To date, Scriptoria has provided three training courses for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - the world’s largest philanthropic foundation.
UK 2011: 6-day funding proposal writing workshop
Run in London in 2011, this intensive workshop taught participants applying for BBSRC, Gates Foundation and DFID funding how to plan, structure and write first-class funding proposals.
The course flew top scientists from all over Africa to the UK, in order to give them intensive training. Activities included a mock panel run by staff from the funding bodies themselves, which helped participants appreciate how funding proposals are judged. As far as we are aware, this was the first time that this has ever been done. Finally, participants were sent to spend a day with their UK partners to help finalise their proposals prior to submission. The course received outstanding feedback.
Tanzania 2009: 6-day advocacy workshop
Participants working in breakout groups to develop advocacy strategies using the techniques they have just been taught.
This course took an in-depth look at how to communicate the benefits of new orange-fleshed sweet potato varieties. It helped 28 participants learn how to identify key messages, target key audiences, develop an advocacy strategy, and track the progress of their campaign.
Participants in the training course came from all over sub-Saharan Africa and included nutritionists, sweet potato breeders, agricultural extensionists and post-harvest experts. Scriptoria's training has helped these practitioners realise their common goal: to let farmers, government policy makers, the private sector and the media all know that the new
varieties of orange-fleshed sweet
potato spell good news for Africa.
Ethiopia 2009: 5-day journal article communications training course and workshop
Three co-authors finalising their journal article at the end of a
week-long workshop run by Scriptoria in Ethiopia.
Scriptoria’s first course for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation took place in Addis Ababa, in 2009. It provided 20 research and development specialists from across Africa with intensive writing skills training.
A particular feature was the follow-up mentoring after the course; Nineteen out of twenty participants sent their papers to us for formative editing and feedback before submitting them to journals. They found this invaluable for reinforcing what they had learned.
To book a course, enquire about prices and find out about available dates,
please email enquiries@scriptoria.co.uk or phone us on +44 (0)20 8432 7337.
