Discover & register
Use public evidence and establish the researcher/affiliation identity.
- Why it matters
- Public discovery should not be confused with private access.
- Output
- Researcher/affiliation record
- Next handoff
- Project proposal
Next best actionsLive governed view
Discover public evidence first; registration and access are separate governed steps.
Research in context
Evidence should connect to people, ventures and places responsibly.
Research access remains governed, but approved learning and fieldwork can connect evidence to real social-enterprise practice.
Process
Enable useful research without bypassing ethics, consent, privacy or enterprise authority.
Each stage has a reason, a concrete output and a defined handoff. Moving forward is not the same as silently approving the next gate.
Propose scope
Define question, methods, people/sites/data requested, outputs and support needs.
- Why it matters
- Access decisions require a specific purpose and minimum necessary scope.
- Output
- Research proposal record
- Next handoff
- Ethics / permit / consent review
Clear access
Verify applicable ethics, permits, data terms, consent, IP/publication and site/venture approval.
- Why it matters
- Payment or partnership cannot substitute for lawful approvals.
- Output
- Approved scoped access decision
- Next handoff
- Field/data work
Conduct & govern
Work within approved scope and record changes, incidents and evidence controls.
- Why it matters
- Research conditions must remain valid throughout the work.
- Output
- Controlled research evidence
- Next handoff
- Close-out
Return findings
Deliver agreed outputs and a non-confidential plain-language findings summary.
- Why it matters
- Communities and enterprises should benefit from learning, including unfavourable findings.
- Output
- Approved outputs / findings return
- Next handoff
- Public evidence or controlled archive
End-of-process handoffResearch closes only after the agreed evidence, findings return, data disposition and publication obligations are addressed.
Follow enterprises
Registered users may follow approved enterprise updates. Following never grants interview, site, financial or protected-data access.
Browse ventures →Follow researchers
Follow verified researcher profiles for approved publications, projects, events and public findings. Private protocols and unpublished work stay protected.
Find researchers →Request research access
Use a governed application for enterprise/site/data/participant access. Registration, invitation or partnership alone is not research permission.
Research support →Compliance & legal facilitation
Ubunifu can help map permits, ethics, privacy, data, IP and sector requirements and refer specialist matters to qualified institutions/professionals.
See the navigator →Research principles
Access is controlled; findings come back.
Free registration
Researcher registration, public browsing, following and an initial research enquiry are free. Project-specific facility, logistics, data-preparation or professional-support costs may be assessed separately.
Paid ≠ approved
Payment never buys ethics approval, statutory clearance, founder consent, participant access, protected data or a favourable result. Research approval and payment are separate records.
Return of findings
Research using Ubunifu, enterprise or community access must close out with the agreed outputs and at least a non-confidential plain-language findings summary. Ubunifu cannot suppress results merely because they are unfavourable.
Researcher Network
Verified public researcher profiles.
Badges describe the specific Institute verification state; they are not a substitute for professional, institutional or statutory accreditation.
Verified live researcher profiles will appear after registration, affiliation/approval review and explicit public-profile approval.
Researcher Network
4 examplesResearcher Network
Amina Njeri Kamau
A researcher profile showing how discipline, themes and public evidence can be presented after approval.
Nairobi · Climate, circularity & responsible productionBrian Mwangi Otieno
A researcher profile showing how discipline, themes and public evidence can be presented after approval.
Kilifi · Hospitality, livelihoods & local procurementCaroline Wanjiru Muli
A researcher profile showing how discipline, themes and public evidence can be presented after approval.
Taita Taveta · Regenerative agriculture & food systemsDavid Kiprono Hassan
A researcher profile showing how discipline, themes and public evidence can be presented after approval.
Mombasa · Education, digital inclusion & future of workPublic research
Approved outputs and findings.
No live public research output has been approved yet.
Public Research
4 examplesPublic Research
Applied evidence note: Circular enterprise journey
A public research output linking an applied question to an approved evidence summary.
Nairobi · Climate, circularity & responsible productionApplied evidence note: Hospitality and local-supply journey
A public research output linking an applied question to an approved evidence summary.
Kilifi · Hospitality, livelihoods & local procurementApplied evidence note: Regenerative food and market-readiness journey
A public research output linking an applied question to an approved evidence summary.
Taita Taveta · Regenerative agriculture & food systemsApplied evidence note: Digital skills and institutional innovation journey
A public research output linking an applied question to an approved evidence summary.
Mombasa · Education, digital inclusion & future of workResearch Compliance Navigator
Know what may need clearance before work begins.
This is a triage guide, not legal advice and not a substitute for current authority requirements. Ubunifu can assist with document mapping, coordination and qualified referrals.
Clinical trial / regulated health research
Clinical trials and regulated health research may require sector approvals in addition to ethics and research licensing.
Pharmacy and Poisons Board / applicable ethics authorityCross-border personal data transfer
International transfers of personal data require a documented lawful basis and safeguards appropriate to the jurisdictions and data.
Applicable data-protection authoritiesFilming, documentary, excavation or specialist field activity
Some filming, excavation, heritage, mapping, drone or specialist activities can require additional permission.
Applicable national/county/sector authorityGenetic resources / derivatives / samples
Access to genetic resources, derivatives or certain biological samples may trigger prior informed consent, mutually agreed terms, material transfer or other permits.
NEMA / applicable sector authorityHuman-participant ethics review
Research involving human participants, sensitive interventions or other ethics-triggering activity requires an ethics assessment and, where applicable, approval from an accredited committee.
NACOSTI-accredited Ethics Review CommitteePersonal data & privacy assessment
Collection, use, sharing, storage or cross-border transfer of personal or sensitive data requires a lawful data-protection assessment.
Office of the Data Protection CommissionerPublication, confidentiality & intellectual property
Publication may require review for confidentiality, privacy, safeguarding, factual correction, contractual restrictions and protected IP. Negative findings cannot be suppressed merely because they are unfavourable.
Ubunifu / applicable authorityResearch licence assessment
Formal research undertaken in Kenya may require a NACOSTI research licence. Institutional affiliation or Ubunifu approval does not replace statutory licensing.
NACOSTISpecimen/sample transfer or export
Transfer or export of research samples can require material-transfer agreements, custody records, permits or export clearance.
Applicable sector / customs / research authorityVenture confidential information
Research using private venture, financial, commercial, operational or founder information requires explicit scoped access.
Ubunifu / applicable authorityVulnerable participants & safeguarding
Research involving children, patients, displaced people, survivors, low-income or otherwise vulnerable participants requires enhanced ethics and safeguarding controls.
Ubunifu / applicable authorityWildlife research / protected areas
Research involving wildlife, protected areas or regulated specimens may require sector-specific permission.
Kenya Wildlife Service / applicable authorityNeed help with permits, ethics, data, IP or specialist legal/regulatory questions?
Ubunifu can help scope the issue, organise the evidence, track actions and refer matters that require an accredited ethics body, authority or qualified professional.
Request research supportLive & related
Continue through evidence and partnership
Research, access, partnerships and opportunities remain separate governed relationships.