Critical to Research Uptake success, and one of the focus areas of the DRUSSA Programme, are the institutional support mechanisms that are available to provide support to individual research projects. These include policies and strategies that guide Research Uptake; support structures such as the Research office, Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Management Offices that identity research for uptake and manage stakeholders; and Communications and media offices that provide additional technical support in terms of writing skills, online accessibility of publications, events management and design. As a result of these support structures, Research Uptake activities have been strengthened.

DRUSSA.net interviewed Letshwiti Tutwane, a social commentator and university lecturer who attended the Research Communication workshop held in Johannesburg in April about the University of Botswana's Research Uptake activities. Research Uptake is very much part of the University’s core objectives.  One of its strategic objectives is to enhance the impact of research through community engagement, contribution to policy, public engagement days and open days amongst others.

As part of the RUC2016 Campaign the University of Calabar’ Research Uptake Communicators wrote, edited and uploaded on their Research Uptake page a  plain language article that highlights how research on malaria treatment informed government policy, but where the consequent changes in policy highlighted additional challenges.

Dr. Viola Nilah Nyakato, Director of the Institute of Interdisciplinary Training and Research (IITR) at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), Ugandareflects on how, through the DRUSSA Programme, in her own work as well as more broadly at the university, Research Uptake has come to the fore.