MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS, KNOWLEDGE AND TECHNOLOGY

GUIDELINES FOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR

RESEARCH AND SCIENCE ACTIVITIES

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 Contents
1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................4
2 OBJECTIVES OF PROVIDING FUNDING SUPPORT................................................4
3 SCOPE OF RSTI FINANCIAL SUPPORT.................................................................5
4 AREAS OF COVER OF THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT..................................................5
4.1 Research Projects........................................................................................5
4.2 Partnerships and Collaborative Research Projects...........................................5
4.3 Capacity Building.........................................................................................5
5 ADMINISTRATION STRUCTURE..........................................................................6
6 ELIGIBILITY......................................................................................................8
6.1 Beneficiaries................................................................................................8
6.2 The Support................................................................................................8
6.3 Exclusions...................................................................................................9
APPLICATION PROCEDURE.....................................................................................10
7 SCREENING AND EVALUATION.........................................................................10
7.1 Stage 1: Compliance..................................................................................10
7.2 Stage 2: Technical Evaluation.....................................................................10
8 FINANCIAL SUPPORT.......................................................................................11
8.1 Disbursement............................................................................................11
9 PERIODICITY.................................................................................................. 11
10 ACCOUNTABILITY.........................................................................................11

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Funds Administration Structure....................................................................6

LIST OF ACRONYMS
DRKB: Department of Research and Knowledge Business
HR: Human Resource
MoA: Memorandum of Agreement
MCKT: Ministry of Communications, Knowledge and Technology

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MoU: Memorandum of Understanding
PLWD: People Living with Disabilities
PRSTO: Principal Research, Science and Technology Officer
PS: Permanent Secretary
RST: Research, Science and Technology
RSTI: Research, Science, Technology and Innovation

LIST OF ANNEXURES
Annexure 1: Research Proposal Template

Annexure 2: Evaluation Criteria

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1 INTRODUCTION
The Ministry of Communications, Knowledge and Technology (MCKT) is committed,
through the Department of Research and Knowledge Business (DRKB), to support
Research and knowledge activities aligned to the mandate of the Ministry and
pushing the country’s research agenda.

Vision 2036 of Botswana stresses the need for the transformation of the economy
from dependence on natural resources to knowledge economy, an ideal adopted by
MCKT to use the research sector to realize the vision. The National Research,
Science, Technology and Innovation (RSTI) Policy also emphasizes the need to
promote RSTI throughout Botswana as a way to provide a viable commercial base,
encourage local industry and reduce the import bill and increase exports. The Policy
also advocates for the involvement of stakeholders such as universities, research
and development institutions, innovators and the private sector in the promotion of
research and knowledge activities, projects, programmes and capacity building.

These guidelines are intended to define a set of principles that will be applied when
evaluating project proposals/funding requests and also outlines the roles of various
MCKT structures during the processing of the same. It is hoped that the guidelines
will enhance the quality of decisions made to ensure strict and effective
management, monitoring, and evaluation and reporting on the dispatch and final
use of the funds.

2 OBJECTIVES OF PROVIDING FUNDING SUPPORT

The aim is to support growth and development of the Research and Knowledge
sector. The main objectives of the initiative are to:

 Support competitive research in line with national research priorities

 Support partnerships and collaborative research between local, regional and
international researchers
 Promote capacity building initiatives in research and knowledge valorisation.

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3 SCOPE OF THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT
The Ministry offers support for research projects, partnerships and collaborative
research projects and capacity building initiatives. The activities or projects
supported will need to be aligned with aspirations of the National RSTI Policy, Reset
Agenda and Vision 2036. The projects and activities are couched to be inclusive in
terms of targeting the youth, women, and People Living with Disabilities (PLWD)
and Rural Community groups, in research and science.

4 AREAS OF COVER OF THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT

4.1 Research Projects
The support serves to guide efforts towards strengthening of the Research and
knowledge landscape and propel high quality research across thematic areas
applicable to the following strategic intervention categories:
a. Mining, Minerals & Mineral beneficiation;
b. Human Health & Social sciences
c. Water, Environment and Energy
d. Indigenous Knowledge Systems;
e. Livestock & Veterinary Research;
f. Food and Agriculture
g. Digitisation
4.2 Partnerships and Collaborative Research Projects
The Ministry shall support projects designed to promote the linkages between public
sector research organizations (universities and national research institutes) and the
private sector. The support will be extended to partnerships in collaborative research
among local researchers and researchers from regional and international institutions
where Botswana has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Research, Science,
Technology and Innovation.

5 ADMINISTRATION STRUCTURE

The Funds administration structure is as depicted in the table below;

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Table 1: Funds Administration Structure
Permanent Secretary
Director
Adjudication Committee
Standing Review Panel
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
GOVERNANCE
Permanent Secretary (PS) for the Ministry of
Communications, Knowledge and Technology (MCKT)
will:
 Receives recommendations from the Director
RKB for Final Decision
 Signs Memoranda of Agreement (MoA) with
beneficiaries
The Director for the Department of Research and
Knowledge Business will:
 Makes recommendations to PS for Final Decision
 Drafts Memoranda of Agreement (MoA) with
beneficiaries for PS’s signature
The Adjudication Committee shall meet to endorse
recommendations after studying the Review Report as
submitted to them by the Standing Review Panel. The
Committee shall consist of;
1. Deputy Permanent Secretaries x2
2. Directors x3
3. Chief Economic Planner
REVIEW
The Standing review Panel carries out the review of
submitted research proposals, and prepare the selection
decisions for the Adjudication Committee. The Standing
Review Panel will consist of 6 members being subject
matter experts in the thematic areas of the Call.
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 Eligible Institutions Local public Research and Technology Organisations,
Institutions of Higher Learning, Technical Colleges and
Vocational Training Institutes

Eligible Researcher A researcher or other appropriate person from or

associated with an eligible institution, who can apply for
financial support.

Call for Proposals An announcement by DRKB whereby eligible

researchers or other appropriate applicants are invited
to submit proposals for consideration

Financial Support Decision The official written notification whereby an applicant is

informed that financial support has been awarded
subject to the outcome of negotiations between the
applicant’s institution and DRKB on the detailed
conditions.

Financial Support Agreement
The legally valid contract between the applicant’s
institution and MCKT, whereby DRKB accepts the
obligation to make available a financial support, the
institution accepts the obligation that the applicant
carries out the work as submitted and agreed, and
which specifies the conditions under which the financial
support is provided.

6 ELIGIBILITY
The financial support will only be extended to activities or events that meet the
following eligibility criteria:

6.1 Beneficiaries
Beneficiaries must meet the following criteria to be eligible for the financial support:

i. Must be a local public Research and Technology Organisations, Institutions of

Higher Learning, Technical Colleges and Vocational Training Institutes;
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 ii. Other locally owned and legally constituted entities and or registered with the
appropriate authority (i.e. Registrar of Societies, Department of Cooperatives,
Deeds Registry Companies and Intellectual Property Authority), as well as
individuals must partner with eligible institutions as mentioned in (i) above;

iii. Where applications are submitted in partnerships, Principal Investigators must

come from eligible institutions mentioned in (i) above;

iv. Applications by individuals from eligible institutions should be vetted, supported

and routed through Head of Institutions;

v. Principal Investigators will be supported for only one (1) Project at a time.

vi. Projects that are already ongoing and have received funding from other sources
will not be supported unless it can be demonstrated that initial funds have
depleted but the project needs further funding.

6.2 The Support

The Financial support in view of the foregoing guidelines shall be as described below;
i. The Support is in the form of a Grant and will be provided once a contract
agreement for the service or activity has been signed.

ii. The financial support may be granted for a proportion of the requested amount.

iii. Demonstration of financial commitment on the part of the applicant will be

necessary in determining the financial request.

iv. The financial support will be aligned with the RSTI Policy.
v. The decision taken will be communicated to the applicant(s) in writing.
vi. The decision of the Ministry of Communications, Knowledge and Technology shall
be final

6.3 Exclusions
Applications that are submitted to cover the following in part, or holistically, will be
disqualified:

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 i. Political activities;

ii. Vacations or Holidays;

iii. Equipment already paid for or activities that have already taken place
(retrospective funding);

iv. Vehicles purchasing;

v. Infrastructure (development, etc.);

vi. Scholarships or bursaries except those within an approved national project.

vii. Salaries for Principal Investigators.

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APPLICATION PROCEDURE
The following procedure shall be followed for applications;
(i) Calls for Proposals: Research proposals shall be submitted in accordance with
Application Form (Annexure 1) following announcement by DRKB.
(ii) Application forms will carry requirements for the successful award of the
Support as provided for in the Guidelines Annexures.

(iii) Only applications which meet the set minimum requirements or set criteria
will be considered.

(iv) Award for the Financial Support will be dependent on availability of funds

7 SCREENING AND EVALUATION

7.1 Stage 1: Compliance
i. All applications shall be subjected to a thorough review in accordance with
requirements for compliance as set out in the Call for proposals.

ii. ONLY applications which are 100% compliant shall proceed to Stage 2.

iii. Applications which fail to meet compliance requirements shall be rendered not
successful and therefore not proceed for further consideration.

7.2 Stage 2: Technical Evaluation

Following submission of applications to DRKB, the following criteria shall be followed;

i. An evaluation by the Standing Review Panel as stated in Table 1 to check,

impact and alignment as per government procedures.

ii. Evaluation will be done against the set criteria as outlined in Annexure 2.

iii. Evaluation will be done in a transparent, fair and objective manner in line with
evaluation parameters.

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8 FINANCIAL SUPPORT
8.1 Disbursement
Applicants who qualify for the Financial Support will be informed, in writing, capturing
both the event or activity and the approved amount. The following shall apply;
i. A legally binding Memorandum of Agreement stipulating pertinent information
including the purpose for the funds, duration of activity or event, disbursement
schedule, as well as how the monitoring and reporting shall be signed between
the Ministry and the Beneficiary prior to disbursement of Funds.
ii. Institutions being supported must ensure full accountability for the amount given
to them.

iii. Funds will be disbursed in stages as per project deliverables. Initial disbursement
will be made upfront whereas subsequent disbursement will be made following
receipt of both technical and financial progress reports.

9 PERIODICITY
The period and conditions for the financial support shall be as follows;
i. The Support is designed to be administered throughout a given fiscal year. In
administering this scheme, DRKB, shall follow the government fiscal year that
runs from 1st April to 31st March.

ii. The activities that will be given financial support should be completed within 24
months following signature of Memorandum of Agreement.

iii. Any unused Funds shall be retained by the Government and will not be available
for purposes it has been requested after completion of the project.

10 ACCOUNTABILITY
The Financial Support is in the form of public funds and need to be accounted for.
Beneficiaries shall duly abide by the following:

i. The Support will be used solely for purposes for which they were approved.

ii. Any balances left upon implementation of activities must be declared to MCKT.

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iii. Beneficiaries will submit Reports, as agreed in the MOA, detailing both
achievement of objectives and expenditure to the Department of Research and
Knowledge Business.

iv. The Support is not transferable and should not be used to meet other items of
expenses besides that of the approved project.

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 ANNEXURE 1: RESEARCH PROPOSAL TEMPLATE

CALL FOR RESEARCH PROPOSALS

PART I: GENERAL INFORMATION (Entire Proposal should not exceed fifteen (15)
pages)
Title and Brief of/on the Project:
Principal Investigator Title, Name and Surname:
Institution of Affiliation:
Postal Address:
E-mail Address:
Tel No.:
Research Area(s) to be addressed:
Co-Investigator/s
Project Start Date: Project End Date:

PART II: PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The following are suggested headings for this section:
1. A clearly articulated research focus guided by the research areas as per application
guidelines.
2. Specific research objectives and methodology.
3. Expected knowledge outputs and outcomes for the project within the stipulated period of
implementation (Refer to the application guidelines).
4. Expected potential impact of knowledge outputs.
5. Expected human capital contributions, with explicit gender considerations.
6. Research dissemination/communication considerations for the public and key stakeholder
groups.
7. A description of how the research content will be ethical, inclusive and gender-sensitive or
gender-responsive.

Note: Items 1 to 7 should be limited to a maximum of 10 pages.

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11 PART III - COLLABORATIONS
Indications of collaborations within the same institution, between institutions within the country.
Collaborations with non-academic partners (private sector and the not-for profit sector) can also be
indicated.

Has the collaborator Role of collaborator

been approached?
Institution Contact Person Email address Yes/No

PART IV - TIME SCHEDULE AND WORK PLAN

Please outline the activities planned for the total period of the project/activity (extend space
where required)
Proposed Duration

Research Activity Institution/ Start End

Collaborator Month Year Month Year

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PART V - BUDGET DESCRIPTION (A detailed research budget must be attached)

(a) Budget for Research Team

Item Description Cost (BWP)

NOTE: The budget to be presented in

quarterly periods as per envisaged work
plan.

Research operating costs

Research equipment and infrastructure, if necessary

but it should not be more than 15% of total
budget

Consumables

Mobility Costs (Airfare, accommodation and

subsistence)

Conference/Workshop

Publication related costs

Any other Eligible Costs (Refer to the application

guidelines)

TOTAL

NOTE: The cost items in the table are only examples of eligible cost items but exact eligible cost items
will be proposal specific, except for those that have been determined as ineligible.

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PART VI: GENERAL INFORMATION
The following supporting documents must be included as attachments for the application to be marked as
complete.
 The Curriculum Vitae of the designated lead Principal Investigators (PIs).
 A letter of support from the head of the lead Principal Investigator’s (PI’s) applicant institution,
(i.e. Letter from Vice Chancellor or Head of Research institution). The letter should specify the
nature and level of support to be provided by the institution. Such support may be in terms of
technical, financial and administrative contribution towards the project resources. Support letters
should undertake to support the implementation and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of the
research project in collaboration with MCKT.
 Detailed budget for the proposed study.
 Letters of Support from partners or Partnership Agreement (only for partnerships)

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 Annexure 2: Evaluation Criteria
NAME OF APPLICANT: __________________________________________________________
PROJECT TITLE: ________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS/TEL NO: ________________________________________/____________________
DATE OF RECEIPT: ______________________________________________________________

CRITERIA MARKS SCORE COMMENTS

1 CLARITY OF RESEARCH FOCUS
 Does the proposal clearly articulate
research focus guided by the research
areas as per application guidelines?

 Does the proposal align to national strategic

policies (Vision 2036, RSTI Policy, EDD)

 Is the research proposal addressing the 25

national demand?
 What is the new knowledge envisaged from
the research
NB: (where the area is overly
researched, the proposal must be clear
of what the gap is addressing)
2. POTENTIAL IMPACT OF KNOWLEDGE
OUTPUT
 Does the project have potential for
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replication and commercialisation?
 Presumptive socio-economic benefits of the
knowledge outputs
3. HUMAN CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
 Expected human capital contributions, with
explicit gender considerations. 10
 Number of Post Graduates students
supported through the project
4. COMMUNICATION STRATEGY
 Does the proposal clearly articulate how the
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research outputs will be communicated to
the public and key stakeholder groups?
5. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
 A clear description of how the research 10
content will be ethical, inclusive and
gender-sensitive or gender-responsive.
6. APPLICANT’S PROFILE 5

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 -Relevance of the Applicant’s skills and
experience to the proposed activity.
-Activity Management Structure
7. FINANCIAL CAPABILTY
 -Assessment of the extent of financial
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contribution by applicant and other
sponsors/donors to the project.
8. COLLABORATION/PARTNERSHIP
 Does the proposal provide opportunities for
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collaboration with other stakeholders (e.g
privates sector)
TOTAL 100
*APPLICATIONS SCORING OVER 50% SHALL BE CONSIDERED FOR FUNDING. THE FINAL DECISION
WILL BE DETERMINED BY AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS. THE DECISION OF THE MINISTRY SHALL BE
FINAL

NAME OF ASSESSOR __________________________________________________________

DESIGNATION _____________________________________ DATE _____________________
*The Criteria in this form must be read against the Research Science Technology Innovation financial Support Application Guidelines (preference will be given
to proposals that demonstrate relevance to MCKTs priority areas, clear objectives and project plan, and a broader reach of the project.

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