We engage in transdisciplinary collaborative work that seeks to strengthen research capacity and promote science as a vehicle for economic development. All our activities align with one or more of our thematic areas.
Our activities are developed and led by ZIMYAS Fellows working in cross-disciplinary and international teams.
We address current challenges faced in Zimbabwe by collaborating with both the local and national government as well as the private sector; thus, ensuring our projects succeed while garnering a wider reach.
We have six active working groups.
Research Excellence
Institutional and national assessment of research excellence plays a critical role in research quality and integrity. The Research Excellence Working Group seeks to develop a national framework for research excellence that promotes ethical, quality, and impactful research.
Research Education
Strengthening the research capacity of young scholars helps position science as a vehicle for development. The Researcher Education Working Group conducts training events and develops resources aimed at improving research quality, collaborations, design, and dissemination.
Women in STEM
Few women pursue a career in STEM due to gender stereotypes, male-dominated cultures, and fewer role models. The Women in STEM Initiative seeks to develop and lead activities that offer women skills to succeed in STEM, improve STEM education and support for girls, and promote recruitment and retention of women in STEM careers.
Healthy Society
Provision of better health and well-being through is essential for societies to function optimally and sustainably. The Healthy Society Initiative develops and leads activities that bring together policy-makers, young scholars, and other stakeholders from the public and private sector to develop sustainable health and environment solutions.
Science Advice
The Zimbabwe Science Advice for Policy Initiative seeks to provide timely, independent, high quality, and evidence-based scientific advice to policymakers in the public and private sector. The Initiative provides a platform and creates strategies for improving engagement between policy-makers and scientists.
Mentoring & Outreach
Effective mentoring and outreach strategies are essential for encouraging young people to consider science as a career and improving public trust in science. The Mentoring & Outreach Team develops and leads innovative programs for providing an immersive experience in science for youths in marginalized areas.
Our Strategic Plan
We recently developed a Five-Year Strategic Plan that sets out our core aims and objects in the 2020-2025 period. The strategic plan identifies six key focus areas which we center our activities and through which we seek to deliver on our forward-looking and ambitious mission.
We developed cross-disciplinary Grand Challenges leveraging our collective expertise as ZIMYAS Fellows. We will be assessing progress in the Grand Challenges biannually.
- Private-public partnerships for solving water crisis
- Affordable, accessible, and appealing approaches for saving lives at birth
- Innovative approaches for increasing women participation in STEM
- Fostering research excellence through science capacity building
The goal of science is to bring a change in our knowledge of fundamentals that can improve society. Our key objective at ZIMYAS is to faciltate cutting edge research that can transform the quality of life among Zimbabweans.
Development the scientific capacity of the researcher is pivotal in fostering research excellence and good scientific practices. The key aim of ZIMYAS is to improve the research environments for scientists in Zimbabwean research institutions.
The SDGs can be attained through promotion of STEM in disadvantaged populations. The goal of ZIMYAS is to facilitate the attainment of SDGs through science education in communities. ZIMYAS conducts outreach meetings on science education.