Welcome to ResearchFinds News, a pioneering news platform dedicated to science communication and research translation in Africa. At ResearchFinds News, we generate 24-hour news from research findings on various subjects to benefit a non-academic audience, particularly the masses. Using a “newsification” model, we remove academic jargon from technical research, making findings accessible to the public and bridging the gap between academia, policymaking, and industry.
Combining academic rigor with journalistic flair, we promote public understanding of scientific research by enhancing science communication in Uganda and the region. Easy and accurate communication of research findings through a media lens supports effective communication with policymakers, industry, and the masses. This democratization of access to research products aims to make knowledge opportunities universal, sustainable, and impactful, enhancing socio-economic development and addressing disease and climate issues in Africa, which contributes about 2% of global research according to the World Economic Forum (2023).
Bridging research and industry has been central to contemporary debates about the relevance of academic research to socio-economic transformation. This need inspired us to launch the first-ever news website in Africa that translates complex scientific research to the wider world using a newsification model. Our goal is to bring the latest breakthroughs from the best researchers in Uganda and globally to the masses.
The service was conceptualized in early 2019 when prominent journalists mentioned the difficulty of accessing research information in Africa. Concurrently, researchers and academicians expressed frustration over their findings not garnering media attention. This spurred the idea of fostering conversations between academia and the media to promote research and industry collaboration for policy engagement and national transformation.
With my background as a researcher and 24 years of experience as a journalist, these conversations planted the seed that grew into ResearchFinds News. After discussions with university leaders, researchers, graduate students, and journalists, I realized that Uganda and Africa needed a mechanism to connect researchers and journalists directly.
In 2022, we launched researchfindsnews.com, Uganda’s and Africa’s first research translation news portal. This platform creates a framework for researchers, graduate students, and institutions to share their findings and thrive within the policy environment. Researchers have gained greater recognition for their work, and journalists have benefited from a centralized resource for diverse news to interest their readers, viewers, and listeners.
Over the years, we listened to our clients and evolved to provide a complete suite of communication services, research, and training for institutions looking to expand their international presence. Our flagship Research Finds News website and Findings e-magazine have been so popular that we adopted the title Research Finds News as our brand name with a redesigned website in 2024. An e-TV is also in the works. We are proud to support Africa’s research community by increasing awareness of impactful research throughout the region.
Our mission is clear – to bridge the gap between scientific research and industry. By infusing academic rigor with journalistic flair, we strive to bring impactful research and researchers to the forefront of decision-making and policy influence. We believe that research should not be confined to academic circles but should resonate with the wider community, driving positive change in society.
Beyond newsifying complex scientific research findings, we offer Research Services, Research Communication Skills, Academic Research Support and Mentorship, Research Methods Training, and coverage of scientific research and dissemination events. Visit this Portal.
Whether you are an academic, industry professional, policymaker, or curious individual, Research Finds News welcomes you to explore the fascinating world of research through our engaging content. We encourage researchers to share their findings HERE and connect with us via telephone, social media, and email. Together, let’s unravel the complexities of science and innovation for a brighter, knowledge-driven future.
Our experienced team of science writers, editors, designers, and communicators, maintain a seasoned bias towards science reporting and span the globe and time zones, sharing a passion for science, excellent communication, and service. If you would like to increase awareness about your research, please get in touch at news@researchfindsnews.com
With a wealth of experience in reporting, editing, and translating complex research reports into easy-to-read stories, Dr. Rugyendo oversees all aspects of this innovative startup. Before life as a media entrepreneur at The Pepper Publications Ltd and as a Bureau Chief for Daily Monitor in Western Uganda, he reported extensively the Rwanda- Uganda conflict, the DRC conflict, the religious cult known as the Movement for the Restoration of the 10 Commandments of God in Kanungu Western Uganda, the hotly-contested 2001, 2011, 2016 and 2021general elections in Uganda. He has also been a regular panelist in popular talk shows such as the Media Round Table at NBS Television among others. His interest in journalism grew from reporting stories while as a student at Makerere University in 1998. While in his third year pursuing Sociology and Political Science, he co-founded Uganda’s first Tabloid newspaper The Red Pepper which hit the streets in June 2001, a year after his graduation. Being able to marshal this wealth of media experience that spans over two decades, a Master’s in Social Media Marketing, and a Doctorate in Journalism and Communication, research, and news mix is a dream job for him. Dr. Rugyendo is also a Desmond Tutu Fellow (Class of 2012), a scholar with Makerere University and Devine International University, and a Crans Montana New Leader and Chairman of the Uganda Premier League. He loves trying out new things, thinking beyond the box, and promoting STEM Education among children at the African School of Innovations Science and Technology using a LEGO and Robotics curriculum. The school which runs the popular Young Engineers Uganda program has impacted over 6000 kids since 2016 and its children have been top performers at world Robotics events such as Uganda National STEM Education Championship, Pana Africa Robotics Championship – Dakar, Vex Robotics Championship – Dallas, Enjoy AI Global Robotics Contest – Shanghai, Met Rov Competition – Tennessee and International Greenwich Olympiad – London.
Read how Rugyendo pioneered Africa’s research translation using a newsification model in Research Finds News- How it All Began.
Research translation is a form of science communication that has come a long way, globally. In Africa, it is a new form story storytelling that is not particularly attractive to journalists who are after exciting events such as politics, conflict corruption, and war. Science reporting is not particularly an attractive news beat unless deliberately funded. We are proud at Research Finds News to pioneer a news model that will liberate research from the shelves and make it a people-centered product for socio-economic transformation throughout Africa.
Africa currently contributes a very small percentage to global research, with estimates placing it at around 1% of the world’s total research output, according to various REPORTS.
My motivation to start this news website came from my enrollment for a doctoral program at Makerere University in 2019 during my literature review for the proposal and from fellow researchers who were constantly complaining about why Ugandan media never focused on their useful findings and helped to tell their stories.
From my interaction with research findings and mountains of research products from various peer-reviewed and prestigious journals, I discovered a huge communication gap between media and academia. I also noticed this was the sole reason there was a gap between academia and industry. While academicians were communicating to themselves through the publication of their research in journals, the public and particularly policymakers had no clue about this. Yet, research, beyond enriching academic knowledge, ought to benefit the wider society.
Having discovered this huge gap, I set on a mission to newsify complex scientific research findings using a newsification model that combines academic rigor with a journalistic flair. I felt the flair would be the bait for the wider society to read the journal articles through a hyperlink within the ‘newsified’ stories.
When the COVID-19 crisis engulfed the globe and the Ugandan government subjected the country to many lockdowns, I shelved the idea until the first journal-sourced test story which was published on September 14, 2023. It was titled: Study Links Intimate Partner Violence to HIV in Women. The feedback was immense, with scholars freely contributing their papers to be newsified. So, somewhat naively, I decided to set up a platform for researchers, graduate students, universities, and journalists, which later became Research Finds News.
Translation of complex scientific research has come a long way since then, with more news coverage from universities, journals, graduate students, and researchers from around the country, region, and the globe. I am grateful for the opportunity to innovate in academia and create a conversation between academicians and journalists for the benefit of research. The results of our efforts are enormous. In August 2014, I was nominated for the prestigious Vitae Impact, Culture, and Engagement (ICE) Awards in the UK. Particularly, I was nominated for the Innovative and Inclusive Practice Award, highlighting our efforts to bridge the gap between academia and the public in Uganda through our impactful solution.
Over the years, we’ve worked with leading research institutions in Africa, listened to their needs and developed solutions to meet those needs. It was not an easy journey – working long hours with no pay, but each year, we continue to grow, expanding through word of mouth and continuous building of new relationships and cementing existing ones in the hope that we will morph into one supportive community.
I would like to thank the many people who have helped us along the way. We are proud to support Africa’s research community by continuing to increase awareness of impact research and innovation throughout the region.
