stage 1 (eligibility) | Mon 5 – Fri 9 October 2026 |
| Selection — stage 2 (technical review) | Fri 9 October – Fri 13 November 2026 |
| Selection — stage 3 (GMC selection) | Mon 16 – Thu 19 November 2026 |
| Award notification | Friday 20 November 2026 |
| Induction | Tuesday 24 November 2026 |
How applications are reviewed
A three-step process is used. Step 1 — the GMC Secretariat checks eligibility. Step 2 — an independent team of credible national and international reviewers conducts an electronic technical review; each proposal is reviewed by at least three reviewers using standardized criteria, with a cross-disciplinary approach. Step 3 — the GMC selects from the best-scoring proposals, guided by the scores and by considerations of alignment to the Research Agenda, sector impact, equity between colleges, gender and junior-faculty representation, budgets, and available funds.
Proposals are scored out of 100 across the problem, proposed solution, technical approach and methodology, anticipated results/impact, team composition, capacity building, dissemination/scalability, and feasibility. Successful applicants are notified by email and profiled on this website; application status is tracked for the whole batch rather than individually.
After the award
- Induction — a mandatory online course and a Zoom induction workshop before contracts are signed.
- Procurement plan & contracting — awardees develop a procurement plan and execute an agreement with the GMC.
- Phased release of funds — releases depend on proper accountability and demonstrated milestones from the previous phase.
- Reporting — interim reports every three months on a standard form. Persistent failure to demonstrate deliverables or utilize funds may lead to reallocation of unspent balances.
- Intellectual property — IP is owned jointly by the awardee team and Makerere University, with researchers retaining the controlling stake; commercialization proceeds are negotiated case by case.
Applicant support
The GMC will hold a Zoom sensitisation meeting on Tuesday 8 September 2026. A question-and-answer period runs from 8 to 22 September 2026 — send questions to info.rif@mak.ac.ug. Answers will be posted in the FAQ section by Friday 25 September 2026, and a public support webinar will be held the same day. For help with the submission process, email info.rif@mak.ac.ug.
Documents & templates
Formatted, downloadable versions of the full RFP & Grant Guidelines and the Application Template (with the CV and detailed-budget templates) will be posted here shortly. In the meantime, this page carries the complete call information, and the online form on the portal contains every field with its word limit.
Frequently asked questions
Answers to applicants’ questions will be published here by Friday 25 September 2026, following the Q&A period. Submit your questions to info.rif@mak.ac.ug.
Can I be a PI on more than one application?
No. A researcher may be Principal Investigator on only one application, but may be a team member on up to three applications.
My project needs more than one year. Can I still apply?
Yes, but the funding and the budget cover one financial year only. Multi-year projects must show clear, actionable deliverables achievable within the first year. Level 2 and Level 3 funding may be offered in later years through separate calls.
Can I budget for my salary?
Not if you are paid a regular salary by Makerere University or another Government of Uganda institution. You may budget activity-based or level-of-effort allowances for extra time, justified per individual. Salaries for critical non-government project staff (e.g. coordinators, research officers) are allowable.