Temba Dube
Samuel Kadungure Mutare Bureau
MANICALAND State University of Applied Sciences (MSUAS) is expanding its focus from generating academic knowledge to protecting intellectual property, commercialising research and applying innovation to agriculture, tourism and community development as the country pursues Vision 2030 economic goals.
The university recorded 12 intellectual property filings this academic year, comprising four patents and eight trademarks, as part of its effort to align teaching, research and innovation with national aspirations championed by President Mnangagwa.
Speaking yesterday at the fifth graduation ceremony at its Fernhill Campus, on the outskirts of Mutare, Vice Chancellor Professor Albert Chawanda said the developments reflect the university’s growing emphasis on translating research into practical applications, strengthening institutional capacity and creating opportunities for economic activity beyond the classroom and laboratory.
President Mnangagwa, who is the Chancellor of all State universities, capped 204 graduates, comprising 198 undergraduate degree graduands and six master’s graduands. The graduation was held under the theme “Empowered Graduates for a Technology-Driven Economy.”
“These innovations demonstrate that the university is increasingly moving beyond knowledge generation towards the application, protection and commercialisation of knowledge,” said Prof Chawanda, adding that the approach aligns with the university’s commitment to contributing to sustainable economic development through the utilisation of land, value addition and beneficiation of natural resources.
Prof Chawanda said the institution is positioning applied sciences, research partnerships and enterprise development as avenues through which academic knowledge can respond to community needs and support national development priorities.
He said innovation should not be confined to laboratories or technological products, but should also encompass the application of knowledge to culture, heritage, communities and local economies.
“Your Excellency, our understanding of innovation extends beyond laboratories and technological products. It also encompasses the innovative application of knowledge to our culture, heritage, communities and local economies,” said Prof Chawanda.
He said the university’s work in tourism illustrated the broader approach, with its exhibition at the third edition of the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo 2026, receiving the national award for Best Rural Tourism Exhibition.
MSUAS was also named second runner-up for Best Training Institution Exhibition. Its exhibition, titled “Everything Starts and Ends in the Kitchen: The Zimbabwean Rural Homestead Experience,” demonstrated how indigenous knowledge, rural culture and traditional architecture could be developed into viable and sustainable tourism experiences.
The recognition, he said, illustrated how universities could work with communities to preserve cultural heritage while opening opportunities for rural enterprise, tourism development and broader economic participation.
“It is Education 5.0 in practice: knowledge translated into innovation and innovation connected to value creation for society,” said Prof Chawanda.
MSUAS is also pursuing agricultural initiatives through its Business Enterprise Division, including turmeric production, apiary, aquaculture, pen fattening and piggery.
It also plans to establish a dairy parlour aimed at reducing milk shortages in the country. In tourism, the institution is restocking its game park in Headlands, while construction of its Safari Heights Eco-Resort is expected to begin soon.
Prof Chawanda said the initiatives were intended to support sustainable economic development, create employment opportunities and contribute to the growth and diversification of the national economy.
He also expressed gratitude to the Government, through its parent ministry, for supporting the establishment of an Innovation and Agro-Industrial Park, which has created new revenue streams while fostering research, innovation and community development.
Beyond its enterprise activities, MSUAS is strengthening international and local partnerships intended to expand research, technical training and the exchange of knowledge.
This year, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Civil Protection of Belarus, creating opportunities for knowledge exchange, staff and student mobility, collaborative training, research and institutional capacity development in civil protection and community resilience.
The Institute of Civil Protection itself was established through a strategic partnership with the City of Mutare, reflecting the university’s efforts to extend its work into areas with practical community applications.
MSUAS is also working with Don State Technical University in Russia toward establishing a Centre of Excellence in Agricultural Sciences and Technology, in partnership with the Centre for Education Innovation Research and Development, to strengthen its capacity to develop technological solutions for agriculture and related industries. Other collaborations include work with Lund
University in Sweden, through which the institution is strengthening doctoral training, supervisor development and technical capacity.
MSUAS also continues to collaborate with the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority, the Research Council of Zimbabwe and Kutsaga.
Prof Chawanda said such partnerships were essential to expanding research capacity, supporting knowledge exchange and broadening opportunities for collaboration.
“Your Excellency and Chancellor, no university can achieve transformative impact in isolation,” he said, adding that the institution has also signed an MOU with Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital toward establishing a teaching hospital to support its envisioned Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences.
This year, the Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education accredited three new programmes: Master of Science in Agro-ecology; Bachelor of Science Honours in Crop Production and Post-Harvest
Technology; and Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Information Systems Audit, to address areas associated with national priorities, including food security, sustainable agriculture, climate-smart innovation and digital transformation.
Its Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy programmes are also under consideration by ZIMCHE.
Prof Chawanda said these programmes would strengthen postgraduate research, expand the generation of new knowledge, help address national challenges and create opportunities to attract research partnerships and grants.
Infrastructure remains a priority, with Prof Chawanda saying construction of two student residence halls, with a combined capacity of 200 beds, has reached 95 percent completion, forming part of efforts to expand student accommodation and support its teaching and research ambitions.
Prof Chawanda said academic qualifications alone were insufficient to prepare graduates for a rapidly changing economy, making industry exposure, mentorship and practical workplace experience important components of university education.
The institution’s students have also received recognition beyond the classroom – at the 2026 National Students Conference, MSUAS received five student awards, while its Enactus team achieved a top-four finish among 10 universities at the 2026 Enactus Smart Drinking Innovation Challenge through its Nourish Hope Project.
Two students, Ausely Takundwa and Elizabeth Chioneso Mtakiwa, passed an international selection process to participate in the Russia-Africa Forum of Young Scientists in Saint Petersburg.
Their project, “Water, Community and Human Rights: Participatory Monitoring of Mining Pollution in the Manica and Manicaland Cross-Border Region,” focused on mining pollution and community concerns across the border region.
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