MKU Launches Innovation And Research Centre
Mt Kenya University (MKU) has established an innovation and research center on its main campus in Thika to assist young people in developing technologies and ideas into world-class innovations.
The Centre, which was co-funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ program through the African Higher Education Leadership for Advancing Inclusive Innovation for Development, aims to support innovations from conception to market diffusion and commercialization.
Prof Simon Gicharu, the founder of MKU, stated that it would foster creativity and innovation, support collaboration, idea generation, and value creation, and provide a platform for connections and networking.
He stated that the role of technology and innovation in transforming developing countries into developed ones cannot be overstated, emphasizing the need for the government to create a conducive environment for their growth in order to achieve faster growth.
Prof Gicharu urged the youth to take advantage of the new hub and similar facilities throughout the country in order to create innovations that can be used to earn money.
“These giant economies recognized the role of innovations and technologies and embedded them in their systems early enough.
“They invested heavily in research and development to support their innovations. That’s the direction our country should take,” he said during the opening Sunday.
Prof Deogratius Jaganyi, the Vice-Chancellor, stated that the country’s continued economic competitiveness and sustainable development have been achieved through increased technological innovation.
He stated that the center will admit its first cohort of 20 finalists from a call for innovation challenge 2022 that was recently released.
The innovations will be incubated for six months and will receive up to Sh2 million in support of all innovations.
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Dr. Vincent Gaitho, Pro-Chancellor of MKU, stated that the center will help address youth unemployment after they graduate from institutions of higher learning.
“Harnessing the innovation potential of the youth can drive the economy to double-digit growth in a short time. It has been disheartening to produce jobless graduates yet they can tap into technologies and innovations to make a living,” he said.
MKU Launches Innovation And Research Centre
