Research forms the basis of informed decision-making and is thus the foundation of good public policy-making.
These were the sentiments shared by the Executive Director of the Ministry of Higher Education Training and Innovation, Dr Alfred van Kent, addressing the National Student Research Symposium, in the capital.
Dr van Kent says research on the contextual relevance of policies is imperative in addressing issues at hand - and for capacity building in research, especially at higher learning institutions.
Scientific knowledge to be shared, he says, will guide national public policy development.
Dr van Kent also stated that there are mechanisms needed on how to package researched information to ensure its usefulness to different sectors.
“In an effort to develop a sustained national research capacity, we have to devise mechanisms to nurture young Namibian scientists and researchers to conduct high-quality research. “
He said researchers should develop the ability to translate research outcomes for application in innovative services and processes.
Researchers on a panel discussion emphasised the role of early career research for sustainable development and a knowledge-based economy.
As Namibia moves towards Vision 2030, UNAM's multidisciplinary researcher, Professor Davis Mubengegwi says early career researchers should keep societal impacts in mind - as this can contribute greatly to attaining their research goals. He says funding remains a challenge.
“Starting with the infrastructure for research, we are now in a global village and to be competitive we have to invest in research infrastructure. Secondly research activities, we need to support those as well and perhaps we need to go in a direction where we have specialized funding for early career researchers so that they don't have to compete with established researchers.”
The symposium offers an opportunity for students to share their work with peers, sharpen their presentation skills and stimulate an intellectual climate nationally, through discussion and collaboration, within and across disciplines and institutions.