When: June – September 2025
Where: Virtual Sessions
Session Type: Participation via Expression of Interest
Organizing institute: The George Institute for Global Health, India
Course Brief:
The NIHR Global Health Research Centre for Non-communicable Diseases and Environmental Change facilitated a training course on the Basics of Research Project Management. Expertly led by Dr. Mercian Daniel and Naushad Alam Khan from the George Institute for Global Health, India, the course had 31 participants from Indonesia, India, and Bangladesh. Delivered through the Global RT Moodle platform, the course featured five comprehensive modules designed specifically for the cohort, ensuring a rich learning experience.
Intended learning objectives:
- To understand the key principles and concepts of project management.
- To understand the project management lifecycle for effective research project management.
- To develop a plan, execute, and monitor progress of a research project across the lifecycle.
- To plan and establish a team who will implement the research project.
- To acquire practice skills by using basic project management tools.
- To reflect upon and learn to use qualities of a good project manager.
Spanning over 8.25 hours (6.25 hours of live interaction and 2 hours of pre-recorded content), the training course offered valuable insights and knowledge. Participant were placed in diverse, cross-country assignment groups to address case studies relevant to each module—creating a unique opportunity to present findings in a live setting and direct feedback. An approach that participants found both novel and beneficial. The valuable aspects of the training, according to participants, included:
- Discussions during live interactive sessions and course material shared by faculty
- Cross country assignment group and live feedback during the sessions after team presentations
- Introduction to frameworks like RACI
- Learning practical tools like Gantt charts and risk matrices that simplify project planning and execution
“The most valuable aspect of the training was the opportunity to learn practical, real-world skills that can be immediately applied to my work. The interactive sessions and case studies helped me understand the key concepts in a more hands-on manner”
Lecture 1 | Basic Principles and Concepts of Project Management
In this introduction to project management, Mercian Daniel, Senior Research Fellow at the George Institute for Global Health, outlines the fundamental principles and concepts that can facilitate seamless resource management and improve research quality. Defining and illustrating the principles, researchers can implement to maximize research impact.
Lecture 2 | Project Management across life cycle
Join Mercian Daniel, Senior Research Fellow at the George Institute for Global Health as he guides you through the various stages and strategies that can help ensure a smooth and successful journey from the conception of a project to its closure.
Lecture 3 (Part a) | Simple Project Management Tool
Join Naushad Alam Khan, Senior Project Manager at the George Institute for Global Health, as he guides you through the key management resources and tools to track progress against critical milestones and empower teams to obtain project deliverables on time.
Lecture 3 (Part b) | Work Breakdown Structure and Human Resource Allocation
Naushad Alam Khan, Senior Project Manager at the George Institute for Global Health, explores the essential components of a successful research project. Discover how integrating a robust Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and careful human resource mapping into your planning process can significantly improve resource allocation and management to steer a project toward success with precision and efficiency.
Lecture 4 | Establishing a Research Implementation Team
Join Mercian Daniel, Senior Research Fellow at the George Institute for Global Health, as he expertly navigates you through the essential phases of building a research implementation team. Discover the critical aspects, roles, and responsibilities necessary to not only establish but also sustain a dynamic and effective team that will drive your project to success.
Participants were effusive in their praise and admiration of the comprehensive nature of the course asserting that
“I have learned about resource mapping and budget allocation, which had drawn my attention. As I am working on NIHR GHRC project and working on Resource plan, I am going to apply the things I have learned in the course, and I have improved my way of thinking towards managing the project. Thanks to Dr. Mercian Daniel and Naushad Alam Khan”
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This research was funded by the NIHR (Global Health Research Centre for Non-communicable Diseases and Environmental Change) using UK international development funding from the UK Government to support global health research. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the UK government.
