The Makerere University Research and Innovations Fund (Mak-RIF) invites applications for Round 8, Track 3 — High Impact College Level Grants, supported by the Government of the Republic of Uganda. This call asks each College and standalone School to identify one transformative idea of clear national importance, for implementation in Financial Year 2026/2027.
Key facts at a glance
Round
Round 8, Track 3 — High Impact College Level Grants
Financial Year
2026/2027 — the eighth year of the Fund
Applications open
Thursday 22 October 2026 — online platform only
Closing date
Monday 9 November 2026 — 5:00pm East African Time
Who can apply
Colleges and standalone Schools, through the Principal or Dean. One project per College or standalone School.
Grants available
At least UGX 1 billion for 3–5 awards of UGX 200–500m each, for one year and extendable on high impact.
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 1 billion is set aside for highly transformative College Level grants that respond to Uganda’s development agenda — part of the national push to grow the economy from US$ 50 billion to US$ 500 billion by 2040.
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 1,450 projects across all sectors, of which 783 (54%) have been completed.
Round 8, Track 3 funds ideas identified at College level that have a direct link to a clearly demonstrable, high-impact outcome of national interest. Initial funding is for one year, with the potential to be extended if the idea clearly shows high impact.
Research for economic development
The Government of Uganda is implementing the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV, 2025/26–2030/31). The NDP and sector plans require research to fill evidence gaps. College Level grants must identify a priority national issue tied to NDP IV, Vision 2040 and the ATMS priorities — Agro-industrialization, Tourism, Manufacturing, and Science, Technology and Innovation — contributing to Uganda’s Tenfold Growth Strategy of expanding GDP from US$ 50 billion to US$ 500 billion.
Priority thematic areas
Ideas may be submitted in any of the following seven thematic areas of the national Research and Innovation Agenda.
- 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.
What this grant funds
Universities are expected to lead in generating the knowledge, skills, products and models that drive a country’s development. Many stakeholders are watching to see which ideas can emerge from Makerere — as products, service-delivery models or interventions — with a highly visible, transformative impact on communities and at the national level. The GMC believes Colleges have a central leadership role in this, and calls on each College to identify and co-create one idea with high socio-economic dividends that this grant can help transition to scale.
A transformative project usually has most of these features:
- Speaks to an issue of high national importance or a critical development need.
- Has a prominent, tangible output or outcome — a product or service-delivery model — that is highly effective in transforming the economy or communities.
- Has high visibility to stakeholders at national, district or community level, and high potential for amplification of the results.
- Is scalable regionally or nationally with substantial socio-economic dividends, in either the private-for-profit (commercializable) or public/non-profit (socially scalable) domain.
- Carries high accountability to stakeholders and a clear commitment to change lives by the end of the project.
- Can quickly attract funding beyond the university to sustain the work at scale.
Examples of the kind of projects we are looking for
These are illustrative only, not the only ideas that qualify:
- A new crop variety that can transform the economic prospects of communities.
- A new screening tool that, at scale, substantially improves early identification of disease for prompt treatment.
- A novel approach to expand the tax base to the informal sector, with clear pathways to impact.
- Scaling a proven approach to the learning and skills crisis, with clear measurable results.
- A new medical or nutraceutical product that goes beyond existing treatments in combating disease.
- A new engineering-based industrial or agricultural device that is highly commercializable and ready to scale.
- A game-changing value chain that rapidly raises the incomes of many people along it.
- A robust enterprise that leverages existing local knowledge and technologies (for example artisanal manufacturing in Katwe) to raise efficiency and expand the market.
- An effective, rapidly scalable model of poverty eradication for a vulnerable community, or a model that amplifies programmes like PDM and the Youth Livelihoods Programme.
- A big-data or machine-learning application that substantially improves service delivery at scale.
- A clinical decision-support tool that dramatically improves patient management in busy critical-care facilities.
- A model for rapidly increasing tourism, or a revolutionary industrial process that markedly raises production efficiency.
What this grant will not fund
- Research that only generates theory, or only describes a phenomenon, without a clear link to application and scaling.
- Surveys that propose policy or programme changes with no clear link to scalability and community change.
- Research that ends at prototype stage without a refined, minimum-viable model ready for scale.
- Projects with no clear, convincing path to visible impact at community or national level, or to the resources needed to scale without relying on perpetual grants.
- Projects that simply deliver a service that government, civil society or the private sector should provide, only to show it can be done well, with no clear path to scaling.
- One-off training or sensitisation without a model for scaled implementation, and projects that lack potential for visibility.
Grant size and number of awards
Between 3 and 5 College Level grants will be funded this financial year, on a competitive basis. Each award is UGX 200–500 million for the first year of funding, with the possibility of a one-year extension if high impact is demonstrated by the end of the first year. The GMC reserves the right to determine the final number and size of awards based on the quality of applications and available funds.
Who can apply
This call is for Colleges and standalone Schools, not for individual researchers applying on their own account.
- Applications are prepared at College or standalone School level.
- Each application is submitted by the College Principal or the Dean of the standalone School, or by a senior researcher they delegate.
- A College or standalone School may submit only one project.
- Because Uganda’s development challenges are multi-sectoral, Mak-RIF strongly encourages Colleges to join forces on a single proposal. Colleges that submit a joint proposal will have an added advantage in the selection process.
Preparing your application
- Team. Name a Principal Investigator and a Co-PI, and up to four other team members, with their roles. Represent the disciplines the problem needs; teams that include an industry, business, public-sector or implementing partner are at an advantage.
- Budget. Budget in Uganda Shillings for one financial year only, with no institutional overheads. Regular personnel costs (excluding field research assistants) must not exceed 33% of the budget — projects that exceed this are disqualified. Field research assistants and data collectors go under Programme Activity Costs, not Personnel. Attach a detailed budget and justification as an MS Excel file; lump sums are not accepted.
- Workplan. Provide up to 10 key activities and milestones with clear, time-bound deliverables, all achievable within one year.
- Dissemination, scalability and sustainability. Show how results will reach policy and practice, or how the innovation will scale commercially or through public-sector uptake, and how the work will be sustained beyond the first year.
- Ethics and 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, or state “None”.
How to apply
Applications are submitted online at rif.mak.ac.ug/portal, under High Impact College Level Grants. First register and create an account, or log in if you already have one, then fill out the online application template. You can download a Word copy below to prepare your responses offline, then paste them into the online form. Follow the guidance in this call on the kinds of ideas that will be funded. The Grants Committee will not consider applications submitted by any other means, and there are no extensions — remember to click Submit before the deadline.
You will attach: letter(s) of support (one from your Head of Department, School or College, plus one from each partnering institution, up to two more), a short-form CV of the PI, and a detailed budget with justification (MS Excel).
Key dates
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Call opens | Thursday 22 October 2026 |
| Closing date for applications | Monday 9 November 2026, 5:00pm EAT |
| Vetting by industry experts | November 2026 |
| Award notification | To be communicated |
How applications are reviewed
Proposals are vetted by industry experts, who identify the most transformative ideas that fit the profile this grant targets. Reviewers look for a clear national issue, a tangible and highly effective output, high visibility and potential for amplification, a credible path to scale with substantial socio-economic dividends, and the efficiency of the budget. Joint proposals submitted by two or more Colleges carry an added advantage.
Applicant support
For questions about this grant, or help with the submission process, email info.rif@mak.ac.ug.
Documents & templates
Download the Application Template to prepare your proposal offline, then copy your responses into the online form on the portal. The full RFP & Grant Guidelines, the detailed budget template and the CV template are posted here.
Frequently asked questions
Who submits the application for a College?
The College Principal or the Dean of a standalone School, or a senior researcher they delegate. The application is prepared at College or standalone School level, and each College or standalone School may submit only one project.
Can two or more Colleges apply together?
Yes, and it is strongly encouraged. Because Uganda’s development challenges cut across sectors, Colleges that come together on a joint proposal will have an added advantage during selection.
My idea needs more than one year. Can I still apply?
Yes. Funding and the budget cover one financial year only. Indicate in the application that the project is multi-year, but provide a budget and a workplan with deliverables achievable within the first year. Funding may be extended for one more year if the project clearly shows high impact by the end of year one.
Can we budget for salaries?
Not for staff who already draw a regular salary from Makerere University or another Government of Uganda institution — that would be double payment. Such staff may budget activity-based or level-of-effort allowances for extra time, justified per person. Salaries are allowable for critical project staff who are not paid by Makerere or government, such as coordinators, administrative assistants and research officers. Regular personnel costs, excluding field research assistants, must not exceed 33% of the budget.