Researchers have been urged to harness artificial intelligence (AI) to strengthen grant proposals by using the technology to identify weaknesses, test ideas and anticipate reviewers’ concerns before submitting applications.
The call was made during a two-day Proposal and Grant Writing Workshop for JKUAT’s newly graduated PhD scholars held on August 19 and 20, 2026, where experts challenged researchers to move beyond using AI to generate text and instead deploy it as a critical research assistant throughout the grant development process.
The workshop also placed emphasis on the responsible use of AI in research. Researchers were cautioned against relying on AI to generate facts, statistics or citations without verification, uploading unpublished research or identifiable participant information to public AI tools, or allowing the technology to replace the principal investigator’s scientific judgement.
Dr. Julius Sindi, Programme Manager, Research and Related Capacity Strengthening at the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), told the researchers that the biggest value of AI in grant writing was its ability to expose weaknesses in a proposal before a funding agency does.
“AI is the co-pilot, the applicant remains accountable, researchers should retain ownership of their scientific ideas and judgement,” said Dr. Sindi.
He challenged researchers to use AI to interrogate funding calls, map requirements, sharpen the logic of their proposals, simulate reviewers and check consistency, rather than allowing the technology to take over the writing process.
The approach follows a needs assessment conducted by JKUAT’s Department of Grant Management, which found that budget development was the biggest challenge among researchers, with 65 per cent reporting difficulty developing defensible budgets. Another 62 per cent struggled to identify appropriate funding calls, while 57 per cent found it difficult to develop compelling concepts. AI ranked fourth among the areas where researchers sought support.
Dr. Sindi said the findings pointed to a broader challenge than writing ability, noting that many researchers needed stronger systems for reviewing and strengthening proposals before submission. He proposed a four-step AI-assisted approach of extract, score, predict and fix.
JKUAT Vice Chancellor Prof. Victoria Wambui Ngumi emphasized the central role of research in advancing the University’s profile and attracting research funding. She urged the new PhD holders to identify appropriate funding opportunities and work with the Department of Grant Management to develop competitive proposals.
In a speech read on her behalf by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs, Prof. Robert Kinyua, Prof. Ngumi also recognized the supportive role AI can play in research while urging scholars to maintain ethical standards and preserve the integrity and scholarly spirit of research.
The Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research, Production and Extension, Prof. Jackson Kwanza said JKUAT had made significant progress towards strengthening its position as a research and entrepreneurship university.
“Research is the distinguishing element of our university,” Prof. Kwanza said, noting the University’s efforts to strengthen income-generating activities and work with patent regulatory bodies to protect innovations with commercial potential.
He said turning innovations into enterprises would help reduce the University’s reliance on the Exchequer.
He commended the Department of Grant Management led by Prof. Naomi Maina for initiating the training.
The training adopted a practical approach, with participants working in groups to develop proposals around topical research issues before presenting their ideas for critique.
Rather than simply presenting completed proposals, the groups were challenged to subject their ideas to simulated rejection and respond to the weaknesses identified by the reviewers. The exercise was designed to strengthen multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to research proposal development.
The approach underscored the growing importance of collaboration between researchers, communication specialists, technical experts and information technology professionals in developing competitive proposals.
The workshop was facilitated by experts drawn from JKUAT, APHRC, the National Research Fund, Strathmore University, Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences in Germany and the World Resources Institute, among other institutions.
