Online Reporter
Patrick Chitumba [email protected]
THE Midlands State University (MSU) is repositioning research and innovation from being largely academic pursuits to becoming engines for practical solutions, industrialisation and economic transformation, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Industrialisation Professor Grace Mugumbate has said.
Speaking at the recent MSU Research, Innovation and Industrialisation Expo in Gweru, Prof Mugumbate said the university’s theme: “From Knowledge to Impact: Advancing Research,
Innovation and Industrialisation for Sustainable and Inclusive Development,” reflected a deliberate shift towards ensuring that research outputs create value beyond the university.
She said the key question driving the expo was how knowledge generated by MSU could be translated into solutions, goods and services that address challenges facing communities and the economy.
Prof Mugumbate said research remained the foundation of the knowledge-to-impact pathway, but its wider value emerged when findings, technologies and new knowledge were applied to solve societal, environmental and economic challenges.
“The theme captures a deliberate institutional shift from generating and disseminating academic knowledge to ensuring that knowledge is translated into solutions, goods and services,” she said.
Prof Mugumbate said the expo provided researchers with an opportunity not only to showcase what they had discovered, but also demonstrate how their discoveries were being applied to solve real-world problems.
The expo, she said, was also creating a two-way dialogue between researchers, innovators and the communities they serve, helping to close the gap between developing an idea and putting it into practical use.
Prof Mugumbate said MSU’s research portfolio covered agriculture, environment, engineering, health, science and technology, education, business, law, social sciences, arts and humanities.
She said the transition from research to innovation was critical, as innovation occurred when research findings and knowledge were transformed into new or improved products, processes, technologies, services and approaches with practical value.
“Through exhibitions, poster presentations and engagement with external stakeholders, researchers can identify potential collaborators, investors and partners,” she said.
Prof Mugumbate said the next step was industrialisation and commercialisation, where innovations were taken beyond laboratories and prototypes towards wider application, commercial products, services and enterprises.
She said the expo’s high-level panel discussion on “Strengthening National Innovation Systems and Commercialisation” brought together Government, industry and MSU to explore ways of moving research-based innovations towards the market.
“The launch of our startups demonstrates the university’s commitment to translate innovation into enterprise and economic opportunity,” she said.
Prof Mugumbate said MSU recognised that industrialisation could not be achieved by the university working in isolation hence its strategic partnerships with Government, industry and development organisations.
She emphasised that such partnerships could provide researchers and innovators with expertise, funding, infrastructure, markets and opportunities to scale up their innovations.
The expo’s panel discussion on “Building Strategic Research Collaborations for Resource Mobilisation and Impact” was aimed at connecting MSU researchers and innovators with potential partners capable of supporting the development and commercialisation of their work.
Prof Mugumbate said sustainability and inclusivity were also central to the expo, with the university seeking to demonstrate how research and innovation could contribute to economic development while addressing environmental and social needs.
She said the expo’s strategic objectives included showcasing MSU’s research, innovation and industrialisation capabilities, strengthening the translation of research into practical impact and deepening Government-University-Industry collaboration.
The university also seeks to accelerate the commercialisation and industrialisation of research-based innovations, promote entrepreneurship and start-up development and create pathways for promising technologies to reach users and markets.
Prof Mugumbate said the expo was further promoting multidisciplinary research, linking research with policy and practice and strengthening MSU’s contribution to national development.
She said the awards ceremony recognised outstanding research and innovation while encouraging a culture of excellence, creativity, innovation and impact across the university.
“MSU is not only a producer of knowledge, but a partner in solving national problems, developing technologies and enterprises, strengthening industry and contributing to Zimbabwe’s sustainable development,” said Prof Mugumbate.
The expo brought the university’s research capabilities and external stakeholders together around a common objective: turning knowledge into solutions and solutions into impact.
