Mali Service Center (MSC)
Project Overview
Provide administrative and technical assistance services and support to various NIAID programs in Mali.
Client: NIAID
Countries: Mali
Region: West Africa
Project Description
The Mali Service Center (MSC) is an independent service organization established in 2004 by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in partnership with the University of Bamako. The MSC provides guidance and oversight in the administration and disbursement of grant and contract funds to ensure compliance with international and local rules and regulations. The MSC insures compliance with all funding institutions grants policies. It also supports a variety of programs funded by diverse governmental and non-governmental organizations conducting research in Mali. The MSC is currently under the management of The Mitchell Group, Inc. (TMG), and is operated by a core staff in Bamako, Mali, with extensive experience in administrative and financial management. As the U.S. managing contractor of the Mali Service Center (MSC), TMG provides the NIAID office of Global Research (OGR) and the Division of Intramural Research (DIR) services needed to operate, manage, and expand the Mali Service Center (MSC) to facilitate and administratively support NIAID research programs.
The MSC’s services include but are not limited to the provision of transparent accounting of all expenses incurred by the research projects, the disbursement of salary and payroll, assistance with the management of human resources, the procurement of goods and services locally and internationally, the organization and payment of international travel and conference attendance and the development of standard operating procedures for efficient and transparent accountability at all levels.
Key Accomplishments
- Establishing and following proper administrative procedures to promote financial accountability and transparency
- Handling all administrative support activities to reduce the administrative burden placed on research clients
- Recruiting and hiring over 100 qualified staff
- Developing over 30 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), checklists and other related forms in English and French
- Creating the MSC website to include a secure section for its clients for the distribution and archiving of client financial reports
- Strengthening relationships with the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako (USTTB) Rectorate and NIAID Mali office
- Initiating regular meetings between the MSC and its clients
- Expanding the MSC client pool
Implementation
2017-2022