Program Mission 

To link research with practice and vice-versa in the framework of a living lab in order to foster uptake and optimization of strategies to tackle risks confronting human societies

Our activities at THRAIF are evidence-based. Through this Research and Development (R&D) department, we strive to ensure that we follow our evidence-based agenda by interlinking our actions with science/theory, grounded in experience.

An upcoming part of this program is to link researchers to practice and vice versa in the context of understanding as well as tackling risk from societal/social and natural hazards. Here, we connect researchers from various academic institutions within and outside Uganda to conduct a research-based internship at our premises or in the field with the group or framers who are members of THRAIF. Through us, the researcher can thus interact in the framework of a living lab with the local lived experiences.

Our research lab (THRAIF RESEARCH LAB) is growing and transforming into a research university, THRAIF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH INSTITUTE (TRISU). The vision of TRISU is to be a research-for-development institute, aimed at evidenced-based development for the betterment and improvement of human societies. Our core values are thus prudence and integrity. Our mission is to create a nurturing environment where scholars grounded in interdisciplinarity conduct research and innovatively dialogue at multi-disciplinary platforms to address issues that confront human societies while contributing to life improvement itself. As such, in our view, doing science as well as intellectual works corresponds to a gift of nature and so sciences as well as science institutions is and should be humanitarian. Our philosophy thus follows: science(s) should be responsible to (human) societies in their specific contexts, taking each endogenous knowledge as a micro university in itself. This is the reason our research stance hinges on an endogenous development approach.

TRISU is being established on the following specific program areas and objectives:

  1. SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH:Conduct research in all forms of science, including – but not limited to – field, lab, and other forms of research.
  2. SCIENCE AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH:Conduct and implement various platforms for sharing scientific research outputs and engagement of human communities in the best ways to optimize and do things differently and better.
  3. SCHOLARLY SCIENCE COMMUNICATION:Establish and implement scientific knowledge platforms and participate in existing ones in the scholarly/scientific community. This also includes running conferences to communicate science to society and to allow society to engage with science vigorously.
  4. OPTIMAL RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT:Develop an optimal research environment to support all researchers in the best possible way to produce high-quality research and innovations. This includes mentorships to researchers in conducting quality scientific researches.
  5. RESEARCH CONSULTANCY, INNOVATIONS, AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT: conduct specialized research to develop specialized innovations, and innovative technologies – including on behalf of other entities.
  6. SCIENCE-BASED ADVISORY SERVICES:Provide a platform in which the community and other sectors of society can benefit from some evidence-based pieces of advice on matters of concern and/or issues confronting society.
  7. Conduct any other activities incidental to the roles of a scientific research university.

TRISU SERVICES.

  1. Training workshops in various aspects of scientific research.
  2. Consultancies in various aspects of research undertaking, including field research.
  3. Hosting researchers in various aspects of research.
  4. Field research guidance and consultancies.
  5. Developing research units for clients (including institutions)
  6. Scientific research laboratory services.
  7. Scientific ICT services, including GIS and map production.
  8. Examining scientific products, including dissertations.
  9. Research AND Innovations monitoring and evaluation.

NOTE: As a scientific Research and Development program, we owe primary responsibility to the scientific community while being accountable for our findings to specific micro-universities, i.e., specific local contexts.