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| Learning Alliance for Science | |
|---|---|
| Name | Learning Alliance for Science |
| Abbreviation | LAS |
| Type | Nonprofit |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Location | Kampala, Uganda |
| Area served | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Focus | Agricultural innovation, capacity building, biosciences |
Learning Alliance for Science The Learning Alliance for Science is a Ugandan-based initiative that supports bioscience capacity building and agricultural innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa. Founded in Kampala, it connects researchers, universities, development agencies, donor organizations, and private-sector partners to foster applied research translation and human-resource development. The initiative emphasizes practical skills, regulatory engagement, and networked collaboration to accelerate adoption of crop improvement, pest management, and biotechnology.
The organization was established in 2012 with support from institutions such as Makerere University, National Agricultural Research Organisation, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, and funders including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and United States Agency for International Development. Early activities linked training programs at Kampala International University and collaborative workshops with University of Nairobi, University of Ghana, University of Zambia, and research stations like Mbarara University of Science and Technology Research Centre and CIMMYT trials. Over time LAS expanded partnerships to include policy stakeholders from African Union, New Partnership for Africa's Development, and regulatory agencies modeled after Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service and National Biosafety Committee of Uganda, while engaging multinational firms such as Syngenta and Bayer for technical exchange.
LAS articulates objectives aligned with capacity strengthening as seen in programs by Food and Agriculture Organization, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, and International Fund for Agricultural Development. Its mission emphasizes workforce development in laboratory skills, scientific communication, and research management paralleling curricula at Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center fellowships and training modules used by Wellcome Trust. Core goals include enhancing competence for technology adoption reminiscent of goals pursued by CGIAR centers, bolstering biosafety capacities comparable to World Health Organization frameworks, and promoting translational research linked to African Development Bank priorities.
LAS runs certificate courses, short courses, and mentorship schemes operated similarly to programs at Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Wellcome Sanger Institute. Typical initiatives include hands-on laboratory training inspired by protocols from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, field trials coordinated with International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, and data-management workshops modeled after European Molecular Biology Laboratory training. LAS also administers fellowships patterned on Newton Fund exchanges and entrepreneurial acceleration comparable to Tony Elumelu Foundation programs, and organizes policy dialogues reflecting formats used by Brookings Institution and Chatham House.
Strategic collaborations involve universities like University of Pretoria, University of Ibadan, Addis Ababa University, and international research institutes such as IRRI, ILRI, and IITA. LAS partners with donor organizations including UK Research and Innovation, Norad, and Canada's Global Affairs while engaging certification and standards bodies like African Continental Free Trade Area negotiators and regional regulatory networks modeled on SADC. Private-sector collaborators have included Monsanto-era initiatives, regional seed companies, and social enterprises comparable to One Acre Fund, while civil-society engagement mirrors activities by Oxfam and CARE International.
LAS measures outcomes using metrics similar to those adopted by Institute of Development Studies and RAND Corporation impact evaluations, tracking trainee employment at institutions such as Uganda Virus Research Institute and placement within projects at DFID-funded consortia. Independent evaluations have used methodologies applied by J-PAL and International Initiative for Impact Evaluation to assess adoption rates in crop trials influenced by LAS training, and to document policy uptake in regulatory reforms resembling processes at African Union Development Agency. Reported impacts include increased laboratory throughput at partner facilities, successful biosafety submissions to national committees, and enhanced publication output in journals like Nature Biotechnology and PLOS ONE.
Governance structures draw on models from The Wellcome Trust and university consortia with advisory boards comprising representatives from Makerere University School of Public Health, KEMRI, Zhejiang University-linked collaborations, and donor liaisons from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and USAID. Funding streams include grants, project-based contracts with entities such as CGIAR centers and multilateral development banks like World Bank, and fee-for-service arrangements with biotechnology firms and testing laboratories akin to Eurofins partnerships. Financial oversight and compliance follow standards referenced by International Organization for Standardization and auditing practices used by KPMG in development sector engagements.
Notable projects include collaborative capacity building for pest diagnostics with CABI and regional plant clinics inspired by Plantwise, varietal development support linked to CGIAR breeding programs, and rapid-response training for outbreak investigation aligning with Africa CDC protocols. Case studies document LAS contributions to marker-assisted selection trials with partners such as IITA and CIMMYT, biosafety dossier preparation for gene-edited crops comparable to submissions considered by European Food Safety Authority processes, and workforce development pipelines feeding laboratories like Makerere University Walter Reed Project and Kampala Capital City Authority public health units.
Category:Non-profit organisations based in Uganda