Session 3 | AI in Research Operations
EXERCISE 3 AI for
Collaborative Intelligence: Exercise Handout
Mapping Expertise Across
Three Universities
45 Minutes | Partnership Development Focus
Format Tools Needed Output Required Debrief
Three University AI Tool + Expertise Draft Partnership Cross-Group
Sub-Groups Profiles (below) Rationale + Funding Comparison in
Opportunity List Plenary
Scenario & Context
Three Southern African universities are exploring a joint funding bid. Before approaching any funder, the
partnership needs to map its collective expertise, identify genuine complementarity, and articulate why these
three institutions are stronger together than apart.
You have 45 minutes to complete three phases: input your institution's expertise profile, use AI to map
complementarity and identify funding opportunities, and compare outputs across the group in plenary. The
outputs from this exercise are real and usable.
⚠️ The quality of AI output in this exercise depends entirely on the quality of the expertise
profiles you input in Phase 1. Vague inputs produce vague mapping. Spend time on the
profiles. Verify that the pre-populated information below reflects your institution accurately
and add anything missing.
Phase 1: Expertise Input (10 minutes)
Each sub-group reviews their institution's pre-populated profile below. Verify the information, correct anything
inaccurate, and add any research themes, centres, or partnerships not listed. This becomes the structured
input for your AI prompts in Phase 2.
University of Botswana (UB)
Gaborone, Botswana
Key Research Themes
• HIV/AIDS and infectious disease (Botswana-Harvard, UPenn partnerships)
• Non-communicable diseases and cancer (NIH/NCI-funded)
• Environmental science, water security, Okavango Delta
• Community-based health and mental health research
• Agricultural systems and food security
• Education policy and curriculum development
• Indigenous knowledge systems
Active Research Centres
• Botswana-Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership (BHP)
• Botswana-UPenn Partnership (cancer and infectious disease)
• Harry Oppenheimer Okavango Research Centre
Key Partners and Funders
NIH/NCI, USAID/PEPFAR, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, University of
Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins, NYU, University of Maryland
Priority SDGs
SDG 3 Good Health · SDG 6 Clean Water · SDG 4 Quality Education · SDG 15 Life on Land
· SDG 17 Partnerships
Participant note: Verify and add any current research initiatives not listed above.
Your additions and corrections for this institution's profile:
University of Malawi (UNIMA)
Zomba, Malawi
Key Research Themes
• Agri-food systems and smallholder agriculture
• Climate change adaptation and food security
• Applied social science and development programme M&E
• Education research, planning, and policy
• Environmental and natural resource management
• Peace, conflict, and security studies
• Language policy and multilingual education
Active Research Centres
• Centre for Resilient Agri-food Systems (CRAFS)
• Centre for Social Research (CSR)
• LEAD Southern and Eastern Africa
• Centre for Education Training and Research (CERT)
• Natural Resources and Environment Centre (NAREC)
• Centre for Peace and Conflict Management
Key Partners and Funders
Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), EU Horizon Europe Africa Initiative,
IDRC/Science Granting Councils Initiative, LEAD network
Priority SDGs
SDG 2 Zero Hunger · SDG 4 Quality Education · SDG 13 Climate Action · SDG 15 Life on
Land · SDG 16 Peace and Justice
Participant note: Verify and add any current research initiatives not listed above.
Your additions and corrections for this institution's profile:
University of Pretoria (UP)
Pretoria, South Africa
Key Research Themes
• Infectious diseases — TB, HIV/AIDS, malaria (human and veterinary)
• Precision oncology in African populations (PACRI/SAMRC)
• Agricultural science, crop breeding, veterinary science (ranked 1st in Africa)
• SDG research and sustainable development policy (hosts SA SDG Hub)
• Health economics and systems policy
• Natural products and bioprospecting
• Education, resilience, and wellbeing research
Active Research Centres
• Pan African Cancer Research Institute (PACRI)
• South African SDG Hub (national policy platform)
• Future Africa Institute
• Centre for the Study of Resilience
• 70+ additional institutes and centres
Key Partners and Funders
SAMRC, NRF (SARChI Chairs), Gates Foundation, IDRC, World Bank, Rockefeller, EU,
Columbia University, WUN network, UN Academic Impact hub (SDG 2)
Priority SDGs
SDG 1 No Poverty · SDG 2 Zero Hunger · SDG 3 Good Health · SDG 8 Decent Work · SDG
13 Climate Action · SDG 17 Partnerships
Participant note: Verify and add any current research initiatives not listed above.
Your additions and corrections for this institution's profile:
Phase 2: AI Mapping Prompts (20 minutes)
Combine the three completed institution profiles into a single input. Work through the four prompts below in
sequence. Paste your AI output after each prompt before moving to the next.
TASK 1: Identify Complementarity
"Here are research expertise profiles for three Southern African universities: University of
Botswana, University of Malawi, and [SA institution]. Identify 5 areas where these institutions
have complementary (not overlapping) expertise that would make them strong joint
applicants for international research funding. For each area, specify which institution
contributes what." Record the AI response below. Check: are the identified areas genuinely
complementary, or is the AI describing overlaps?
AI Response — Prompt 1 (paste output here):
TASK 2: Match to Funders
"Based on these complementary strengths, suggest 3 funding bodies or specific grant
programmes that would fund a multi-country research collaboration across Botswana,
Malawi, and South Africa. For each, explain why the partnership profile fits their priorities.
Include: funder name, relevant programme, typical grant size, and application deadline
cycle." Record the AI response. Check: are these real funders? Are the programmes
specific? Are deadlines plausible?
AI Response — Prompt 2 (paste output here):
TASK 3: Draft Partnership Rationale
"Draft a 200-word Partnership Rationale section for a funding proposal. It should describe
why this specific three-university partnership is stronger than any one institution applying
alone. Reference the geographic spread, the complementary methodologies, and the shared
regional priorities. Tone: formal, evidence-oriented, not promotional." Record the AI
response. Check: is the tone appropriate? Does it reference specific institutional strengths,
or is it generic?
AI Response — Prompt 3 (paste output here):
TASK 4: Identify Gaps
"Looking at the three profiles together, what expertise, infrastructure, or capacity is missing
that funders would expect to see in a major multi-country research bid? What would
strengthen this partnership before applying?" Record the AI response. Check: are the
identified gaps realistic? What has the AI missed that you know funders prioritise in your
research area?
AI Response — Prompt 4 (paste output here):
Phase 3: Cross-Group Synthesis (15 minutes)
Groups share their AI outputs in plenary. The facilitator leads a structured comparison using the questions
below.
Did different groups get different results from the same prompts? Why?
How accurate was the AI's identification of funding opportunities?
Was the AI-drafted Partnership Rationale usable? What needed editing?
What would the next steps be to turn this into a real funding bid?
What You Leave With
By the end of this exercise, each participant group will have produced:
• A verified expertise map for their institution
• An AI-generated complementarity analysis across all three universities
• At least 3 funding opportunity suggestions with rationale
• A draft Partnership Rationale paragraph ready for editing
💡 These are real, usable outputs. Save your AI responses and the edited Partnership
Rationale. Develop them further after the session.
Exercise 3 | AI for Collaborative Intelligence | Page 1 | Connecting Research Futures Programme – FOR PARTICIPANT USE
ONLY