Networking: Engineering, Mathematics and Statistics (EMS Group)

Model for Academia – Private Sector – Industry Each partnership is unique and context dependent Education, research and innovation is a continuum PhD training been traditionally is delinked from industry. How to embed PhD training into the programme of industries Incentives to academics should not be based only on the number of publications but also recognition of the linkage with industries Recruitment in academic should go beyond grades, consider for e.g. market experience IP rights should be free of charge to industrial partners. Clear information and communication strategy is extremely important. Linkage with SMEs, is taking shapes and it is a the way to go in terms of academia industry linkage

Intellectual Property Rights Who own the IP, for instance when a student’s ideas passes and becomes commercially viable? Note: Depends where the ideas and money is coming from. Should be in the contract. Depend on the IP policy of the university. Some universities, a student is entitled to royalties Note: Getting patent is very expensive. In many cases student is not able to get it alone. Also a patent is not immediately commercialized. How do you market the IP? E.g. Rwanda has IP registration board and they can market it. E.g. Moi University: Director of research works with students on the issues of IP General rule: If you have not protected it is not yours. It is also location specific. The broader the coverage the more expensive it is. Are there IP lawyers? Universities has to put in place mechanisms for IP registration

The protection of intellectual property: it should be mandatory to have technology transfer office. Anything you do should report to this office. Do university have this in place? Moi university has in place. Rwanda has consultancy office Ethiopia has research and community service. Applied or adaptive research. Government requirement is that research should be towards solving community problems.

Proposal: after getting a patent universities come into partnership with industries, and they give it at zero costs to industries. Universities would benefit more than selling the patents E.g. Centre for innovation and technology transfer in Kigali Institute of Technology. They were able to link to the private sector and it would work In South Africa, there is a very strong IP Act. Any knowledge developed by the university becomes the property of the university. Proposal: Put in place a central unit to deal with IP and technology transfer.

E.g. University of Pretoria: Enterprise Development Office created to deal with contracts, marketing, and IP is easily handled. RFU should provide support to ACEs on the issues of IP registration.

Customer ordered training programme E.g. Continued education in Pretoria. This can be done through the enterprise unit. They get a certificate of the university. Models: distance learning, online etc. If you develop the content for a client you can later sell it. A lecturer can be assigned to develop the course material. Mining 101 is their flagship. It is developed for a host of client. Lecturers are paid for providing it and it is a good revenue model for the university Ethiopia is common practice to arrange tailor made programme. University develop training programme according to the needs of the client. It is called a capacity building training. It is simply to address the problem being faced in a industry. At the moment it is confined to short courses. In the near future it is needs to be a degree. Universities are so protective. It takes for ever. Involve industries in the development of the curriculum. Change the way to teach and develop programme. To allow for specified competencies to be integrated

Make it credit bearing so that one can get a degree. What strategy can be put in place? Universities should conduct needs assessment. Also look at the industrialization strategy of each country. E.g. Kenya Revenue Authority contacted Moi university. New for Mozambique. Need for learning and support on how to deal with this and IP issues.

Have a centre that can deal with IP.

Commercializing education research and innovation

Providing innovative research and development service solutions

Establishment of business incubators/learning factories

Providing internship and work place exposures to students