A delegation of Ethiopian public higher education research administrators visited The Ohio State University in June and engaged with university research leaders as part of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program. As part of their campus visit, the delegation met with representatives from various colleges, departments and research areas to explore strategies for strengthening research administration capacity and enhancing external research funding across Ethiopia.
Members of the Ethiopian delegation represented 10 research institutions and the Ministry of Education. Participants gained insights into processes, systems, innovation incubators, labs and commercialization centers, highlighting the significant role of research administration in supporting and leading research and innovation ecosystems.
“The delegation members will continue working on strategies to improve research administration capacity of each respective university and to improve external research funding as a country. Creating a better research ecosystem for researchers, promoting interdisciplinary research, technology transfer and entrepreneurship will be key takeaway,” said Desalgne Mengesha Degefaw, country director, Ohio State Global One Health LLC Ethiopia.
Upon returning to Ethiopia, participants will share their experiences in a workshop scheduled for July 2025 and contribute to the development of a Research University Consortium. Supporting the transformation of Ethiopia’s higher education sector along U.S. land grant university models strengthens the alignment of Ethiopian universities to the United States, which will encourage greater partnership between U.S. and Ethiopian universities and result in joint research activities and research outputs.
While at Ohio State, the delegation met with leaders from the Infectious Disease Institute, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, the Fisher College of Business, the Global One Health initiative and other principal investigators.
The International Visitor Leadership Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' premier professional exchange program. The program builds mutual understanding between the U.S. and other nations through short-term visits to the U.S. for current and emerging foreign leaders.