Afternoons with SPMS, the School-level seminar series of the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (SPMS) hosted Dr. Elena McCarthy, a Science Director at the U.S. Office of Naval Research-Global (ONR). The programme was held on 17^th August, 2023.

Dr. Elena McCarthy

The purpose of the seminar was to draw the attention of faculty, students and staff to funding opportunities available at ONR for research laboratories and universities outside the United States of America.  It was held both in-person at the auditorium of the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), University of Ghana, and virtually via Microsoft Teams.

The Dean of SPMS, Prof. S.M. Yidana chaired the program. In his opening remarks, he reiterated the importance of the seminars, and stated that he was hopeful the presentation would provide valuable insights to funding opportunities that faculty, students and staff could apply for, to advance their research work.

Prof. S.M. Yidana, Dean of SPMS

Giving her presentation, Dr. Elena McCarthy stated that ONR is a funding organization that provides grants to support basic research in science and technology related areas. She indicated that the organization has offices across sixteen (16) countries except Africa. As such, the organization is seeking to open an office in Africa to assist in providing more funds to Africans outside the US to conduct research. Dr. McCarthy mentioned that ONR currently assists in three (3) grant tools: Visiting Scientist Program that provides travel grants for foreign scientists to travel to the US, socialize and produce new Science and Technology (S&T) ideas or findings with the Naval Research Enterprise;  Collaborative Science Program which provides support for foreign or international workshops and conferences of Naval interests outside the US; and Research Grants, a 3-year grant that supports connection of innovative and international S&T to ONR programs and US Principal Investigators (PIs).

The presentation also covered characteristics of the funds awarded, and some success stories of ONR. Dr. McCarthy mentioned that funds are normally provided for non-U.S. based PIs and institutions. The organization also encourages open publishing of research results or outcomes.  She stated further that there are normally no deadlines for grants application, as such PIs can apply anytime with a viable research proposal for consideration by the organization. She provided ONR’s guidelines and procedures for applying for funding.

Dr. McCarthy delivering her presentation

There were questions and contributions from participants on the number of applicants that can win grants from the same institution; whether a project can be co-financed by other funders; and whether the organisation provides funds for data collection and analysis for research projects.

A participant asking a question during the Q&A session

The seminar attracted about thirty-six (36) participants including faculty members, staff and students from various units of the University. The program was moderated by Dr. Ralph Agyei Twum, a Lecturer from the Department of Mathematics, and the SPMS Seminar Series Coordinator.