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Collaborative Projects Coordination Directorate

The Collaborative Projects Coordination Directorate serves as the central hub for all partnership-based and externally funded projects at Hawassa University. We oversee, facilitate, and manage collaborative initiatives with national and international institutions, development partners, industries, and government organizations.

The Collaborative Projects Coordination Directorate (CPCD) at Hawassa University is a key administrative unit under the Office of the Vice President for Research and Collaboration. It focuses on fostering partnerships and managing collaborative initiatives to enhance the university’s engagement with external stakeholders. Below is a structured overview of its roles and functions:

  • Enhances the university’s role in setting partnership with different local and global business, industries, the community and public sector by which activities are rechanneled into the development and support of the curriculum and teaching-learning process;
  • Facilitate the participation of various stakeholders so that collaborative projects can properly carry out their activities;
  • Create collaborative projects database at the university level and update regularly;
  • Sets ground to increase collaborative projects/ research grants contribute to the revenue of research and professional practice activities across the university, thereby reducing dependence on public funding for research;
  • Builds the capacity of staff in networking and grant writing, and address globally posted calls for a grant application; and
  • Monitors and supports the implementation of the projects to bring desirable change in the community as per the agreement.

In the last few years, Hawassa University is increasingly attracting the attention of international institutions and organizations for collaborative engagements. This is mainly due to the outstanding performances of its academic staff in research, publications and development of grant-winning project proposals, as well as the university’s excellent records in administration and management of collaborative projects.


Currently, there are 97 active collaborative projects being executed across all colleges under Hawassa University. According to their mode of application, these projects can be categorized into Capacity Building, Research, Innovation & Technology Transfer and Community Service. From the total number of these collaborative projects 1 is related to both Capacity Building, Technology Transfer and Community Service; 3 to both Research and Capacity Building; 3 to both Research, Capacity Building & Technology Transfer; 13 to both Research, Capacity Building and Community Service; 25 to both Capacity Building, Technology Transfer and Community Service; 2 to both Research and Community service, 3 to both Capacity Building and Community Service; 5 to Capacity Building; and  42 to Research.


These projects are playing vital role in improving the capacities of Hawassa University through developing the manpower, fulfilling the resources required for teaching and research, as well as through transferring appropriate technologies. Currently, Hawassa University’s collaborative projects are supporting over 203 PhD and Master’s Degree level students through full or partial sponsorships of their expenses.

Roles and Responsibilities of CPCD, Director

The director of the CPCD who is accountable to VPRTT, is responsible to:

  • Initiate and facilitate collaboration with different local and global partners in capacity building research and community services
  • Follow up the experts’ activities and direct in the way to enhance the partners’ further collaborations to the university
  • Settle conflict of interest among various stakeholders of collaborative projects with the VPRC and other officials
  • Facilitate suitable ground for collaborative projects follow up and supervision
  • Organize annual forum of collaborative projects at the university level by inviting projects coordinators and donors
  • Support college level focal persons to discharge their duties effectively
  • Identify and invite potential trainers/experts to deliver training to academic staff on designing grant proposals in various disciplines; and
  • Chair panel of experts who are responsible for supervising the collaborative projects

Roles and Responsibilities of Officers under CPCD

There are two officers currently working under the director of the collaborative projects' coordination directorate. These include Collaborative Projects Partnerships Strengthening Officer and Collaborative Projects Follow up and Reporting Officer. These officers have well defined activities, which are aligning with the detail responsibilities of the office. Below are their respective activities   

Collaborative Projects Partnerships Strengthening Officer

The partnerships strengthening officer has the following specific activities

  1. Lead, plan and report project partnership related activities of the university 
  2. Search for different national and international calls for project/ research proposals form websites and links and dispatch them to their respective departments for action;
  3. Avail sample proposals or requirements of different countries call to professionals who design proposals for a possible funding;
  4. Set training to various potential academic staff on how to develop grant proposals and win funds;
  5. Establish grant proposal writing team in academic unit/ college level so that grant proposal call can be responded efficiently and easily;
  6. Facilitate the subscription of potential website or company which regularly post grant proposal calls in global level;
  7. Post interdisciplinary/ multidisciplinary funding proposal calls in different notice boards across the university.
  8. Set and lead team of experts at a university level who develop proposals for multidisciplinary grant calls.
  9. Develop anti-corruption and other relevant documents required by donners as a requirement for awarding grants
  10. In collaboration with project coordinators, organize kick off workshop for all collaborative projects won by the university
  11. Ensure that all collaborative projects pass through ethical review system of the university
  12. Ensure that all collaborative projects pay overhead cost to the university unless exempted by the university
  13. Perform other activities assigned by CPCD/VPRTT Office
Collaborative Projects Follow up and Reporting Officer

The follow-up and reporting officer has the following duties:

  1. Lead, plan and report the performances of collaborative projects of the university
  2. Develop collaborative projects profile documentation system where all grants will be given HU institutional ID
  3. Creates and updates the database of all collaborative projects in the university on a regular base.
  4. Prepare quarterly report (financial and performance) of all collaborative projects performance and send them to the VPRTT on the requested time.
  5. Send reminders to all collaborative projects coordinators every quarter to send their quarterly report the CPCO.
  6. Develops collaborative projects performance evaluation checklist in consultation with the CPCO director.
  7. Evaluate the implementation of all collaborative projects of the University as per the initial proposal together with team of expert established by CPCD/VPRTT
  8. Document collaborative projects evaluation feedback sent from the panel of experts in every evaluation term.
  9. Submit the performances of collaborative projects to CPCD on a regular base
  10. Ensure that all collaborative projects are terminated as per the exit strategies indicated in HU's collaborative projects guideline and in the project proposals.
  11. Perform other activities assigned by CPCD/VPRTT Office

Staff profile:

The directorate has three staff members: One director and two officers

Shimelis Nigatu (PhD)

Director, Collaborative Projects Coordination Directorate

Tele: +251913703254

Email: shemelis@hu.edu.et / cpcd@hu.edu.et

Po box 05. Hawassa Ethiopia

Shemelis Nigatu (PhD), Director

Academic Rank: Associate Profession in Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies


2. Collaborative Projects Partnerships Strengthening Officer

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Contact details:

Shimelis Nigatu (PhD)



Staff profile:

The directorate has three staff members: One director and two officers

1. Director

Full Name: Shemelis Nigatu (PhD)

Academic Rank: Associate Profession in Renewable Energy Resources and Technologies

2. Collaborative Projects Partnerships Strengthening Officer

Full Name: Semaria Moja (PhD)

Academic Rank: Assistant Professor in Water Resources Engineering & Management

3. Collaborative Projects Follow up and Reporting Officer

Full Name: Akalewold Fedlu

Academic Rank: Assistant Professor in Development Management