Approved Research This page provides a searchable list of all research protocols that have been reviewed and approved by the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology(UNCST).
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Name Title Nationality Approval Date Expiry Date Field of Science/Classification Trial Type Research Type  
Rupankar Dey
ID: UNCST-2026-R023803
People with Disabilities & Sexual Reproductive Health Citizenship in the Kalangala Islands of Lake Victoria, Uganda
REFNo: SS5105ES

This study aims to understand how the spatial context of the island shapes sexual reproductive citizenship surrounding sexuality norms, disability stigma, and social and environmental conditions in the Sese Islands of the Kalangala archipelago. Specific Objectives: This overarching aim is not explored through a single method. Instead, it is addressed through a set of interrelated objectives, each exploring a specific aspect of sexual and reproductive citizenship within island settings. The objectives focus on different groups and processes, allowing methods to be carefully matched to the sensitivities and experiences aimed to be explored. Objective 1 How does islandness shape experiences of gender-based violence (GBV) among people with diverse disabilities on the Kalangala Islands? Objective 2 How does islandness shape fishermen’s perspectives on gender-based violence (GBV)? Objective 3 What shapes access to SRH services for women with diverse disabilities? Objective 4 How does islandness shape the sexual reproductive citizenship of men with diverse disabilities?
India 2026-04-20 10:56:06 2029-04-20 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Fred Kigozi
ID: UNCST-2025-R021423
Postprandial effect of isocaloric challenge meals enriched with indigenous fruits and vegetables on glucose metabolism in individuals with type 2 diabetes in Wakiso District, Uganda.
REFNo: HS7347ES

General Objective To evaluate the postprandial effect of isocaloric challenge meals enriched with indigenous fruits and vegetables on glucose metabolism among people living with type 2 diabetes in Wakiso district, Uganda. Specific Objectives 1.To assess the acute postprandial effects of isocaloric challenge meals enriched with indigenous fruits and vegetables on incremental area under the curve (iAUC) blood glucose levels. 2.To assess the acute postprandial effects of isocaloric challenge meals enriched with indigenous fruits and vegetables on iAUC blood triglyceride levels.
Uganda 2026-04-20 10:47:24 2029-04-20 Medical and Health Sciences Clinical Trial Degree Award
Milton Ayoki
ID: UNCST-2026-R024563
From job displacement to economic resilience: Mapping the net impact of AI on formal and informal employment across three African economies
REFNo: SS5147ES

The overall objective of this study is to generate rigorous, gender-disaggregated, intersectional evidence on the net socio-economic impacts of AI on formal and informal employment in Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa, and translate this evidence into rights-based, African-led policy frameworks that ensure AI transitions are inclusive, safe, and aligned with sustainable development. Specific objectives (i) To measure the causal effect of firm-level AI adoption on net employment task recomposition, earnings volatility, and household poverty risk, disaggregated by gender, age, disability, geography, and formality status. Using a sequentially integrated design—linking 1,200 firms’ AI Intensity Index to 4,500 workers’ diary panel and administrative tax records—we will identify which demographic groups face displacement versus augmentation, and trace micro-to-macro transmission channels affecting social-protection demand. (ii) To identify, test, and refine policy levers—portable social protection benefits, mandatory algorithmic fairness audits, and gender-responsive re-skilling subsidies—that enhance economic resilience for vulnerable workers, particularly women, youth, and persons with disabilities. Through a participatory GEDI Lab (co-chaired with trade unions, women’s networks, and PWD advocates) with veto power over sampling, instruments, and recommendations, we will validate rights-based policy scenarios via a regulatory sandbox covering 20 digital-labour platforms. This ensures policies are not technocratic but reflect lived realities and African priorities, directly minimizing AI’s potential to exacerbate gender inequalities and human rights violations. (iii) To strengthen Africa’s AI-labour research ecosystem by mentoring eight African PhD students (?60% women, ?20% PWDs) through a triadic supervision model, and creating an open-source Continental Methodology Toolkit (AI Intensity Index calculator, AfroXLMR models, intersectional DiD estimators) for continent-wide replication. Outputs will be embedded in national AI strategies, ESG disclosure rules, and a COMESA Model Law on Algorithmic Labour Practices, ensuring sustainability beyond the project’s 36-month timeline and transforming global AI-labour debates from models that ignore Africa into African-led evidence that guides the continent’s digital future.
Uganda 2026-04-20 10:43:58 2029-04-20 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Emmanuel Wegoye
ID: UNCST-2024-R003214
Neurocognitive Outcomes and Changes in Brain and Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF) Volume after Treatment of Post-Infectious Hydrocephalus (PIH) in Ugandan Infants by Shunting versus Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy/Choroid Plexus Cauterization (ETV/CPC)
REFNo: HS7254ES

We propose to: 1) Develop and empower CURE Children’s Hospital of Uganda as a unique hydrocephalus research center in the developing world 2) Test the hypothesis that ETV/CPC is superior to shunt-dependence in regard to treatment failure at 10 years; 3) Determine whether our initial finding of neurodevelopmental non-inferiority for ETV/CPC at 12 months is durable to the critical time of 10-years follow up; 4) Determine whether our initial finding of non-inferiority in brain growth for ETV/CPC at 12 months holds true at 10-years of follow up
Uganda 2026-04-15 22:23:51 2029-04-15 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Innocent Mwaka
ID: UNCST-2026-R023653
Action Research for the Gender for Development Uganda (G4DU) Programme
REFNo: SS4991ES

3. STUDY CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVES
Given the critical role of UNICEF in addressing gender imbalances in education, this multiyear action research aims at generating actionable evidence and fostering continuous learning for the enhancement of the G4DU Program’s financial support models and AEP. This iterative research will serve as a critical feedback loop, informing UNICEF's adaptive programming and policy advocacy efforts. The research will target students, headteachers, parents and district education departments. The study will be conducted over a period of 2-3 months annually , to allow for implementation of the intervention and observation of its effects. Being ongoing research, it will focus on the implementation phase of the programme from 2025-2028. The research will be conducted in four of the seven districts, namely: Yumbe, Adjumani, Lamwo, and Kitgum, focusing on selected schools and households .
Objectives of the action research:
1. To explore the effectiveness of newly developed and tested models of:
? Performance-based school grants for girls’ retention and completion of primary education.
? Cash transfer to households aiming at adolescent transitioning to and retention in secondary education.

2. To assess the effectiveness of the AEP model targeting out-of-school adolescents towards improving alternative access, accelerated pathways to primary education and transition into formal schools (primary and secondary schools).
3. To assess the relevance, efficiency, and sustainability of G4DU interventions in reducing barriers to education for vulnerable adolescent girls.
4. Determine the effect of school-level planning, local government capacity strengthening and community engagement, towards improving participation, retention and transition of girls.
5. Identify lessons learned from the implementation of financial support models and complementary activities and provide recommendations for programme adaptation and policy influencing.

The insights gained from these objectives will provide UNICEF and its partners with a robust evidence base to refine existing interventions, scale up successful approaches, and advocate for policies that institutionalise effective strategies for inclusive education in Uganda.

Uganda 2026-04-15 21:38:10 2029-04-15 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Michael Timuzigu Kamugisha
ID:
Employability among University Graduates in Uganda
REFNo: SS5079ES

To examine the relationship between entrepreneurial alertness and employability. To establish the relationship between lifelong learning and employability. To investigate the relationship between entrepreneurial alertness and career adaptability. To establish the relationship between lifelong learning and career adaptability. To examine the relationship between career adaptability and employability. To investigate the mediating role of career adaptability in the relationship between entrepreneurial alertness and employability. To examine the mediation role of career adaptability in the relationship between lifelong learning and employability.
Uganda 2026-04-14 16:50:46 2029-04-14 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Denis Kibira
ID: UNCST-2026-R023858
Measuring Prices, Availability & Affordability of Essential Sexual & Reproductive Health Commodities.
REFNo: HS7361ES

Main Objective 1. To generate reliable information on the price, availability and affordability of selected commodities in the SRH supply chain in Uganda, with the ultimate goal of improving access to affordable SRHCs to all. Specific Objectives 1. To assess the availability of Sexual and Reproductive Health Commodities among health facilities in the six major regions of Uganda 2. To determine the prices people pay for Sexual and Reproductive Health Commodities among Private health facilities in the six major regions of Uganda 3. To investigate the affordability of Sexual and Reproductive Health Commodities among Private health facilities in the six major regions of Uganda 4. To explore the main barriers of access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Commodities in the six major regions of Uganda.
Uganda 2026-04-14 16:47:17 2029-04-14 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Zachary kuloszewski
ID: UNCST-2026-R024610
The Impact of Labour Sharing on Workers’ Welfare and Growth of Small and Medium Enterprises in Urban Settings: Evidence from Uganda
REFNo: SS5081ES

1. Identify the labour market frictions and conditions which incentivize participation in labour sharing agreements/hiring from competitor firms.
a. Analyse the role of firm networks as an alternative screening mechanism for skilled workers and insurance mechanism against demand volatility
b. Investigate the ways in which firms structure these network arrangements to ensure incentive compatibility and reciprocity
2. Examine the relationship between labour sharing, firm productivity and growth and workers’ welfare outcomes
a. Examine the relationship between labour sharing and firm growth outcomes, including revenues, profits, employment levels, and assets
b. Examine the relationship between labour sharing networks and total worker earnings, skill acquisition, reservation wages, and aspirations
3. Make policy recommendations.
a. Compute the return on investment for hypothetical implementation of active labour market policies such as skill certification or subsidized search for firms
b. Give recommendations to inform policy to encourage hiring by SMEs.

USA 2026-04-14 16:45:21 2029-04-14 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
AMANDA KISAAMO
ID: UNCST-2025-R022165
PREVALENCE, PATTERNS OF PRESENTATION AND FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DELAY AMONG CHILDREN AGED 2-59 MONTHS WITH CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE IN SOUTH WESTERN UGANDA.
REFNo: HS7389ES

• To determine the prevalence of neurodevelopmental delay in children aged 2–59 months with CHD in South Western Uganda.
• To describe patterns of presentation of neurodevelopmental delay in children aged 2–59months with CHD in South Western Uganda.
• To identify the factors associated with neurodevelopmental delay among children aged 2–59 months with CHD in South Western Uganda.

Uganda 2026-04-14 16:42:18 2029-04-14 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
RONALD WALOZI
ID: UNCST-2025-R021569
OPTIMIZATION OF THE CHEMICAL TREATMENT PROCESS FOR RICE HUSK-PINE SAWDUST HETEROGENEOUS BRIQUETTES TO IMPROVE COMBUSTION EFFICIENCY
REFNo: SIR635ES

This study aims to enhance combustion efficiency by optimizing the chemical treatment processes for heterogeneous briquettes using Response Surface Methodology.
The specific objectives of the study are:-
i. To formulate and characterize heterogeneous briquettes in different ratios of pine sawdust and rice husks to determine the one with the best efficiency
ii. To carry out chemical treatment on the identified heterogeneous briquettes using varying acid types and concentrations
iii. To investigate the effect of chemical treatment on the heterogeneous briquettes’ thermal, emission, mechanical, and chemical properties
iv. To optimize the chemical treatment process for the enhancement of combustion efficiency
v. To develop a combustion kinetics analytical model for heterogeneous briquettes
Uganda 2026-04-14 16:38:54 2029-04-14 Engineering and Technology Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
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