Course Introduction
Research and innovation programmes are essential for advancing scientific discovery, developing new technologies, strengthening institutional capabilities, and translating knowledge into practical economic and societal benefits. However, organizations frequently struggle to transform research priorities into coordinated programmes that deliver measurable outcomes, commercial opportunities, and lasting impact. Common challenges include fragmented research portfolios, weak innovation pipelines, insufficient collaboration between academia and industry, funding constraints, inadequate commercialization strategies, and limited performance measurement. This course provides an advanced framework for planning, managing, implementing, and evaluating research and innovation programmes that connect scientific excellence with strategic priorities and sustainable value creation.
The programme examines the complete research and innovation lifecycle, from strategic priority setting and opportunity identification through programme design, funding allocation, project selection, implementation oversight, commercialization, and impact evaluation. Participants will learn how to develop research and innovation strategies, assess institutional readiness, prioritize research themes, structure programme portfolios, and establish governance systems that balance scientific ambition with operational feasibility. The course explores how to align research programmes with national development strategies, organizational objectives, industry needs, emerging technologies, and societal challenges while maintaining flexibility to accommodate new discoveries, changing market conditions, and evolving scientific opportunities.
A major focus is placed on innovation pipeline management and the transition from research outputs to practical applications. Participants will examine technology readiness levels, proof-of-concept funding, experimental development, prototyping, testing, validation, intellectual property management, technology transfer, and commercialization pathways. The programme addresses the challenges of moving promising ideas from laboratories and research institutions into products, services, processes, and scalable solutions. Participants will learn how to evaluate innovation opportunities, manage stage-gate decisions, structure research-to-market partnerships, engage investors and industry collaborators, and develop appropriate pathways for licensing, spin-outs, entrepreneurship, and public-interest innovation.
Effective research and innovation programme management requires integrated financial planning, portfolio governance, risk management, stakeholder coordination, and performance accountability. The course explores programme budgeting, competitive funding mechanisms, research grants, innovation funds, co-investment arrangements, public-private partnerships, procurement, and resource allocation across multiple projects. Participants will develop approaches for managing multidisciplinary research teams, university-industry collaborations, technology partners, external service providers, and international research consortia. Particular attention is given to research integrity, ethics, intellectual property rights, conflicts of interest, regulatory requirements, data protection, cybersecurity, and transparent decision-making throughout the innovation lifecycle.
Monitoring, evaluation, learning, and impact assessment are central to sustainable research and innovation investment. Participants will learn to distinguish between research activities, scientific outputs, technological advances, innovation adoption, commercial outcomes, and broader economic or societal effects. The programme examines performance indicators, innovation pipeline metrics, portfolio dashboards, investment leverage, technology adoption, licensing income, start-up formation, research collaboration, and realized benefits. It also addresses the difficulties of measuring long-term research impact, managing uncertain innovation outcomes, comparing projects at different maturity levels, and using evidence to refine funding decisions. Participants will explore portfolio balancing techniques that support high-potential innovations while recognizing the importance of exploratory research and longer-term scientific investment.
The course incorporates emerging approaches in artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, digital research infrastructure, open science, responsible innovation, and sustainability-oriented technology development. Participants will explore AI-assisted research planning, predictive portfolio analytics, automated reporting, digital collaboration platforms, technology intelligence, and data-driven opportunity assessment. The programme also considers responsible AI, research security, intellectual property protection, reproducibility, environmental sustainability, inclusive innovation, and the ethical implications of emerging technologies. Through applied case studies, innovation portfolio exercises, programme design simulations, and commercialization planning activities, participants will develop the capability to manage complex research and innovation programmes, strengthen institutional collaboration, improve investment decisions, and translate research excellence into measurable scientific, commercial, and societal value.
Duration
10 days
Who Should Attend
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Research and innovation programme managers responsible for planning, coordinating, implementing, and evaluating institutional or multi-partner programmes.
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Directors of research, innovation, technology development, and scientific strategy responsible for institutional priorities and portfolio performance.
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Research project managers overseeing multidisciplinary research initiatives, technology development activities, and innovation pipelines.
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University administrators and research office professionals managing research strategies, innovation funding, partnerships, and institutional performance.
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Innovation hub, technology transfer office, and commercialization professionals supporting the transition from research to market.
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Research funding agency officials responsible for programme design, competitive funding schemes, grant allocation, and performance oversight.
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Government officials managing science, technology, research, industrial development, and national innovation strategies.
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Grant managers and sponsored research professionals administering research and innovation awards, financial controls, and compliance requirements.
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Scientists, principal investigators, and technical leaders managing research teams, innovation projects, and technology development programmes.
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Corporate research and development managers coordinating innovation portfolios, applied research, product development, and industry partnerships.
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Technology transfer specialists managing intellectual property, licensing, research commercialization, and university-industry collaboration.
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Venture development and investment professionals evaluating research-based ventures, technology readiness, commercial potential, and innovation financing.
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Monitoring, evaluation, and learning specialists assessing research outputs, innovation performance, adoption, commercialization, and programme impact.
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Public-private partnership professionals facilitating collaboration among research institutions, private companies, governments, and investors.
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Intellectual property, legal, compliance, and research integrity professionals supporting responsible innovation and research governance.
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Digital transformation and data analytics specialists developing systems for research intelligence, programme reporting, and innovation performance analysis.
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Development agency and donor-funded programme professionals managing science, technology, entrepreneurship, and innovation initiatives.
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Sustainability and climate innovation professionals supporting research programmes focused on green technologies, resource efficiency, and climate solutions.
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International research consortium coordinators managing cross-border partnerships, collaborative funding, shared infrastructure, and research outputs.
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Senior professionals seeking advanced capabilities in innovation strategy, programme governance, portfolio management, commercialization, and impact realization.
Course Objectives
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Develop advanced knowledge of research and innovation programme management, strategic planning, portfolio governance, funding, implementation, and impact assessment.
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Translate organizational research priorities and innovation opportunities into coherent programmes with measurable objectives, clear governance, and sustainable outcomes.
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Assess research ecosystems, institutional capabilities, technology trends, market opportunities, and stakeholder needs to inform programme design and investment decisions.
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Develop research and innovation portfolios that balance exploratory research, applied research, experimental development, commercialization, and longer-term strategic opportunities.
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Apply programme planning, budgeting, resource allocation, scheduling, procurement, and risk management techniques across multiple interconnected research and innovation projects.
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Establish transparent project selection, competitive funding, stage-gate review, performance assurance, and portfolio prioritization mechanisms.
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Strengthen collaboration among universities, research institutions, industry partners, government agencies, investors, and technology transfer organizations.
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Apply intellectual property management, technology readiness assessment, commercialization planning, licensing, and venture development approaches to research outputs.
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Design monitoring, evaluation, learning, and impact measurement frameworks that connect research activities to scientific, technological, commercial, and societal outcomes.
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Integrate research ethics, integrity, data governance, cybersecurity, responsible AI, inclusion, and sustainability into programme governance and implementation.
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Use digital research management systems, AI-assisted analysis, portfolio dashboards, and predictive analytics to improve programme performance and decision-making.
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Develop practical scaling, sustainability, institutionalization, and continuous improvement strategies that strengthen research capacity and maximize long-term innovation impact.
Comprehensive Course Outline
Module 1: Foundations of Research and Innovation Programme Management
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Principles of research management, innovation systems, scientific excellence, technology development, and knowledge-based economic growth.
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Distinctions between basic research, applied research, experimental development, innovation adoption, and commercialization activities.
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Roles of research institutions, universities, governments, funding agencies, industry partners, investors, and innovation intermediaries.
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Research and innovation programme lifecycle management, including strategic planning, funding, delivery, oversight, evaluation, and impact realization.
Module 2: Research Strategy, Innovation Ecosystems and Opportunity Identification
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Assessment of research ecosystems, institutional capabilities, technology infrastructure, funding environments, and industry collaboration opportunities.
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Identification of strategic research priorities using scientific evidence, stakeholder consultation, technology intelligence, and societal needs.
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Analysis of emerging technologies, market trends, competitive landscapes, research gaps, and opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.
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Development of opportunity registers, research roadmaps, priority themes, investment cases, and programme selection criteria.
Module 3: Programme Design, Theory of Change and Strategic Alignment
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Translation of research and innovation priorities into programme objectives, intervention logic, implementation models, and measurable results.
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Development of theories of change, logical frameworks, outcome pathways, assumptions, risks, and expected scientific or societal contributions.
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Assessment of programme feasibility, institutional readiness, technical capacity, resource requirements, partnership structures, and delivery constraints.
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Alignment of programme designs with institutional strategies, national innovation priorities, funder objectives, industry requirements, and sustainable development goals.
Module 4: Research Portfolio Planning and Investment Prioritization
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Development of research portfolios that balance foundational science, applied research, experimental development, technology validation, and innovation deployment.
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Application of portfolio mapping, strategic fit analysis, scoring models, investment criteria, and comparative assessment of research opportunities.
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Evaluation of scientific merit, feasibility, technology readiness, market potential, strategic importance, societal benefit, and uncertainty.
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Management of portfolio concentration, funding diversification, long-term research commitments, emerging opportunities, and investment reallocation decisions.
Module 5: Innovation Pipeline and Stage-Gate Management
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Design of innovation pipelines covering idea generation, concept validation, feasibility studies, proof of concept, prototyping, testing, and deployment.
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Application of stage-gate governance to determine whether projects should proceed, change direction, pause, scale, or terminate.
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Assessment of technology readiness levels, technical feasibility, user requirements, regulatory constraints, and development maturity.
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Establishment of evidence requirements, review panels, decision criteria, milestone approvals, and documented investment decisions throughout the innovation lifecycle.
Module 6: Research Project Planning, Scheduling and Resource Coordination
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Development of integrated programme plans covering work packages, research activities, deliverables, milestones, dependencies, and implementation schedules.
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Application of critical path analysis, resource planning, milestone management, and scheduling techniques for multidisciplinary research environments.
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Coordination of scientific personnel, laboratory facilities, specialist equipment, technical services, research data, and external dependencies.
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Management of schedule uncertainty, research delays, experimental failures, recruitment constraints, procurement lead times, and recovery planning.
Module 7: Research and Innovation Funding, Budgeting and Financial Control
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Design of programme budgets covering personnel, equipment, research materials, technical services, facilities, collaboration, dissemination, and commercialization.
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Management of research grants, innovation funds, competitive calls, co-funding, industry contributions, and blended funding arrangements.
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Application of financial forecasting, expenditure tracking, cost allocation, budget variance analysis, grant conditions, and financial reporting controls.
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Assessment of funding sustainability, investment leverage, indirect costs, financial exposure, cost-effectiveness, and resource allocation across programme portfolios.
Module 8: Research Governance, Ethics and Institutional Accountability
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Establishment of programme governance structures, decision rights, steering committees, delegated authorities, oversight procedures, and accountability arrangements.
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Integration of research ethics, scientific integrity, responsible conduct, conflicts of interest, and relevant regulatory approvals into programme delivery.
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Management of research agreements, intellectual property provisions, institutional policies, compliance obligations, and audit documentation.
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Development of assurance reviews, risk registers, escalation mechanisms, internal controls, incident reporting, and continuous governance improvement processes.
Module 9: University-Industry Collaboration and Strategic Partnerships
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Development of research collaboration strategies connecting universities, public research institutions, industry, government agencies, investors, and civil society.
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Design of collaborative research agreements, joint laboratories, shared infrastructure arrangements, co-funded projects, and industry-sponsored research.
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Management of partner selection, due diligence, shared objectives, intellectual property ownership, publication rights, and confidentiality requirements.
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Resolution of partnership risks involving conflicting incentives, research independence, commercial expectations, resource commitments, and unequal institutional capacities.
Module 10: Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property and Commercialization
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Identification and protection of intellectual property generated through research, including inventions, software, designs, datasets, and proprietary know-how.
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Development of commercialization pathways through licensing, technology transfer agreements, spin-out companies, joint ventures, and industry partnerships.
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Assessment of technology readiness, market demand, competitive advantage, regulatory requirements, investment needs, and commercialization feasibility.
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Negotiation of licensing terms, royalty structures, ownership arrangements, commercialization milestones, and benefit-sharing mechanisms.
Module 11: Innovation Entrepreneurship and Research-to-Market Development
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Development of research-based entrepreneurship programmes that support venture creation, technology validation, business model development, and market entry.
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Application of customer discovery, prototype testing, market validation, business modelling, and product development methods for research-led innovations.
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Design of accelerator programmes, proof-of-concept funds, commercialization grants, investor engagement, and research venture support services.
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Assessment of start-up readiness, commercial viability, financing requirements, venture risks, market adoption, and opportunities for scaling innovation.
Module 12: Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning and Innovation Impact
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Development of programme performance frameworks covering research outputs, scientific quality, technology readiness, collaboration, commercialization, and adoption.
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Measurement of publications, patents, prototypes, licenses, spin-outs, industry partnerships, investment mobilization, and knowledge transfer.
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Application of contribution analysis, outcome harvesting, impact pathways, cost-effectiveness assessment, and appropriate evaluation methodologies.
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Establishment of portfolio dashboards, performance reviews, research impact reporting, learning systems, and evidence-based programme adaptation.
Module 13: Digital Research Management, AI and Advanced Analytics
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Integration of research management information systems, grant platforms, collaborative environments, institutional repositories, and digital reporting tools.
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Application of AI-assisted research planning, technology intelligence, opportunity scanning, document analysis, and innovation portfolio assessment.
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Use of predictive analytics and data visualization to identify delivery risks, assess portfolio trends, monitor milestones, and improve resource allocation.
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Governance of responsible AI, data quality, cybersecurity, privacy, research reproducibility, algorithmic bias, and human validation in research management.
Module 14: Risk Management, Research Security and Responsible Innovation
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Identification and assessment of technical, financial, operational, regulatory, reputational, ethical, and commercialization risks across research portfolios.
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Development of mitigation plans addressing experimental uncertainty, technology failure, supplier dependency, partner underperformance, and funding interruptions.
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Management of research security, sensitive information, intellectual property protection, cybersecurity threats, data access, and international collaboration risks.
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Integration of environmental sustainability, inclusive innovation, ethical technology development, public accountability, and responsible research practices into programme decisions.
Module 15: Knowledge Mobilization, Open Science and Societal Impact
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Development of knowledge mobilization strategies connecting research findings with policy decisions, industry applications, public services, and community needs.
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Application of open science, responsible data sharing, reproducibility, research communication, and stakeholder engagement approaches.
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Planning of dissemination activities, scientific publications, policy briefs, technology demonstrations, public engagement, and research impact reporting.
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Assessment of knowledge uptake, technology adoption, institutional capacity, public benefit, economic value, and longer-term societal outcomes.
Module 16: Programme Sustainability, Scaling and Strategic Transformation
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Development of long-term programme sustainability strategies covering institutional ownership, funding diversification, research infrastructure, and partnership continuity.
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Application of scaling frameworks to replicate successful innovations, expand technology adoption, strengthen research networks, and increase societal impact.
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Establishment of institutional research roadmaps, innovation performance benchmarks, programme maturity assessments, and continuous improvement systems.
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Preparation of strategic implementation plans covering governance, talent development, digital capabilities, investment priorities, commercialization, and future innovation opportunities.
Training Approach
This course will be delivered by our skilled trainers who have vast knowledge and experience as expert professionals in the fields. The course is taught in English and through a mix of theory, practical activities, group discussion and case studies. Course manuals and additional training materials will be provided to the participants upon completion of the training.
Tailor-Made Course
This course can also be tailor-made to meet organization requirement. For further inquiries, please contact us on: Email: training@upskilldevelopment.com Tel: +254 721 331 808
Training Venue
The training will be held at our Upskill Training Centre. We also offer training for a group (at a discount of 10% to 50%) at requested location all over the world. The Onsite course fee covers the course tuition, training materials, two break refreshments, buffet lunch, airport transfers, Upskill gift package, and guided tour.
Visa application, travel expenses, dinners, accommodation, insurance, and other personal expenses are catered by the participant
Certification
Participants will be issued with Upskill certificate upon completion of this course.
Airport Pickup and Accommodation
Airport pickup and accommodation is arranged upon request. For booking contact our Training Coordinator through Email: training@upskilldevelopment.com, +254 721 331 808
Terms of Payment:
Unless otherwise agreed between the two parties’ payment of the course fee should be done 3 working days before commencement of the training so as to enable us to prepare better.
