Participants during the 31st General Assembly of the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) in Zanzibar, Tanzania. PHOTO/SFA Foundation.
By SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
In a bold stride toward transforming global research governance, Africa has published the first international standard for Good Research Management Practice (GRMP), a pioneering milestone born of African leadership, collaboration, and vision.
Published during the 31st General Assembly of the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) in Zanzibar, Tanzania, the ARS 1024:2025 GRMP Standard sets a global benchmark for managing the complex machinery of modern research, from ethics and infrastructure to funding and compliance.
Developed through a partnership between the Science for Africa Foundation (SFA Foundation) and ARSO, this standard is the first of its kind to formally codify how research institutions should be governed, managed, and evaluated, offering a unified, adaptable framework to elevate transparency, professionalism, and impact.
“Modern research demands more than scientific expertise,” said Allen Mukhwana, Head of Programmes at the SFA Foundation. “The GRMP Standard gives institutions the tools they need to grow sustainably, manage resources responsibly, and meet the rising expectations of funders, policymakers, and communities.”
Across Africa, a stark gap persists in research capacity and support: for example, there are only about 20 health researchers per million people in Africa, compared to 246 per million in Europe, and African researchers often lack mentorship, infrastructure, and career development opportunities.
This leaves promising scientists with limited ability to translate research into solutions and undermines both local ownership and global impact. The GRMP Standard directly addresses these systemic issues, offering a structured, continent-wide framework to bolster capacity, ethics, governance, and resource use.
As African-led science gains momentum and global partnerships expand, the need for strong institutional systems has never been greater. The GRMP Standard addresses this by offering a comprehensive eight-component framework covering governance, leadership, infrastructure, finance, training, monitoring, compliance, and ethics.
“The GRMP Standard is Africa’s answer to the call for stronger research systems,” remarked Prof Tom Kariuki, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the SFA Foundation. “It positions our institutions to not only meet international standards but to lead in delivering research that is ethical, efficient, and impactful.”
This transformative milestone emerged through an inclusive process engaging over 150 experts representing universities and research institutions, research regulators, funders, and research management professional associations from more than 25 countries, coordinated by ARSO’s Project Committee on Research Management (PC 01).
The GRMP standard is designed to serve multiple purposes that includes as a developmental tool for institutional growth and professionalization, an assurance tool for funders and regulators seeking transparency and accountability and a compliance tool to support certification, benchmarking, and global recognition.
“The GRMP standard marks a new era for African science, rooted in professionalism, local ownership, and global relevance,” emphasised Dr Evelyn Gitau, Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) at the SFA Foundation.
To ensure successful uptake and practical integration across institutions, the SFA Foundation will soon release a comprehensive GRMP Implementation Guide, a suite of training modules, and an accompanying certification scheme to guide institutions step by step.
“For funders like us, the GRMP Standard is a game-changer,” said Dr Jordan Kyongo, Representative of the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) in Kenya. “It assures us that institutions are ready to manage resources effectively and deliver high-impact research that matters.” He added.
