Commercialise academic research, varsities tipped
DAR ES SALAAM: THE government has challenged the universities to speed up commercialisation of academic research, focusing on the industry, transport and banking sectors, to support the country’s development.
The government said by fostering closer collaboration between the universities and these industries, can help address real-world challenges, create jobs and contribute significantly to the development agenda.
The Minister of State in the President’s Office for Planning and Investment, Prof Kitila Mkumbo said thus it’s important to speed up the collaboration between universities and the private sector in advancing practical, solution-oriented research.
“Let us invest in innovation and research instead of prioritising sports sponsorship,” the minister said when officiating University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) 10th Research and Innovation Week on Monday.
ALSO READ: Nigeria to collaborate with Tanzania in medical expertise, cancer research
He noted that relying solely on foreign aid for research is no longer sustainable, urging instead for stronger partnerships with local private institutions to fund innovation to strengthen the nation’s economy.
To ensure sustained progress, Prof Mkumbo proposed the establishment of a National Startup Fund and called on the private sector to actively collaborate universities to mobilise research funding and support commercialisation efforts.
The Research and Innovation Week was held under the theme: Harnessing Digital Technology to Accelerate Research, Innovation and Commercialisation.
The UDSM Head of Department of Food Science and Technology, College of Agricultural Science and Food Technology (CoAF), Prof Lilian Kaale painted the need to align academic research with national priorities.
“Researches should not remain on papers rather disseminated to the public, government and the private sector for meaningful application,” she said.
She also acknowledged a common challenge, while many projects successfully reach the prototype stage, most fail to scale due to a lack of thorough evaluation.
“Studies show that many projects that successfully complete the Research and Development prototype phase still fail to reach large-scale deployment…ended up in ‘technology Death Valley’,” said Prof Kaale.
UDSM Deputy Vice-Chancellor -Research, Prof Nelson Boniface said that building a sustainable digital infrastructure is essential for innovation, calling for investments in reliable and scalable systems.
He said that through Research and Innovation Week nine private sector partners with UDSM focused on digital technology to promote local solutions and support startup growth.
