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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