RoRI welcomes Namibia’s NCRST as a new project partner

RoRI is delighted to have Namibia’s National Commission on Research, Science and Technology (NCRST) join us on two project initiatives. As Namibia’s lead agency for advancing science, technology, and innovation (STI), NCRST coordinates and promotes research across the country to drive national development and build an equitable research ecosystem. 

At the 14th Annual Meeting of the Global Research Council (GRC) in Bangkok, Prof. Dr. Anicia Peters, CEO of the NCRST and James Wilsdon, Executive Director of RoRI, signed a memorandum of understanding between our two organisations. Through this collaboration, NCRST will participate in two RoRI projects, generating data-driven insights to improve research funding efficiency and strengthen institutional capacities for evidence-based policy.

One of the initiatives the NCRST is joining is RoRI’s experiment with desk rejection, part of our AFIRE programme of funding experimentation. For this experiment, NCRST joins a multi-funder cohort to evaluate “desk rejection” – the practice of using internal funder expertise to filter out uncompetitive applications. NCRST will run a parallel, non-consequential “shadow” process to track how internal staff assessments compare to final external peer review outcomes, helping evaluate the efficiency and accuracy of the method.

Simultaneously, the NCRST joins a 21-country cohort of partners participating in RoRI’s META-MOMENT project, which will map and analyse national landscapes, investments, and infrastructures for metascience. Namibia’s inclusion strengthens perspectives from Africa and the global south within the project, helping us to generate a more diverse and comprehensive global picture.

On signing the agreement, Prof, Dr Anicia Peters, CEO of the NCRST, said:

“NCRST’s participation in the RoRI desk rejection experiment constitutes a strategic investment in enhancing Namibia’s research funding infrastructure. It is anticipated that this collaboration will yield refined, evidence-based tools to assist researchers, strengthen review mechanisms, and ensure that each Namibian dollar allocated to research generates optimal scientific and developmental outcomes.”