Researchers urged to utilise media for wider impact

Researchers have been urged to leverage various media platforms, including radio, television, print, and social media channels such as YouTube, to ensure their academic findings effectively reach and benefit local communities.

Evelyne Nyachwo, a research support officer (RSO) at Makerere University’s Research and Innovations Fund (Mak-RIF), highlighted that 90% of community members lack access to academic journals and often do not engage with them even when available.

She stressed the importance of disseminating information in more accessible formats.

“Avoid using too much jargon and technical language when disseminating information. The language should not be too complicated,” Nyachwo emphasised.

Nyachwo, who is also pursuing a PhD with a focus on refugee studies, pointed out that radio remains an effective medium for communicating with intended beneficiaries. 

She shared an example of a researcher from Makerere University Business School (MUBS) who developed a game-based approach to amplify sexual education. The researcher went further by publishing a book on the subject, thereby enhancing the credibility and ownership of the work.

The remarks were made on January 29, 2025, during the opening of a three-day capacity-building workshop on research management at Makerere University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS).

The workshop aimed to equip researchers with skills to better package and disseminate their findings.

Mak-RIF, an annual shillings 30 billion (approximately USD 8.1 million) research fund financed by the Government of Uganda, supports high-impact research aligned with national priorities.

Now in its sixth year, the fund continues to foster multidisciplinary research and innovation projects designed to deliver actionable results.

During a session on monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of project reporting, Dr Moses Twimukye, another Research Support Officer at Mak-RIF, underscored the significance of taxation in research dissemination. He encouraged researchers to extend their outreach beyond academic circles.

“You should appear on talk shows, educate audiences on social media, YouTube, and television, as well as engage with churches and NGOs so that your knowledge benefits broader communities,” Twimukye advised.

Prof. Helen Nambalirwa Nkabala, the Principal of CHUSS, commended the dedication of lecturers and the Grants Management Committee (GMC) during her closing remarks for the first day of the workshop.

“In the voice of my boss, Prof. Fred Masagazi Masaazi, the chairperson of the GMC, we thank the university management and the Government of Uganda for sustaining the fund,” Nkabala said, expressing appreciation.

The three-day workshop organised by Makerere University aims to bridge the gap between academic research and community engagement, ensuring that scholarly work contributes to national development and societal progress.