The University of Juba is the leading national university with a full academic curriculum that covers all major areas of scientific research in natural resources, environment, engineering & technology, medicine, ICT, law, social sciences and humanities. The University is also the only national university that is accredited to issue postgraduate degrees. However currently, research outputs and publications from the university are meagre compared to similar universities in the East African Community (EAC). This could partly be because of existing funding gaps and the fact that ability of some academic and research institutions to conduct quality research and publish its product in peer reviewed journals is still limited.

The challenges faced by the university and its academic staff with regard to research and publication notwithstanding, there is need for deliberate efforts to motivate and effectively engage in both academic and action research. To operationalize this, the Directorate of Research and Publications is currently conducting a gap analysis. This involves taking stock of the current research and publications, existing collaborations and at some point assessing the research capacity of university staff. The outcome of this analysis will be used to guide strategies and action plans for Research Policy implementation and strengthening of the institutional capacity for research collaboration and publications. The resulting list of publications will form the catalogue for increasing online visibility for the university and as well guide resource and fund mobilizing efforts through research collaborations and partnerships.