Partner Institution: Bahir Dar University, public university in Ethiopia, established in 2000, with 30,000 full- and part-time students
AWB Volunteers: Colleen Willard-Holt (Wilfrid Laurier University) & Doug Orr (University of Lethbridge )
Challenge: Improve Grant Writing and Communication Skills to Support Local Research
At Bahir Dar University (BDU) in Ethiopia, many faculty and researchers face persistent hurdles in securing research funding—from limited experience with competitive grant writing to difficulty identifying funders and clearly communicating the value of their work. These challenges impede faculty research activity, thereby preventing the university from realizing its full potential.
Strengthening research capacity is essential. When faculty and students are equipped with modern research skills, universities can generate knowledge that is rooted in local realities rather than imported from the outside. This type of locally grounded research is vital to tackling the social and economic challenges shaping the country’s future.
Approach: Adapt AWB’s Scholarly Communication Essentials Program to BDU’s Needs
Recognizing this need, BDU External Relations and Partnership Directorate, in coordination with the Externally Funded Projects Directorate under the Vice President for Research and Community Engagement, initiated a proposal with Academics Without Borders to strengthen research capacity across the university. Their proposal aimed to help BDU faculty become more competitive in research funding by giving them the essential skills to identify funding opportunities, structure persuasive applications, and communicate their research ideas clearly and effectively.
Academics Without Borders (AWB) was well positioned to respond with its Scholarly Communication Essentials (SCE) Program, designed by AWB volunteers with deep expertise in research communication. The SCE Program provides online instruction with the goal of enhancing participants’ success in academic research grant competitions, publications, conference presentations and other forms of scholarly communication. Delivered through a flexible online platform, the SCE Program combines synchronous and asynchronous modules that can be adapted to meet an institution’s specific needs, ensuring that the transfer of knowledge and skills is sustained long after the project is completed.
Results and Impact: Build upon and Sustain New Research Capacity at BDU
AWB recently completed the second SCE Program project with faculty from Bahir Dar University’s College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, the College of Business and Administration, the College of Education, and the Faculty of Social Sciences.
Beginning in May 2025, participants engaged in a six-month structured learning experience that covered every major step in grant development – from proposal preparation and budgeting to literature reviews, submission requirements, and the final editing needed for a competitive proposal. A major outcome was the creation of an adaptable grant-writing module that will be integrated into BDU’s ongoing professional development initiatives, allowing future faculty to benefit from the same training.
Participants who completed the program also developed tailored, field-specific training materials to support colleagues across different academic units. These faculty-led trainings will roll out in 2026 and are expected to become a permanent feature of BDU’s professional development offerings. Building on the momentum, BDU is advancing complementary efforts, including ongoing research-skilled workshops and expanded support services through the research office.
This project, implemented in collaboration with AWB, represents a first for the university – both in its delivery model and in its long-term promising impact.
Dr. Manendante Mulugeta, Director External Relations and Partnership, Bahir Dar University, described the impact of this collaboration with AWB:
“The Essentials of Scholarly Communication program has had a transformative impact at Bahir Dar University. It not only strengthened our staff’s confidence and capacity to write competitive grant proposals but also laid the groundwork for a sustainable institutional approach to research funding. Through our collaboration with Academics Without Borders, we have developed adaptable training resources that will continue to build capacity across the university. This partnership has truly advanced our vision of fostering a vibrant and globally engaged research culture.”
AWB Volunteers Colleen Willard-Holt (Wilfrid Laurier University) and Doug Orr (University of Lethbridge ) co-led the course development and delivery with the project team from Bahir Dar University and with content contributions from many AWB volunteers.
Thank you, Colleen and Doug, for your outstanding leadership—and to all our AWB volunteers who so generously share their time and expertise to advance global equity in higher education.
And a heartfelt thank you to our friends and generous donors, our host institution–the University of British Columbia–and AWB/USF’s Network of universities, colleges and polytechnics whose support makes the impactful work of AWB’s dedicated volunteers possible.
Colleen Willard-Holt, Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Education, Wilfrid Laurier University
Doug Orr, (Retired) Teaching Development Facilitator, University of Lethbridge Teaching Centre
