Abstract:
Public health research projects play a pivotal role in addressing emerging health challenges, necessitating efficient financial management for successful implementation. The study focuses on
the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) in Tanzania, particularly in the Mbeya region, toassess the relationship between budgetary control practices and the performance of Tanzania
public health research projects. The research aims to fill critical gaps in understanding the dynamics
of budgetary control within public health research, especially in the context of donor-funded project
The specific objectives included examining the current budgetary control practices employed by
NIMR-Mbeya, assessing the relationship between these practices and project performance, and
identifying challenges and barriers faced in implementing effective budgetary control. Employing a descriptive research design, primary data was collected through questionnaires
distributed to 126 NIMR staff. Ethical considerations were prioritized to ensure confidentiality and
clarity of purpose for all respondents. Data was entered into Google Forms and analyzed using
statistical methods, including Mean (SD), logistic regression, frequency tables, percentages, and
chi-square for associations between categorical variables. STATA software was utilized for
comprehensive data analysis. Key findings indicated a positive and significant association between budgetary control practices
that is zero-based budgeting, activity-based budgeting, rolling forecast, regular reporting, variance
budgeting, and health project performance (p<0.05). The study recommended that organizational
staff undergo training and integrating technology in existing budgetary control techniques to
enhance decision-making processes, ultimately improving efficiency and productivity. Additionally, it suggested further research to conduct a comparative analysis across multiple health
research institutions to identify best practices in
