By James Wakahiu
The Mount Kenya University Innovation and Incubation Hub was officially opened last weekend in the college’s main campus in Thika town by Benson Muthendi, acting Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Enterprise Development Fund. The centre was launched to increase opportunities for Kenyan youth looking for support to develop their technologies and ideas into world class innovations.
“Kenya’s economic growth is largely as a result of the translation of ideas, knowledge and skills into products, services and processes. The country’s continued economic competitiveness and sustainable development have been achieved by intensifying technological innovations,” he said.
The centre, which was co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union through the African Higher Education Leadership for Advancing Inclusive Innovation for Development (AHEAD) project, is intended to support the life cycle of innovations from inception to market diffusion and commercialization. It will enable scientific findings, knowledge and intellectual property to flow from creators to the benefit of the community. Jesse Ndegwa Mwangi was the event’s master of ceremony.
The centre will admit its first cohort of 20 finalists out of a recently released call for innovation challenge 2022. The innovations will be incubated for six months at MKU’s Innovation and Incubation Centre and receive support value of up-to Sh2 million for all innovations. The incubation package will include access to the facility, customized coaching by experts, access to state-of-the art equipment’s and assistance in intellectual property protection and commercialization
Muthendi called the centre a significant investment set to create a conducive environment for nurturing youth-developed innovative ideas to commercially viable businesses that will significantly impact solving societal problems, creating employment opportunities, and attaining the country’s economic goal.
“We live in the Information-Knowledge age where new opportunities are emerging every day, and only those who can learn and adapt will gain a competitive advantage. This hub will provide an environment for collaborative learning among students, professors, and researchers from various disciplines. Bringing them together in a conducive atmosphere to interact and share ideas will inspire innovations, new skills, and knowledge needed in the 21st century,” said the CEO.
MKU founder and board chairman, Dr Simon Gicharu described innovation as a new or significantly improved products or services which may involve a new or improved technology with a potential to have a positive contribution to an organization or to the lives of the society in general.
“MKU is a research-based university; we have established this innovation and incubation center to offer an open space to nurture creativity and innovation. The center will support collaboration, idea generation and value creation,” he added.
”The hub is expected to offer a creative environment to unlock infinite opportunities for innovations that may be disruptive or incremental in nature from ideation to commercialization. The innovation space encourages inclusion through collaboration. MKU innovation and incubation center will be a platform for connections and networks,” Dr Gicharu said.
Decrying rampant unemployment in Africa, Gicharu said job creation will benefit greatly from promotion of innovation centers. He therefore encouraged the youth to be driven by passion and inspiration in the world of creativity and take full advantage of the new hub and similar facilities that have been established in Kenya and in the region.
MKU Pro-Chancellor, Dr Vincent Gaitho said the launch marked a great milestone in the university’s commitment to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by providing a platform for innovation, especially SDG 9 on “Industries, Innovation & Infrastructure”. The United Nation’s SDG 9 states that inclusive and sustainable
industrialization, together with innovation and infrastructure, can unleash dynamic and competitive economic forces that generate employment and income.
Gaitho said that the high unemployment rate among youths graduating from our higher institutions of learning calls for more innovative ways that enhance productivity and demand for an enlightened labour force.
“Harnessing the innovation potential of the youth can drive the economy to double digit growth in a short time,” he said.
The pro-chancellor said Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) is keen in supporting the government initiatives geared towards reducing unemployment.
“The MKU council is therefore keen to support this facility that was envisioned in the 2020-2029 University Strategic Plan,” he added.
MKU Vice Chancellor Prof Deogratius Jaganyi said the university’s research and innovation grants provided earlier have already produced world-class ideas some of which have already been commercialized by the beneficiaries. He said the rapid growth that some developed and developing economies have witnessed can be attributed to their build-up of innovation capacities.
“These countries recognized that innovation is not just about high technology products, but that innovation capacity has to be built early and be embedded in the development process. Research and development played a key role in the meteoric rise of Asian economies such as China, India and Korea. They invested heavily in research and development to support their innovations,” he said.
During the finals of the 2022 Innovation Challenge, Githinji Gatambu won the top award out of the 20 short listed finalist who showcased their innovations during the event held at the Mwai Kibaki Convention Centre. Gatambu’s presentation was on waste plastic management in the real estate sector. Nthuku Mumo was the first runners-up position while Margret Wambui Wahome came third.
