Form 8 survey

Attachment 8: Interview Discussion Guide for University Leaders

OMB #: 0925-xxxx

Expiration Date: xx/xxxx

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average one hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: NIH, Project Clearance Branch, 6705 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7974, Bethesda, MD 20892-7974, ATTN: PRA (0925-xxxx*). Do not return the completed form to this address.

1. General: Please begin by telling me about your involvement, if any, with the FIC partnership and how it has changed over time?

2. Individual Performance and Behavior: From your perspective, what are the effects of the FIC experience on your staff?

Possible probes

• Ability to attract funding

• Scope for career development

• Development of professional networks

• Motivation to stay in research

• The development of researchers in-country, regionally, and internationally

• Researchers’ ability to publish in peer-reviewed journals

2. Organizational capacity and performance:  From your perspective, what are the effects of the long-standing partnership supported by FIC on your University?

Possible probes

• For example, the University’s research portfolio and budget.

• The number of researchers; there being a “critical mass” of researchers

• The researchers and university’s ability to attract funding

• The number of research leaders

• The number and quality of research partnerships

• How has the FIC partnership influenced meeting the research goals stated by your University in its mission (probably also found online)?

2.  Organizational support: Please describe the opportunities and challenges in conducting research at this university and how the FIC programs may have modified them.

Possible probes

• Lack of a strong research culture

• Weak systems of management and finance

• Lack of research infrastructure, labs etc.

2. Relative contribution of FIC versus other players

Presumably there have been other funders and partners that have contributed to capacity development at this University. How significant a player do you think FIC has been in terms of supporting the development of scientific capacity here compared to other actors?

Possible probes

• Who are the other actors?

• What have they contributed?

• Has the long time frame over which FIC has contributed made a difference?

• Has there been anything particularly unique or valuable about FIC’s contribution?

2. Network capacity and performance: What contribution, if any, would you say that FIC had to the development of professional networks, both among staff at the University but also with others outside the University?

• Please describe your interactions with the US parent university and other FIC partner universities, if any.

• Please describe whether and how your opportunities to collaborate with researchers from other organizations was influenced by the FIC partnership

2. Research to policy:  What impacts, do you think health research conducted by University staff has had upon health policy development and health care practice in this country, and more broadly upon the health of the population?

Possible probes

• Are there any specific examples you can cite of how research from the University has made a difference?

• What links does the University have with policy-makers and advocates and how have they changed throughout the course of your FIC partnership?

• Are there any particular policy-makers who have had close connections with your department/institute and whom you think it would be important for us to interview?

• Please describe how the type of research conducted and its relevance to policy changed due to your University’s FIC partnership.