We are THRAIF: THRIVE Research and Innovations Facility. THRIVE Facility is our short name, THRAIF is our acronym, and THRIVE is our common denominator term.

We are a knowledge-based institution that enables science to function by embedding it in real-world contexts, i.e., through research and innovation for societal impact. We prioritise and facilitate three core activities: first, (re-)setting the research question(s) with the community or communities concerned to capture context-specific realities in knowledge acquisition; second, practical application of (new) knowledge; and third, incorporating science-based training into the whole process, enabling iteration between knowledge production, new co-(un-)leaning, application, and new questions for future research. 

In all that, our niche is socio-ecological resilience. In brief, we synthesize and utilize existing knowledge, conduct further research, and collaborate with academic institutions to design, demonstrate, and monitor innovations that secure livelihoods and promote the development of resilient societies.

We aim to innovate and utilise knowledge to educate and create innovative approaches to sustainable transformations. We accomplish this in three main operational domains:

  • Innovative Scientific Research: innovative (basic, applied, & action) research for transformative change.
  • Innovative (Training &) Education: science-based skilling and lifelong learning in communities and institutions;
  • Community-engaged Improvement: science-based livelihood innovations.

These three domains are core faculties of what we stand for. To better organize our operations, each domain has a respective pillar around which most activities are pitched:

  • THRIVE Scientific Research Institute (TRISU): housing all the scholarships, but also including science outreach,
  • THRIVE Training and Education Centre (TREC): for science-based skilling in communities and institutions, and
  • Community Livelihood Improvement Group Schemes (COLIGS): living labs for community action research on sustainable socio-ecological enterprises for community improvement.

We utilize methodologies rooted in collaboration with stakeholders in these three domains and their corresponding operational constituents. This specifically refers to the following regarding the domains (scholarly, training & education, & community-engaged improvement): co-creation of knowledge, co-learning, and co-designing action to address issues facing (socio-ecological) societies.

Our vision is to advance sound, reasoned, and sustainable lifestyles for self-sustaining societies. Our mission is to develop and implement Research, Education, and Livelihood social enterprises while creating a nurturing environment where stakeholders dialogue on the best ways to tackle the issues confronting societies. 

This approach, grounded in our vision and mission, enables us to operate within, across, and beyond research institutions (such as universities); i.e., we engage in operations grounded in academia and local community-engaged improvements. In doing so, we contribute to fostering science-based and knowledge-based societies. This prompts us to work at the interface between academia and practice within local communities, especially in the context of (testing the praxis of) knowledge-based community-engaged improvements: 

We strive to enhance and sustain livelihoods, fostering resilience by providing evidence-based, lasting solutions that address vulnerabilities. We adopt an endogenous development approach, which aligns with our contributions to the sustainable excellence of societies. This informs our philosophy: THRAIF activities are based on the understanding that sustainable development is best founded on right-reasoned endogenous strategies and inclusivity. Thus, minds must be engaged to embrace right-reasoned lifestyles, including conserving right-reasoned local and Indigenous values and practices.

In line with our philosophy, vision, mission, and operations domains as previously described, we incorporate three key guiding or methodological approaches in our programs:

1) Acting as brokers between science, technology, and innovation (synthesize scientific evidence from scientists to provide policy briefs or manuals (towards bolstering endogenous innovative actions among communities while creating an impetus future research); 2) Demonstrating scientific research findings to facilitate the transfer of knowledge into entrepreneurship; and 3) Creating advocacy, partnerships, and other networks for sharing and transferring knowledge and innovations into action (leveraging on the group approach). So, over time, our operations have determined and refined what we care for, thus forming our Core Value:

Our CORE Value 

  1. Teamwork
  2. Creativity
  3. Excellence
  4. Inquisitiveness
  5. Prudence
  6. Stewardship

 

Are you passionate about who we are? Would you like to get involved? Would you like to offer kind support for our activities or work on an enterprising project within our programs? Please contact us via Email: guardian@thrive.ac.ug or info@thrive.ac.ug, or by Phone: +256393252595 or 0200905273.