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).
Search By Approval Date:
Clear Filter Total: 5,862
Name Title Nationality Approval Date Expiry Date Field of Science/Classification Trial Type Research Type  
Daniel Omuna
ID: UNCST-2025-R019635
CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND WATER SECURITY AMONG SELECTED COMMUNITIES IN KUMI DISTRICT, EASTERN UGANDA
REFNo: NS1160ES

i. To determine the effect of climate variability on surface and groundwater availability in Kumi district using GIS and remote sensing.
ii. To examine the effects of climate variability on accessibility to water in selected communities in Kumi district.
iii. To determine the portable water quality of both surface and ground water in Kumi district.
iv. To establish community resilience and adaptability to water insecurity caused by climate variability in Kumi district.

Uganda 2026-04-10 19:05:54 2029-04-10 Natural Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Flavia Zalwango Kabuye
ID: UNCST-2025-R022929
The role of participatory communication strategies in enhancing uptake of childhood routine immunization vaccines in intersectionally vulnerable communities in Uganda
REFNo: SS4954ES

1. To understand health communication preferences and patterns on Koome main island

2. To explore stakeholders’ perceptions of the effectiveness of participatory vaccine communication strategies used on Koome main island between 2020 and 2025

3. To propose culturally appropriate participatory strategies to enhance vaccine communication among intersectionally vulnerable communities in Uganda

Uganda 2026-04-10 19:01:37 2029-04-10 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Anthony Nsubuga Mutebi
ID:
The consequences of biodiversity loss and land use change on infectious disease emergence
REFNo: NS1176ES

Objectives
This project focuses on the understanding of epidemic emergence by dissecting the most initial processes and dynamics of infectious disease emergence in rural settings of seeding regions based on a multi-host and multi-pathogen system. Specifically, we will concentrate on the transition from pre-emergence to emergence based on a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach by linking the fields of human and veterinary medicine, clinical virology, molecular biology, disease ecology and modelling. We aim to detect and model arbovirus infection and transmission patterns in mosquitoes, livestock (cattle and goats as hosts for Rift Valley fever virus and chicken as hosts for West Nile virus) and humans (hosts for Dengue virus, Chikungunya virus, Zika virus and Yellow fever virus) under varying ecological and socioeconomic conditions at the interface to natural biodiversity hotspots in order to identify common patterns and drivers of emerging diseases.
Defining early transmission dynamics is most critical for prevention and containment of local outbreaks before they cause epidemics or pandemics. Our specific objectives are:
(i) To provide a thorough phenotypic and molecular characterization of pre-epidemic virus variants including previously unknown viruses isolated from mosquitoes, livestock and humans from rural regions in Uganda at the interface to the main African ecosystem types, tropical lowland, gallery and montane forest. Pre-epidemic variants will be compared to their cosmopolitan counterparts aiming at identifying distinguishing characteristics evolved during the emergence process.
(ii) To study the genetic adjustment of pre-epidemic variants by analysing intra- and inter-host genetic diversity and selective pressures as drivers for virus evolution and diversification after spillover infections to new vectors and hosts.
(iii) To probe the host transcriptome response to infection with pre-epidemic arboviruses at the single cell level aiming to gain insight into the evolutionary fine scaling of arboviruses in the transition from pre-emergence to emergence.
(iv) To assess the influence of different socioeconomic and ecological factors for the risk of virus transmission and disease outbreaks through phylogeographic reconstruction of the virus spatial movement and ecological niche factor analysis.
(v) To model virus and host distribution as well as infection risk under current and future climatic and land use scenarios based on collected field data.

Uganda 2026-04-10 18:57:00 2029-04-10 Natural Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
RONALD ALIIJA
ID: UNCST-2025-R022107
ADOPTION OF DIGITAL FINANCIAL INNOVATIONS, FINANCIAL INCLUSION, AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES IN KAMPALA CAPITAL CITY, CENTRAL UGANDA
REFNo: SS5110ES

1) To examine the relationship between adoption of digital financial innovations and financial performance of SMEs in Kampala Capital City, Central Uganda. 2) To examine the relationship between adoption of digital financial innovations and financial inclusion among SMEs in Kampala Capital City, Central Uganda. 3) To find out the relationship between financial inclusion and the financial performance of SMEs in Kampala Capital City, Central Uganda. 4) To establish the mediating role of financial inclusion in the relationship between adoption of digital financial innovations and the financial performance of SMEs in Kampala Capital City, Central Uganda.
Uganda 2026-04-10 18:55:32 2029-04-10 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Salaviruse Ahimbisibwe
ID: UNCST-2022-R011048
Landscape analysis of the One Health ecosystem supporting interventions against zoonotic diseases in Uganda
REFNo: SS5023ES

Main Objective
1. To characterise the perceptions of different stakeholders relevant to Taenia Solium control to support co-design of a SUSTAIN-specific acceptability and feasibility framework for use in the trial evaluation.
Specific Objectives
1. Review the policy document and health activities landscape associated with One Health, public and veterinary health campaigns and the stakeholder environment in the SUSTAIN study districts relevant for zoonotic and Neglected Tropical Disease activities in Uganda.
2. Validate local systems, governance and stakeholder mapping with relevant stakeholders in Uganda.
3. Understand the distribution of and roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders involved in the knowledge generation and translation, decision-making and policy development, and programme planning and implementation relevant for Taenia Solium and NTDs in Uganda, using SUSTAIN as a case study
4. Ensure the most relevant district-level human and animal health officials are able to communicate and have a good understanding of the cross-sector system surrounding, and rationale for, SUSTAIN intervention for Taenia Solium control. Especially appreciating the different perspectives and any potential shared objectives across sectors.
5. Develop and validate a theory of change for the joint MDA strategy, especially identifying the elements of One Health implementation i.e. priorities for communication, co-ordination and collaboration and any capacity gaps that may need addressing to fulfil these.
6. Identify indicators of acceptability and evaluate prospective (perceived) acceptability for implementers and recipients through pre-intervention consultation (Key Informant Interviews and Focus Group Discussions), mapped against the seven domains of the theoretical framework of acceptability.
7. Document any opportunities, barriers and facilitators to implementing cross-sectoral control programmes such as SUSTAIN.
Uganda 2026-04-10 18:54:29 2029-04-10 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Richard Nokes Scott
ID: UNCST-2025-R019672
From Orature to Digital Publishing in Medieval Literature
REFNo: SS5107ES

1. To collect and record traditional narratives of Ugandan orature from selected communities through interviews and storytelling sessions with storytellers, elders, and other cultural knowledge holders. 2. To analyze the themes, structures, and patterns in these narratives, including the relationships among different versions of similar stories. 3. To compare Ugandan orature with medieval literary traditions from other regions of the world and assess how it can broaden or revise existing understandings of the global Middle Ages. 4. To produce accessible materials based on Ugandan orature that instructors and students can use in world literature and medieval studies courses in Uganda and the rest of the world.
USA 2026-04-10 18:52:35 2029-04-10 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Joseph Okello Ayo
ID: UNCST-2025-R023213
Identifying Policy Avenues to Facilitate the Transition to Large-Scale Operations in Developing Countries: Lessons from Large Firms in Uganda
REFNo: SS4993ES

This study aims to document evidence about large firm’s growth trajectories in selected districts across Uganda, with particular attention to the barriers faced by these firms in their growth journey, and how these barriers were overcome.
Uganda 2026-04-10 18:50:41 2029-04-10 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Jonah Im
ID: UNCST-2025-R022465
Assessing the Health, Educational, and Psychosocial Impact of Rainwater Purification Systems in Kijoto Parish, Uganda
REFNo: HS7133ES

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the social, psychological, and health-related impact of newly installed rainwater catchment, purification, and storage systems at three primary schools in Kitojo Parish, Uganda. These systems were implemented by the Healthy Hands Initiative and Raising the Communities in February 2025 to address water insecurity and its associated burdens in rural areas.
This study has the following specific aims:

Aim 1:
Assess the impact of clean water access on community quality of life, mental health, and safety.
We will examine how rainwater systems influence the day-to-day lives of community members, with a focus on time savings, perceived improvements in health and well-being, reduced anxiety around water access, and improved safety (e.g., reduced long-distance water collection, particularly for women and children).

Aim 2:
Explore the effects of clean water systems on educational outcomes and student well-being.
We will investigate how water access affects teacher-reported attendance, student focus, and general classroom dynamics. We hypothesize that improved access to clean water correlates with higher attendance and fewer health-related absences.

Aim 3:
Identify implementation factors that affect system adoption and sustainability.
Using qualitative methods grounded in implementation science frameworks (e.g., RE-AIM or CFIR), we will explore what factors support or hinder successful adoption and long-term maintenance of the rainwater systems. These factors may include local leadership involvement, cultural attitudes, system usability, and perceptions of ownership.

Aim 4:
Compare current water quality with prior community sources.
Water samples will be collected from the new systems and compared with samples from previously used sources to evaluate improvements in water safety.


USA 2026-04-10 18:49:20 2029-04-10 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Denis Tindyebwa
ID: UNCST-2025-R018639
Impact of nurturing care interventions on neonatal and child health outcomes in Eastern Uganda: A population-based mother-baby cohort
REFNo: HS7136ES

To evaluate the effect of implementation of the Nurturing Care Interventions on neonatal, child, and maternal health outcomes in Eastern Uganda,
Uganda 2026-04-10 18:47:28 2029-04-10 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Isa Egiri
ID: UNCST-2026-R023342
Rebels with a Pause: Youth, Generation and Cycles of Guerrilla Violence in Rwenzori, Uganda, 1960s-1993.
REFNo: SS4973ES

•What practices, institutions and symbols were established by the Rwenzururu Movement of the 1960s?
•How has the legacy of those practices, institutions and symbols been reproduced discursively in popular memory and narratives in ways that shape successive rebel groups?
•Does youth leadership result in particular characteristics of armed groups?
•Is there a relationship between the liminality of border regions and the liminality of youth that drives conflict?
•Does the border shape the vulnerability of the youth to joining conflict?
Uganda 2026-04-10 18:36:05 2029-04-10 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
JOHN ISIIKO
ID: UNCST-2022-R011328
Dose Rounding of Parenteral Chemotherapy Drugs at Uganda Cancer Institute: A Cost-Saving Strategy
REFNo: HS7273ES

To determine the potential cost-savings associated with a 10% dose rounding at the UCI – MRCC.,To identify the drugs with high cost-saving potential after a 10% dose rounding at the UCI – MRCC.,To determine the proportion of prescribed chemotherapy doses that qualify for dose rounding at the UCI – MRCC. ,The study aims to evaluate the feasibility of a 10% dose rounding of chemotherapy drugs as a cost-saving strategy at the UCI – MRCC. ,
Uganda 2026-04-10 18:33:33 2029-04-10 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
AMBROSE SSERUNJOGI
ID: UNCST-2025-R017987
ANALYSIS OF TRICYCLE PASSENGER CAR UNIT VALUES FOR ENHANCED TRAFFIC FLOW IN KAMPALA CITY UGANDA.
REFNo: SIR629ES

i. To determine static Passenger Car Unit (PCU) values for passenger and cargo tricycles at selected Kampala intersections, targeting a precision of ±0.1 PCU. ii. To compare the derived tricycle PCU values against local values for motorcycles (boda-bodas) and passenger cars to quantify their relative impact on saturation flow. iii. To model the influence of dynamic factors specifically congestion level (V/C ratio), time of day, and wet/dry pavement conditions on tricycle PCU estimates.
Uganda 2026-04-10 18:31:17 2029-04-10 Engineering and Technology Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Emmanuel Sendaula
ID: UNCST-2020-R014767
A Stepped-Wedge Evaluation of an Integrated Maternal and Newborn Health Model for Pastoralist Communities in Karamoja, Uganda
REFNo: HS7225ES

Assess the effectiveness, feasibility, acceptability, fidelity, equity, and scalability of the integrated intervention using a stepped-wedge design.,Improve birth preparedness, early care-seeking, and timely referral through participatory women’s groups and community-managed emergency transport.,Strengthen emergency maternal and newborn care capacity among health workers, Village Health Teams, and Traditional Birth Attendants through simulation-based Helping Babies Breathe and Helping Mothers Survive training and continuous mentorship.,To evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of an integrated maternal and newborn health model aimed at reducing preventable maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality in the pastoralist districts of Moroto and Napak.,
Uganda 2026-04-10 18:29:56 2029-04-10 Medical and Health Sciences Non-degree Award
Ibrahim Twinomujuni
ID: UNCST-2024-R001873
Facilitators and barriers for enrollment of Non-suppressing Children and Adolescents living with HIV into Integrated Community Service Delivery Model (ICSDM) and its treatment outcomes in rural public HIV clinics – East central region Uganda.
REFNo: HS7088ES

To determine enrollment, retention, viral load suppression, and associated factors among non -suppressing CALHIV enrolled on ICSDM in rural public HIV clinics between October 2023 to date.
To explore facilitators and barriers to enrollment of non-suppressing CALHIV into the ICSDM in rural public HIV clinics between October 2023 to date

Uganda 2026-04-10 18:28:02 2029-04-10 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Ibrahim Ali Fauzi
ID: UNCST-2022-R010478
Assessing Snakebite Envenoming in Rural Gulu, Uganda: Prevalence, Impact, and Climate Change Implications
REFNo: HS7325ES

Main Objective: To determine the burden and prevalence of SBE and to determine the extent of community understanding and awareness regarding climate change as a potential driver of snakebite incidence in rural Gulu District, Uganda Specific Objectives: 1. To determine the prevalence and health outcomes of SBE in rural Gulu District. 2. To determine the burden associated with SBE at the individual and community level. 3. To determine community knowledge, attitudes, and awareness regarding SBE and climate change as a potential driver of its incidence.
Uganda 2026-04-10 18:26:00 2029-04-10 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
BONIFACE OJOK
ID: UNCST-2023-R006075
Youth Futures: Youth-led initiatives for gender justice & peacebuilding in Uganda
REFNo: SS5048ES

4.4. General Objective

The general objective of the Youth Futures project is to use video documentation and participatory video approaches to identify, document, assess, and amplify the needs of children born of war in the Acholi sub-region, and to provide them with necessary livelihood skills in filmmaking, knowledge production, and advocacy.

4.5. Specific Objectives

The specific objectives of the project are:

1. To document and analyze the experiences of children born of war in the Acholi sub-region, including their challenges, needs, and aspirations.

2. To assess the impact of humanitarian, health, and education interventions on the well-being of children born of war in the Acholi sub-region.

3. To enhance youth engagement in research and peacebuilding processes, promoting the participation and empowerment of children born of war.

4. To provide livelihood skills in filmmaking, knowledge production, and advocacy to youth participants, enabling them to become agents of change in their communities.
Uganda 2026-04-10 18:24:09 2029-04-10 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Paul Lobe
ID: UNCST-2025-R022156
UNSYSTEMATIC RISK FACTORS, AUDIT COMMITTEE EFFECTIVENESS AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF COMMERCIAL BANKS IN UGANDA
REFNo: SS4998ES

1-To establish the effect of credit risk on the financial performance of commercial banks in Uganda
2-To examine the effect of liquidity risk on the financial performance of commercial banks in Uganda
3-To determine the effect of operational risk on the financial performance of Commercial banks in Uganda
4a. To investigate the moderating effect of audit committee effectiveness on the relationship between credit risk and the financial performance of commercial banks in Uganda
4b. To determine the moderating effect of audit committee effectiveness on the relationship between liquidity risk and the financial performance of commercial banks in Uganda
4c. To examine the moderating effect of audit committee effectiveness on the relationship between Operational risk and the financial performance of commercial banks in Uganda

Uganda 2026-04-10 18:21:31 2029-04-10 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Daniel  Emoru Reagan
ID: UNCST-2025-R020048
Adaptation and Validation of the Pictorial Fit-Frail Scale Among Older Persons Living with HIV At the Infectious Disease Institute, Kampala.
REFNo: HS7239ES

General Objective: To culturally adapt and validate the standard Pictorial Fit-Frail Scale(self-assessment) against the Fried Frailty Phenotype Scale for frailty screening among OPLWH aged ≥50 years at the Infectious Disease Institute, Kampala.

Specific Objectives
To culturally adapt and validate the standard Pictorial Fit-Frail Scale(self-assessment) against the Fried Frailty Phenotype Scale for frailty screening among OPLWH aged ≥50 years at the Infectious Disease Institute, Kampala.
1.4.2. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
(i) To culturally adapt the PFFS among OPLWH aged ≥ 50 years at the infectious disease institute, Kampala, by assessing comprehension of its 14 pictorial domains and modifying images as needed for the Ugandan context.
(ii) To determine the diagnostic validity of the PFFS compared to FFP scale for frailty screening among OPLWH aged ≥50 years at the Infectious Disease Institute, Kampala.
(iii) To determine the level of agreement between frailty classifications obtained using the PFFS and FFP among OPLWH aged ≥50 years at the Infectious Disease Institute, Kampala.


Uganda 2026-04-10 18:20:22 2029-04-10 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
John Mugwanya Mulo
ID: UNCST-2026-R023496
Digital Media and Malaria Vaccine: Perceptions of Parents with Children Under Five in Wakiso and Karenga Districts, in Uganda
REFNo: SS5060ES

In general, the research will understand the perceptions of parents with children under five years of age on the influence of digital media on the uptake of the malaria vaccine in Wakiso and Karenga Districts. Specifically, it will: explore how parents of children under five in Wakiso and Karenga Districts in Uganda perceive the influence of digital media on malaria vaccine acceptance, identify barriers and facilitators to malaria vaccine uptake shaped by digital media exposure and develop qualitative insights and recommendations for leveraging trusted digital media channels to enhance malaria vaccine uptake, complementing interventions like vector control, case management, chemoprevention and surveillance.
Uganda 2026-04-10 18:17:56 2029-04-10 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
William Worodria Ofuti
ID: UNCST-2022-R010915
Program for Rifampicin-Resistant Disease with Stratified Medicine for TB” (PRISM-TB)
REFNo: HS7398ES

To identify, among participants with fluoroquinolone-susceptible multidrug-resistant/rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (FQ-S MDR/RR-TB), the preferred BPaLM strategy of 13 or 17 weeks for participants stratified to receive shorter treatment and 17 or 24 weeks for participants stratified to receive longer treatment, as defined by a prespecified stratification algorithm, and to evaluate whether this BPaLM strategy has noninferior efficacy to the control strategy at Week 73.

1. To evaluate whether a BPaLM strategy of 17 weeks for participants stratified to receive shorter treatment and 24 weeks for participants stratified to receive longer treatment, as defined by a prespecified stratification algorithm, has superior DOOR probability to the control strategy combining efficacy at the end of follow-up (a minimum of 28 weeks post-randomization) and safety at 28 weeks post-randomization.
2. To evaluate whether a BPaLM strategy of 17 weeks for all participants has superior DOOR probability to the control strategy combining efficacy at the end of follow-up (a minimum of 28 weeks post-randomization) and safety at 28 weeks post-randomization.
3. To evaluate whether a BPaLM strategy of 13 weeks for participants stratified to receive shorter treatment and 24 weeks for participants stratified to receive longer treatment, as defined by a prespecified stratification algorithm, has superior DOOR probability to the control strategy combining efficacy at the end of follow-up (a minimum of 28 weeks post-randomization) and safety at 28 weeks post-randomization.
4. To evaluate whether a BPaLM strategy of 13 weeks for participants stratified to receive shorter treatment and 17 weeks for participants stratified to receive longer treatment, as defined by a prespecified stratification algorithm, has superior DOOR probability to the control strategy combining efficacy at the end of follow-up (a minimum of 28 weeks post-randomization) and safety at 28 weeks post-randomization.
5. To compare the proportion of participants who experience grade 3 or higher adverse events by Week 28 in the preferred BPaLM strategy to the control strategy.
6. To compare the proportion of participants who experience adverse events of special interest by Week 28 in the preferred BPaLM strategy to the control strategy.
7. To compare the proportion of participants who experience a TB-related unfavorable outcome at Week 73 on the preferred BPaLM strategy with the control strategy, among participants stratified to receive shorter treatment.
8. To compare the proportion of participants who experience a TB-related unfavorable outcome at Week 73 on the preferred BPaLM strategy with the control strategy, among participants stratified to receive longer treatment.
9. To evaluate the pharmacokinetics of all drugs in the BPaLM regimen with an additional focus on bedaquiline elimination (Stages 1 and 2).
10. To determine the dose-response and exposure-response relationships between study drug estimated PK parameters with efficacy and toxicity (Stages 1 and 2).
11. To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of treatment stratification in the context of treatment for MDR/RR-TB from the participant and the health system perspective (Stages 1 and 2).
Uganda 2026-04-10 18:15:27 2029-04-10 Medical and Health Sciences Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
View Sort By:

"A prosperous Science and Technology Led Ugandan Society."