$700 000 released for innovation hubs

Auxilia Katongomara, Chronicle Reporter
GOVERNMENT has released $700 000 to fund the setting up innovation hubs at six state universities as part of the drive to ensure that institutions of higher learning contribute to revival of the economy.

The setting up of the innovation hubs falls under the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development’s 100 day plans.

The National University of Science and Technology (Nust), Midlands State University (MSU), University of Zimbabwe,(UZ) Harare Institute of Technology (HIT), Zimbabwe Defence University and Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) will be the first to have the innovation hubs.

Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister, Professor Amon Murwira said work on setting up the innovation hubs has already started.

“We have started the project of innovation hubs, we have started with six state universities where we are saying the innovation hub is a bridge between knowledge and industry. That’s where we bridge brilliant ideas so that we can begin a production line of that idea,” said Prof Murwira.

“It was an idea but we’ve just had $700 000 and we’ve said next week start digging. Yes, because when we say something people always say will they be able to do it?”

Prof Murwira said they were also working on ensuring that universities have industrial shades.

“We are getting into a programme to say we must accompany our innovation hubs with industrial shades. Our universities have prototypes because at expos you see some people saying we have made brick making machines and we say, what are you waiting for, let’s give you a loan so that you can begin to produce brick making machines,” he said.

“That’s the production line. Don’t just stand there. We are almost there, very literate but not decisive. This is the time that we must be decisive.”

Presenting the 2018 budget, Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa allocated $1 million towards research and innovation to the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education.