The quality of clinical services and teaching is improved a great deal from research. Since the inception of KCMU College, many research projects are being done with collaboration between staff and students at KCMC and KCMU College. Cognizant of the central role of research, KCMU College has worked out and adopted a Research Policy based on the following objectives:
Objectives
- To define research priorities falling within national research priorities in solving local and regional health problems.
- T o inculcate research culture and individual initiatives among staff and the community.
- To improve the linkage between research and application of research results to allow optimal utilization of resources in the health sector.
- To encourage collaborative research between scientists inside and outside the country.
- To achieve the above objectives, the following strategies have been adopted:
Strategies
- Research priorities will be reviewed regularly
- Establishing a Research Department and computerization of
- inventory of ongoing and past research to facilitate the utilization of reliable data on major health problems.
- Workshops will be held regularly to provide training in research methodology.
- Core funding for priority health and biomedical research
- Annual college estimates will be worked out to sustain research activities.
- The College Research and Ethical Committee will clear all research by the College members of staff.
Research Clearance.
Permission to conduct health research in Tanzania must be sought from the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR). Research Permits are issued by the Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) to foreign researchers. However, the College Research Ethics Committee is authorized to issue research clearance for proposals submitted by KCMU College/KCMC staff members.
All research to be conducted at KCMUCo/KCMC must have a senior KCMUCo/KCMC staff member competent in the field of study, as a principal investigator.
Research Priority Areas
- Infectious diseases, especially malaria, HIV/AIDS, TB, and diarrhea.
- Non-communicable diseases include cardiovascular diseases, physical disabilities, diabetes, and nutritional diseases.
- Malignancies.
- Social-cultural practices in health
Capacity Building
This will include:-
- Human resource development through training and recruitment of local personnel.
- Scientific exchange, knowledge and skills transfer
- Essential equipment and/or infrastructure
Budget
The budget must be adequate to cover:-
- Personnel research salaries, allowance or honorarium, and perdiems for all local participating staff;
- Training short and/or long courses depending on project size.
- Institutional costs which include 10 % of budget costs as overheads.
Ethical issues
Health research must maintain ethical standards outlined in the “Guidelines on Ethics for Health Research in Tanzania”.
Research output
Research proposals must address
Clear procedures for information dissemination.
Where the results will be published
Order of authorship.
Acknowledgment of sponsor, participating institution and support staff.
Availability of Products
Contract agreement should be drawn to ensure that a product with proven beneficial effects is made available to all research subjects and the community.
Archived Specimens
W here archived are required for another experiment, investigators must submit a new application for ethical clearance.
Patent Rights and Sharing of Benefits.
In research involving commercial products, collaborators should draw contract agreements detailing among other issues:-
How intellectual property rights matters shall be dealt with.
Anticipated benefits and risks that may have to be shared.
Disposal of Residual Resources
Disposal of research input resources after study must be specified between collaborating institutions and where necessary the participating communities. The disposal should, however, aim at the capacity building at the host institution.