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Project Fact Sheet for 51140080

Project / Programme Title
Strengthening the Capacity of the Mozambique National Research Fund (FNI)
Brief Project Description
The National Research Fund (FNI) has applied to Sida for funding of 42.5 million SEK to carry out the "Support to the National Research Fund (FNI) Programme" in Mozambique, during the period 2016-2021. The intervention aims to strengthen the capacity of the FNI as a funding agency, by i) strengthening FNI through development of a grant management and administration system; ii) strengthening support for research and innovation funding; and iii) improving FNI’s monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework to strengthen FNI´s role as a research council. Swedish support to MCT/FNI was initiated in 2005. The first phase covered the period 2005-2006, to develop the Mozambique Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy 2006-2016 (MOSTIS). Thereafter, during the periods of 2007-10 and 2010-15 was for the implementation of MOSTIS, creation of the National Research Fund (FNI) and capacity strengthening of the ministry (MCT/FNI). The external assessments made in 2014 by E&Y raised a number of challenges within the organizations (MCT and FNI), particularly on issues related to the institutional structure of FNI: financial management, internal control system and grant process (lack of monitoring of the projects that have received grants) Despite all the challenges mentioned above, the external evaluation by Elming and Dias of April 2014, concludes that FNI has a good credibility among the Mozambican researchers and to a large extent lives up to what can be expected from a young national research funding organization, and that FNI has made substantial progress in its function as a national research council and most important, many of the recommendations presented in the evaluation of Elming and Abrahamsson (2010) and Elming and Dias (2014) have been or are being implemented by FNI. Given this institutional weakness, long term support was not approved instead, it was decided that FNI should go through an inception phase of one (1) year, in order to strengthen their capacity to implement programs, improve the institutional capacity and their management systems related to finance, monitoring and evaluation. The other reason why the inception period was important, was due to the fact that the former contribution (phased out in 2015), was administered through the MCT. So, the change in approach of providing direct support to FNI also posed a challenge to FNI, so improving institutional capacity and management systems was considered of utmost importance. With support from Ernst & Young, internal control (manuals for project implementation, organizational structure), financial management (banking reconciliation) and administration (archives) were strengthened. Despite the above mentioned challenges, Sida makes the assessment that FNI, despite serious problems over the years, now is in a much better condition and that the objectives of the intervention will be met. The current proposed intervention addresses the need to further strengthen the capacity of FNI as a research council, to make available and distribute funds for research and innovation in an open competitive process on a national level, to ensure research of international quality standards and to support the implementation of research results. Given the history of weakness in FNI´s monitoring and evaluations of supported projects, it is proposed to engage NRF of South Africa, to act as a backstopping to provide technical assistance to FNI. The Embassy has explored the possibility of involvement of the Swedish National Research Council (“Vetenskapsrådet”), however, without success. The proposed contribution is relevant in relation to the Swedish Strategy for Research Cooperation and Research in Development Cooperation 2015-2021 and is also in line with Government priorities as reflected in all important documents, inter alia, the Plano Quinquenal do Governo 2015-2019 (PQG 2015-2019), Mozambique Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy 2006-2016 (MOSTIS 2006-2016) and the Agenda 2021. It is proposed that the Embassy of Sweden in Maputo supports the proposal for the period 1 December 2016 - 30 November 2021.
Donor
SWEDEN
Donor Agency / UN Agency
Suécia
Government Counterparts
  • Ministério da Educação e Cultura
Map
Map

Project Information

Project Status
Ongoing
Mozambican Project Number
Fonte de Recurso
23-SUE
Actual Start - End
2016-12-01 / 2022-09-30
Planned Start - End
2016-11-01 / 2021-12-31
Date of Signature of MoU/Contract
n/a
National / Regional
National 
Type of Implementation
Bilateral 
Project Contact Person
Joao Jussar | +258 21 480 300 | joao.jussar@gov.se 
Project Internet Link
 
Comments
 

Funding Information

Aid Modality
Investment Projects
Currency
SEK
Type of Funding
Grant
On/Off Budget
On Budget
On/Off Treasury
Off Treasury
Funding Totals
Disbursements
1,887,000 EUR
Commitments
5,100,000 EUR
Undisbursed
3,213,000 EUR
Historic Funding
Disbursements
0 EUR
Commitments
0 EUR
Funding 2016
Disbursements
594,000 EUR
Commitments
5,100,000 EUR
Disbursements 1st Quarter
0 EUR
Disbursements 2nd Quarter
0 EUR
Disbursements 3rd Quarter
0 EUR
Disbursements 4th Quarter
594,000 EUR
Funding 2017
Disbursements
420,000 EUR
Commitments
0 EUR
Disbursements 1st Quarter
0 EUR
Disbursements 2nd Quarter
0 EUR
Disbursements 3rd Quarter
0 EUR
Disbursements 4th Quarter
420,000 EUR
Funding 2018
Disbursements
873,000 EUR
Commitments
0 EUR
Disbursements 1st Quarter
423,000 EUR
Disbursements 2nd Quarter
450,000 EUR
Disbursements 3rd Quarter
0 EUR
Disbursements 4th Quarter
0 EUR
Funding Forecast 2016
Disbursements
594,000 EUR
Commitments
0 EUR
Funding Forecast 2017
Disbursements
0 EUR
Commitments
936,000 EUR
Funding Forecast 2018
Disbursements
0 EUR
Commitments
1,056,000 EUR
Funding Forecast 2019
Disbursements
0 EUR
Commitments
936,000 EUR
Funding Forecast 2020
Disbursements
0 EUR
Commitments
1,092,000 EUR
Funding Forecast 2021
Disbursements
0 EUR
Commitments
486,000 EUR

Classification

Channel of Delivery
  • Government of Mozambique
Sectors
100.0%
32100 Industry
32182 Technological research and development
MDGs
  • Poverty
Focal Regions
National