The call came during the closure of a 2025–2026 initiative on context-based quality research held at the University of Juba, where students from five public universities presented their research findings.

The participating universities included the University of Juba, Dr. John Garang Memorial University of Science and Technology, Upper Nile University, University of Bahr El Ghazal, and Rumbek University of Science and Technology.

The project supported students with ICT equipment, financial assistance, and access to national and international experts to strengthen research output and publication of selected papers.

Speaking during the closing event, Dr. Abraham Kuol Nyuon, Principal of the Graduate College at the University of Juba, said academic research should be used to address national development challenges.

“We strongly believe that as academics… the economic policy dialogue is hidden in the research that most of our students are going to do, and it is our role,” he said.

UNDP Senior Economist Ligane Sene said the programme was designed to ensure research goes beyond academic requirements and contributes to public policy formulation.

“We don’t want people to just do research for academic purposes,” he said. “We want research that is meaningful and contributes to the current public policy debate and policy formulation in South Sudan.”

He added that the initiative also aimed at building students’ technical capacity through training in data analysis tools and other software to improve their readiness for the job market.

Organizers said the project is expected to strengthen the capacity of students from public universities to produce context-based research that supports evidence-based decision-making and national development planning.