SAGA Progress Report - Attachment 2: Memo of Understanding between CU, CAU and SISERA

SAGA
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SAGA Progress Report
October, 2002

ATTACHMENT 2.

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN CORNELL AND CLARK-ATLANTA UNIVERSITIES AND SISERA FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SAGA PROJECT

Preamble

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has approved a project entitled Strategic Analysis for Growth and Access (SAGA). The goal of the project, which will cover the period 2001-2005, is to provide support for African economic research. For the implementation of the project, three agencies have received grants that will support their respective programs of activities under SAGA. The African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) will conduct support for individual African economic researchers, in continuation of its regular program activities. The Secretariat for Institutional Support for Economic Research in Africa (SISERA) will use part of the funding support received from USAID to conduct its core activities and the remainder to implement activities designed specifically for the delivery of the SAGA project.

The latter include the management of a research competition and of a technical assistance program to be delivered in collaboration with Cornell and Clark-Atlanta Universities (CU/CAU). CU/CAU, the third recipient of the SAGA funds, will be responsible for the implementation of three components of the project, namely a collaborative research program on African economic issues, a small grants program and a technical assistance program. The purpose of this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is to provide further details on the collaboration that CU/CAU and SISERA have agreed to undertake in the delivery of their respective shares of the SAGA project. The terms of this agreement do not change or replace the responsibilities faced respectively by CU/CAU and SISERA with respect to the agreements signed with USAID.

1. Research activities

Cornell and Clark-Atlanta Universities and SISERA have distinct but complementary responsibilities in the conduct of economic research activities under SAGA. In order to capture the potential synergies that can arise from active collaboration, they will cooperate in the following areas.

Implementation of the CU/CAU research program under SAGA

CU/CAU have identified four major themes that will be the focus of the research program under SAGA. This research program aims to involve African economic research centres and researchers. SISERA will participate in the program by providing input into the selection of the countries and research centres that will cooperate with CU/CAU. USAID will also participate in the selection process. SISERA will play a role in the design and organization of dissemination activities by supporting seminars, conferences and workshops and by providing opportunities for publication of the research output, whenever possible. CU/CAU will keep SISERA informed about the progress of its research activities under SAGA to help facilitate planning of dissemination activities and monitor the institutional capacity building that will result from the involvement of African economic research institutions.

SISERA’s research competition under SAGA

SISERA will organize a research competition program aimed at supporting research project submitted by African economic research centres. As a component of the technical assistance provided for under the SAGA activity, Cornell University will serve on the Selection Panel of the program. It will also provide referee services for the projects submitted in the program. Its involvement in the research competition will also include the provision of technical assistance in the areas of coaching of research teams in the preparation of their proposals, and support for bibliographic search and access to databases. CU/CAU will attend the meetings of the selection panel and the annual conference of the research competition program.

2. Small grants program

Clark-Atlanta University, will conduct as a sub-contractor of Cornell University a Grants Program aimed at facilitating visits by U.S.-based scholars to African economic research and policy institutions. Clark-Atlanta will set up facilities i.e. office, fax and telephone lines and secretarial services, in the conduct of its mission. The research themes that will be the focus for the selection process will be chosen in collaboration with SISERA. To the extent feasible, these themes will be consistent with the research themes that are detailed in Cornell’s overall work plan. In this regard, SISERA will consult with its research centres and African regional organizations that may be interested in participating in the program.

The Grants Program will be governed by a Selection Committee that will include:

One representative of Clark-Atlanta University, Director of the Program
One representative of Cornell University
One representative of one historically black American university
One representative of SISERA
One representative of AERC
One representative of an African regional economic organization (to be appointed by SISERA in consultation with Clark-Atlanta).

The details of the selection process and acceptance procedures will be finalized through further consultations between Clark-Atlanta, Cornell University and SISERA. The Selection Committee will review the proposals and select the grantees based on virtual meetings to be coordinated by Clark-Atlanta.

The Grants Program is expected to result in a number of outputs, namely:

A brief written report submitted by the grantee at the end of the visit to the African host institution
A written report by the African host institution at the end the researcher’s visit
One or two seminars or workshops delivered by the grantee at the host institution, which will include the presentation of the findings of the research project
Availability for the host institution of all data and information collected by the visiting researcher during or in connection with his/her visit
Publication of one or two manuscripts in the SISERA Working Paper Series (co-authoring of manuscripts with researchers of the host institution will be strongly encouraged)

3. Technical Assistance

CU/CAU will provide technical assistance to African economic research centres at the request of SISERA in the following areas:

Researchers affiliated with SISERA institutions will be given the opportunity to attend training workshops organized by Cornell University outside the SAGA project. Financial support for attending such workshops will be provided by SISERA of the collaborating institution.
At the request of SISERA, CU/CAU will contribute staff time (course design and lecturers) for workshops and other training events initiated by SISERA or in collaboration with other agencies
CU/CAU will endeavour to provide technical assistance at the request of SISERA in areas outside the themes that are covered in its research program
When technical assistance requests cannot be covered directly by CU/CAU staff, CU/CAU and SISERA will emphasize the need to enlist the contribution of African trainers in the delivery of the Technical Assistance Program. This contribution will seek to involve SISERA research institutions and other qualified individual’s where appropriate
Part of CU/CAU’s technical assistance will be in the form of mentoring, coaching and other forms of scientific advice and supervision for African researchers affiliated with SISERA research centres
Cornell University will serve as a member of the Selection Panel of SISERA’s Research Competition and will provide scientific assistance related to the development, selection process of the proposals and final approval of the research output.
When technical assistance is financed from SISERA funding, Cornell University will submit a pro-forma invoice for its services to SISERA for acceptance and order of services before engaging in technical assistance activities, or modification of previously agreed activities
When technical assistance is financed from Cornell funding, Cornell will provide SISERA and the collaborating institution a estimated cost of providing the technical assistance, and will ensure that actual costs are within 10 percent of those estimated.

4. Management Plan

CU/CAU have set up an Institutional Advisory Committee (IAC) whose role will be to define the strategy of their activities under SAGA and assess the degree of effectiveness of its interventions. The composition of the Committee presently includes faculty representatives of Cornell University and Clark-Atlanta University. Cornell and SISERA will add to this IAC one representative of SISERA and USAID, whose participation in annual meetings will be self-financed. In addition, we will consider expanding the membership of this committee, where appropriate, to include one representative of an African Organization to be jointly selected by Cornell and SISERA.

The IAC will meet at least once a year and Cornell will serve as its Secretary.

December 10, 2001.

David Sahn, Cornell University

Diery Seck, SISERA

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