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  
Elizabeth Nyboer Ann
ID: UNCST-2023-R005929
 Social license and access in aquaculture: documenting perceptions of nutritional, economic, and environmental risks and benefits in Lake Victoria's fisheries
REFNo: SS3903ES

(1) document stakeholder views on the environmental, economic, and nutritional risks and benefits, (2) quantify stakeholder proximity to environmental risks, and (3) examine how different farm types affect risks, benefits, and access to those benefits for various stakeholders
 Canada 2025-06-20 7:47:42 2028-06-20 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Vidhya Sivanantham
ID: UNCST-2026-R023441
 Unpacking the Work of Healthcare Providers in Short-Term Medical Missions: An Institutional Ethnography Study in Uganda
REFNo: HS7011ES

The overall aim of the study is to examine how healthcare provider work is socially and institutionally organized during short-term medical and dental outreach in Kalangala District, Uganda.

The specific objectives are to:
1. Map existing evidence on how short-term medical and dental missions organize provider roles and workflows through a scoping review.
2. Explore how institutional texts (e.g., protocols, referral tools, policies) and local practices shape day-to-day decision-making among local and visiting providers. 3. Analyze how decision-making hierarchies and communication structures influence care delivery and interprofessional collaboration across local and international teams.
 Canada 2026-02-02 12:10:35 2029-02-02 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Moses Sainge Nsanyi
ID: UNCST-2025-R019399
 Cloud immersion and the future of tropical montane forests (CLOUDFOR)
REFNo: NS991ES

This project aims to quantify water input, tree growth and future species distribution models in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda with three main objectives:
1) To determine the importance of cloud immersion for maintaining annual water inputs and tree growth,
2) To quantify the consequences of future changes in cloud immersion for carbon stocks and fluxes,
3) To assess how different dominant tree species respond to changes in cloud immersion.

 Cameroon 2025-08-18 13:22:39 2028-08-18 Natural Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Phocas Nyandwi -
ID:
Effect of Firm Financial Strength Factors on Income Retention of General Insurers in East Africa
REFNo: SS829ES

To determine the moderating effect of firm size on the relationship between firm financial distress factors and income retention of General insurers in East Africa,To establish the effect of earnings volatility on income retention of General insurers in East Africa,To assess how liquidity affects income retention of General insurers in East Africa,To investigate the effect of leverage on income retention of General insurers in East Africa,To determine the effect of capital adequacy on income retention of General insurers in East Africa,The general objective of the study is to investigate the effect of firm financial strength factors on income retention of General insurers in East Africa.,
 Burundi 2021-05-27 2024-05-27 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Alain Favina
ID:
AFFILIATE STIGMA AMONG CAREGIVERS AND TREATMENT OUTCOMES AMONG PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS IN SOUTHWESTERN UGANDA
REFNo: HS2779ES

To establish the relationship between affiliate stigma and treatment adherence and quality of life among people with mental illness in southwestern Uganda.,To determine factors associated with affiliate stigma among caregivers of people with mental illness in southwestern Uganda.,To determine the prevalence of the affiliate stigma among caregivers of people living with mental illness in Southwestern Uganda.,
 Burundi 2023-07-27 21:05:27 2026-07-27 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Alain Favina
ID:
Preparedness of private health workers in Mbarara City about identifying and managing Ebola outbreaks
REFNo: HS3424ES

To determine the relationship between the wellbeing of private health workers and their preparedness towards the Ebola outbreak in Mbarara city,To determine the knowledge, attitude, and practice towards the Ebola outbreak by health workers in private clinics in Mbarara city.,To determine the level of preparedness for the Ebola outbreak by health workers in private clinics in Mbarara City,
 Burundi 2024-02-13 17:56:53 2027-02-13 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Privatsun Nkurabanka
ID:
Approaches to Address the Need for Child Protection in Catholic Founded Primary Schools of Kampala Archdiocese, Uganda
REFNo: SS1973ES

1. To find out the needs of child protection in Catholic founded primary schools;
2. To assess the existing approach use for child protection in Catholic Founded primary schools;
3. To assess on child protection approaches to meet the need of children in the Catholic founded primary schools.
 Burundi 2023-11-20 15:16:36 2026-11-20 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
ucama Patrick ufoymungu
ID: UNCST-2023-R006573
 PERFORMANCE OF APRI SCORE COMPARED TO FIBROSCAN IN THE ASSESSMENT OF FIBROSIS AMONG ADULTS WITH CHRONIC HEPATITIS B INFECTION AT MBARARA REGIONAL REFERRAL HOSPITAL
REFNo: HS4174ES

3. To determine the degree of agreement or disagreement between FibroScan and APRI Score in assessing the presence or absence of liver fibrosis among adults with Chronic Hepatitis B infection at the hepatitis clinic of Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital.,2. To identify the factors associated with liver fibrosis among adults with Chronic Hepatitis B infection at the hepatitis clinic of Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital.,1. To determine the prevalence of liver fibrosis among adults with chronic hepatitis B infection by using FibroScan and APRI Score at the hepatitis clinic of Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital.,To compare the performance of APRI score to Fibroscan in the assessment of fibrosis among adults with chronic hepatitis B infection at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital.,
 Burundi 2024-06-12 14:22:59 2027-06-12 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Ferdinand Nduwayo
ID: UNCST-2024-R004506
 Development of Comprehensive Seismic Design Guidelines for Earthquake Resistant Design of Buildings in Uganda
REFNo: SIR390ES

(e) To develop comprehensive national structural design guidelines based on modern seismic design codes, aimed at providing engineering practitioners with practical seismic risk mitigation techniques; subsequently leading to sustainable growth and development,(d) To derive spectral displacement, elastic and design pseudo-acceleration spectra representing seismic action in the horizontal direction for key building typologies located in major cities in Uganda,(c) To develop reliable bespoke building exposure models for risk calculations by gathering data on building stock taxonomies and occupancy types,(b) To perform a stochastic event-based probabilistic seismic hazard analysis for Uganda which relies on the available data collected on the seismicity, geology and tectonics of the country,(a) To compile Uganda historical and instrumental earthquake catalogues required for homogenisation, removal of non-Poissonian events and completeness analyses,The main objective of this research proposal is to develop comprehensive earthquake-resistant building design guidelines specifically tailored for Uganda\'s unique geological, seismo-tectonic conditions and available construction materials. These guidelines will facilitate the construction of buildings that can withstand earthquakes, thereby reducing the potential for damage and casualties during seismic events.,
 Burundi 2025-01-10 11:48:15 2028-01-10 Engineering and Technology Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Luiza CardosodeAndrade
ID: UNCST-2025-R018410
 Measuring chlorination in areas with active Evidence Action chlorine delivery interventions
REFNo: SS3948ES

This study aims to assess the take-up of drinking water chlorination under DSW and ILC in Uganda and to compare different measurement methodologies to help improve monitoring protocols. The primary outcome of interest is the total number of people who use water pointers with DSW or ILC for which we can detect chlorine residual in the drinking water. Secondary outcomes explore differences in the methods used to estimate chlorination. In particular, we are interested in comparing chlorination rates measured using two different sampling frames (self-reported water point users and water point users listed) and two different chlorine residual measurement instruments (color discs and colorimeters). The tertiary outcome is the functionality of chlorination devices, which may be connected to low adoption. Finally, additional data will be collected to perform an exploratory analysis on other factors that may influence the adoption of chlorine for water treatment, such as the distance to the nearest water point where chlorine is available and the occurrence of symptoms related to the consumption of contaminated water.
 Brazil 2025-07-04 14:02:44 2028-07-04 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Lucrèce Ahovègbé Yémalin Judith
ID:
Evaluation of two medicinal plants on key factors causing treatment failure in Hepatitis C infection
REFNo: HS1004ES

1. Evaluate the antiviral and anti-mutagenic effect of A. nilotica and T. ciliata on HCV in presence and absence of DAA
2. Evaluate the effect of A. nilotica and T. ciliata on induced mutation in HCV infection in presence and absence of DAA
3. Determine effect of A. nilotica and T. ciliata on immunologic parameters involved in body response to HCV in presence and absence of DAA
4. Investigate the genotypes of HCV circulating in African region (Uganda, Benin) and their response in vitro to DAAs

 Benin 2021-02-25 2024-02-25 Medical and Health Sciences Degree Award
Finagnon  Fassinou Toyi Kevin
ID: UNCST-2023-R008387
 IMPROVING THE CARBOHYDRATE QUALITY OF POLISHED MAIZE FLOUR USING HEAT-MOISTURE TREATMENT
REFNo: A338ES

The main objective of the present study is to improve the resistance starch content of polished maize flour using heat moisture treatment. Specifically, this study intended (1)To characterize carbohydrate quality and internal factors affecting the starch digestibility of polished maize flour (2)To optimize the application condition of heat moisture treatment to improve the resistance starch content in polished maize flour (3)To investigate the effect of heat moisture treatment on aflatoxin detoxification of maize grain and functional proprieties of polished maize flour (4)To evaluate the effect of heat moisture treatment on in vivo glycemic response and sensory acceptability of polished maize dough.
 Benin 2023-10-04 22:26:53 2026-10-04 Agricultural Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Bienvenu Akowedaho Dagoudo
ID: UNCST-2025-R018501
 Women’s entrepreneurship and Participatory Guarantee System for agroecology and sustainable food system in Uganda
REFNo: A597ES

The objective of the research aims to evaluate women’s entrepreneurship and participatory guarantee system for agroecology foods systems in Uganda

In order to achieve the main research objective, four specific objectives have been elaborated.
• To analyze the relationship between organic farming and agroecology in Uganda;
• To evaluate organic farming efficiency in relation to agroecological approaches in Uganda;
• To assess women entrepreneurship eco-efficient organic farming in relation to agroecology and sustainable food systems in Uganda;
• To analyze participatory guarantee systems for organic certification in the agroecological perspective in Uganda.
 Benin 2025-06-12 9:22:00 2028-06-12 Agricultural Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Isabel Larridon
ID:
C3 and C4 Cyperaceae of Uganda
REFNo: NS12ES

The fieldwork is organised in the context of a project looking at the differential impact of climate change of C3 and C4 plant lineages in Africa. C4 photosynthesis is an evolutionary response to climate change (including aridification). Multiple independent origins of the C4 pathway in Cyperaceae provide ideal opportunities to study the differential response of C3 and C4 lineages to climate change. The largest diversity of C4 Cyperaceae lineages occurs in Africa allowing us to investigate C4 evolution within the unique climatic and biogeographical history of the continent. Africa is undergoing aridification at a scale and level that is only comparable to Australia. Studying adaptation mechanisms in African flora may be key to decipher long-term evolutionary response to global warming in plants. In the overarching project, we aim to apply the novel HybSeq technique to acquire 350+ low-copy targets and high-copy genomic loci evolving across a range of rates, combined with access to newly available fossils providing further calibration dates, to obtain an accurately dated and robust Cyperaceae Tree-of-Life, resolve relationships in C4 Cyperaceae lineages and identify their closest sister C3 lineages. Together with model-based biogeographical methods and present-day and paleoclimatic ecological niche models informed by baseline data from Royal Botanic Gardens Kew’s vast collection of herbarium records, this data will provide key knowledge on how C3 and C4 Cyperaceae lineages have differentially responded to environmental pressures in Africa over the last c. 85 Ma. This will allow modelling how they will respond in future and inform conservation actions.
 Belgium 2017-04-25 2020-04-25 Natural Sciences Degree Award
Dirk Verschuren H
ID:
Half-precessional solar insolation and the long-term climate history of equatorial East Africa
REFNo: NS121ES

The main objective of this project is to constrain the area of East Africa which has experienced a truly low-latitude climate history influenced primarily by long-term trends in local solar insolation, rather than by the influence of changes in the extent of Northern Hemisphere glaciation. Our working hypothesis is that this area is limited to the region where rainfall originates predominantly from the Indian Ocean rather than the tropical Atlantic Ocean.
 Belgium 2021-07-01 2024-07-01 Natural Sciences Non-degree Award
Bjorn Van Campenhout -
ID: UNCST-2020-R014080
 Demand and supply factors constraining the emergence and sustainability of an efficient seed system in Uganda.
REFNo: SS603ES

The proposed study aims to provide innovative, evidence-based insights on the: i. Mechanisms that encourage more efficient marketing and distribution of seed and traits at various levels of commercialization and across heterogeneous populations and agro-ecologies (“improving seed supply”), and; ii. Mechanisms that nudge farmers—youth, women, and smallholders—into using improved varieties and quality seed, including varieties and seed for climate-smart and nutrient-dense crops and traits (“enhancing seed demand”).
 Belgium 2020-09-23 2023-09-23 Social Science and Humanities Non-degree Award
Bjorn Van Campenhout -
ID: UNCST-2020-R014080
 Impact of Covid-19 on maize and dairy value chains in Uganda
REFNo: SS699ES

Specific objective: To assess the impact of Covid-19 on the maize and dairy value chain in Uganda. Specific objective: to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected production, marketing/sales and welfare of actors/households along the two value chains.
 Belgium 2021-02-25 2024-02-25 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Lore Vandewalle
ID: UNCST-2021-R014028
 Small Firm Diaries with carpenters in Uganda
REFNo: SS919ES

The main objective of this research is to understand the frictions in the market for outputs that hamper the growth of small-scale carpenters in Uganda. We will write a descriptive paper that outlines the frictions we observed. Given the large number of programs targeting MSMEs to foster employment growth in low-income countries, the recommendations that will emerge from our project will be useful to policy makers operating at local, national and supra-national levels. The second objective is designing an intervention tailored to remove the most important friction we observed in the market for outputs. We will test this intervention using a randomized control trial and will estimate its causal effect on the growth of small-scale carpenters. Growth will be measured through changes in revenues, profits, productivity and employment. This should be informative to both academics and policy makers as well. The intervention is not yet defined, as we want to use the data to identify the most prominent friction in the market for outputs that limits the growth of carpenters. We will request an amendment to this IRB as soon as it has been designed. The final objective is assembling unique data on small-scale carpenters in Uganda. As detailed in the methodology subsection below, we will create two unique panels that will allow us to map a complete, real-time characterization of the performance of small enterprises, decision-making and shock responses of entrepreneurs, inputs’ usage and business relationships, including partner-specific trade interactions. These datasets are instrumental to accomplish the first two objectives: it provides the information needed to understand the frictions in the markets for outputs (main objective) and to define the intervention (objective 2). We list the datasets as a separate objective, as these will become public and can thus be used by policy makers, other researchers and students as well.
Belgium 2021-07-27 2024-07-27 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Karen Marcours
ID: UNCST-2021-R011626
 Adoption of Household and landscape level impacts of Biofortified crops in Uganda
REFNo: A171ES

The study aims to collect 10-year follow-up data to construct a national-level panel of bean and sweet potato producers in Uganda, to study the adoption and disadoption dynamics of different varieties and the relationship with virus-resistance, farm structure and landscape level outcomes. This will aim to inform the design of a possible follow-up data collection efforts (later in 2021) to analyze the nutritional-related gains from biofortification.
The study further aims to test various data collection methods for community-level information, with the objective of optimizing survey design of community-level instruments, applicable in a wide range of future studies to analyze the reach of agricultural innovations and their implications.

Belgium 2022-01-06 2025-01-06 Agricultural Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Pieter Rutsaert
ID:
Next Generation Product Profiles in Maize: Using video descriptions of future products to identify farmers’ preferences
REFNo: SS1173ES

• Understand farmer preferences on the next generation profiles of hybrid maize in East Africa;
• To ensure seed companies can improve their communications by focusing on farmer needs;
• Identify differences in farmer needs based on maturity class, gender, farming practices and socio-demographic profile

 Belgium 2022-02-15 2025-02-15 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
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