The Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation plans to establish innovation departments in public universities.
The Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Dr. Monica Musenero says that the innovation department will be tasked with transforming universities into regional centers of excellence.
Musenero was on Friday speaking at the 2nd Annual Agri-biotechnology Innovation exhibition for the Mbarara University of Science and Technology held at the University grounds in Mbarara City.
She said that the universities across the country will be transformed into centers of excellence and this will enable them to provide support to innovators both within the university and in the wider community.
She further said that universities will also be focusing on adding value to products in their respective regions.
Dr. John Baguma Kule, the focal person of the MUST Business Incubation Clinic, said that the transformation of universities into centers of excellence should focus on creating more innovations that can turn into viable businesses, rather than just theory noting that this will help create more employment opportunities.
Dr. Medard Twinamatsiko Katonera, the Director of Innovation and Technology transfer at MUST, stated that universities can only serve as transformation centers if they concentrate on research and innovation outputs that address challenges faced by society.
The government in 2016 created the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MoSTI) to recognize the need to prioritize issues relating to Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) as a key driver for Economic Development.
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