Research and Innovation Agenda NM-AIST... · economy. These two could, in turn, accelerate local...

NM-AIST Research & Innovation Agenda April 2015

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The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science & Technology

(NM-AIST)

Research and Innovation Agenda

April 2015


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Table of Contents List of Tables .................................................................................................................................................... iv

List of Figures .................................................................................................................................................. iv

List of Abbreviations ...................................................................................................................................... v

1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Background .......................................................................................................................................... 1

1.2 Major Challenges of Africa Today................................................................................................. 1

1.2.1 Overview .................................................................................................................................. 1

1.2.2 Rapid Population Growth ........................................................................................................... 2

1.2.3 Globalization .................................................................................................................................... 4

2. SITUATION ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN TANZANIA, THE EA

REGION AND AFRICA .................................................................................................................................... 5

3. FOCUS, OBJECTIVES AND CHARACTERISTIC OF NM-AIST R&I .............................................. 7

3.1 Research Categories and Undertakings at NM-AIST ........................................................ 7

3.2 NM-AIST R&I Focus Areas in Relation to National and Regional Development

Agenda and Initiatives ............................................................................................................................... 7

3.3 R&I Approach at NM-AIST ......................................................................................................... 8

4. MAJOR R&I THEMES AND SUB-THEMES ....................................................................................... 10

4.1 Overview ........................................................................................................................................ 10

4.2 R&I in Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Security ......................................................... 11

4.3 R&I in Harnessing of the Biodiversity of Nature and Eco-Systems Management

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..14

4.4 R&I in Human and Animal Health in the context of Eco-Health ............................... 15

4.5 R&I in Energy Security, and Management of the Environment for Safety and

Sustainable Development .................................................................................................................... 16

4.6 R&I in Water Security and Sustainability .......................................................................... 18

4.7 R&I in Core and Applied Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Information

sciences. ...................................................................................................................................................... 18

5. PRIORITY SETTING OF R&I UNDERTAKINGS ......................................................................... 19

6. ORGANIZATION, MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF NM-AIST R&I

ACTIVITIES...................................................................................................................................................... 19

7. FINANCING OF R&I AT NM-AIST ..................................................................................................... 20

8. COLLABORATION AND MANAGEMENT OF R&I RESULTS ................................................. 22


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8.1 Research Collaboration ................................................................................................................. 22

8.2 Management of R&I Results ........................................................................................................ 22

8.2.1 Licensing technology ................................................................................................................. 23

8.2.2 Establishment of spin-off, spin-out and spin-in companies ........................................ 23

8.2.3 Venture capital ............................................................................................................................. 24

8.2.4 Promotion ...................................................................................................................................... 24

9. MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE R&I AGENDA ... 24

10. MOTIVATION AND REWARD OF EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE IN R&I ..................... 25


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List of Tables

Table 1: Population data for 2013 and projections for 2050 for selected countries

Table 2: Science and technology capacity of ASS Africa and other selected countries.

List of Figures Fig: 1: Challenges and opportunities Africa is facing today Fig: 2: Schematic showing Africa’s economic relationship with developed countries Fig. 3: A model of NM-AIST’s problem identification and interaction with society and

industry Fig. 4: A schematic model of multidisciplinary approach of problem solving at NM-AIST Fig. 5: A schematic model for an interdisciplinary approach by all Schools of NM-AIST to

solve an agricultural problem. Fig. 6: Pathways for the transformation of R&I results as goods and services for the

benefit of society.


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List of Abbreviations

BuSH School of Business Studies and Humanities

CoCSE School of Computational and Communication Science and Engineering

EaSEn School of Earth Sciences and Engineering

EU European Union

GDP Gross Domestic Product

ICT Information and Communication Technology

IPR Intellectual Property Right

LiSBE School of Life Science and Bioengineering

MDGs Millennium Development Goals

MEWES School of Materials, Energy, Water and Environmental Sciences

NEMC National Environment Management Council

NM-AIST The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology

R&I Research and Innovation

SADC Southern Africa Development Community

SSA Sub-Saharan Africa

USA United States of America

UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

UNECA United Nations Economic Commission for Africa


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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

Advances in science and technology have brought dramatic changes in almost all walks

of life. If advancement in scientific knowledge in the 20th century is characterized as

one when man tried to understand nature, the 21st century is characterized as one

when mankind is able to change nature to its own benefit. Therefore, in the 20th

century and before natural resources were sources of wealth serving as the engines

of economic growth. At present, the world economy is increasingly becoming a

knowledge economy.

It should be noted that not everyone is moving at the same pace and is developing the

same capacity for technological development. In particular, Africa is lagging behind in

developing the capacity to generate and use scientific knowledge, and is

increasingly marginalized in the world economy. As a result, today over 50% of Africa’

population live below the poverty line. Even t h o u g h Africa is endowed with

abundant natural resources – both mineral and biodiversity, its share of the global

economy, according to UNECA, is estimated to be just 2%, and this level of participation

is limited to the export of raw materials with no value addition.

1.2 Major Challenges of Africa Today

1.2.1 Overview

Although Africa is endowed with an abundant natural resource, because of its low

level of science and technology capacity, it cannot use innovation to turn these

natural resources into goods and services for the benefit of its people and thus,

properly compete in the global economy. As a result, Africa is facing several challenges,

the central one being poverty (Fig. 1). Other challenges include food insecurity,

unemployment, diseases, low industrialization, etc.

Fig: 1: Africa’s challenges and available opportunities


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But Africa has also several opportunities, chief among them being its endowment with

abundant natural resources that include its unique biodiversity (plants, animals,

and microbes), and its mineral resources (Fig. 1). Other opportunities include

increasing commitment of African governments to bring about economic development,

availability of cheap labor, new developments in information and communication

technology (ICT), etc. If properly used, these resources could bring about Africa’s

social and economic transformation. Indeed, in the last few years, many African

countries showed significant economic growth (in some cases considered

miraculous). However, this recent economic growth is largely driven by expansion of

the service sector and an increased demand for Africa’s raw material in East Asia and

has very little connection with improvements in the manufacturing sector. Therefore,

given the low level of innovation in the continent, sustainability of the recent

economic growth and its competitiveness in an increasingly globalized economy has

been a cause of concern for many. Indeed, there is a general consensus that, in a world

where the economy is driven by knowledge rather than by physical resources, there is

very little chance for Africa to be globally competitive using natural resources alone.

Therefore, continuity of the recent economic growth observed in many African

countries will greatly depend on the continent’s ability to develop its capacity to

generate and use science and technology knowledge to foster innovation in and drive

the economy.

Today all African countries face two very critical issues the response to which will

determine the direction the continent will be heading in the coming years and

decades. These are rapid population growth and globalization. As shown in Fig. 1, both

can be considered either as opportunities or challenges, or depending on how each

country will respond to them in the immediate future.

1.2.2 Rapid Population Growth

According to the Population Reference Bureau, in 2013 the population of Sub-Saharan

Africa (SSA) was estimated to be 926 million. In about 35 years (in the year 2050) the

population is estimated to increase by about 2.4 fold reaching 2.185 billion (Table 1).

In the same period, the population in the East African Community states is estimated

to increase by 2.6 folds reaching 392 million by the year 2050.

If properly managed such high rate population growth could offer an enormous

opportunity for the continent’s economic growth. First, increased population could

stimulate productivity and economic growth by increasing domestic demand.

Secondly, increased population could mean availability of labor that could drive the

economy. These two could, in turn, accelerate local innovation and ultimately make

the continent globally competitive.

On the other hand, if it is not properly managed and planned ahead, Africa’s

explosive population growth could become a curse. For example, i t w i l l b e a


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China 1,357.4

USA 316.2

EU 506.0

Brazil 195.5

Japan 127.3

S. Korea 50.2

c u r s e i f while the population increases exponentially, resources remain static or

even deteriorate due to over exploitation. As shown in Table 1, in 2013 some of the

African countries had the highest population density, the highest being in countries of

the East African Community where it was as high as 422 and 392 people per square

kilometer for Rwanda and Burundi, respectively. Based on the 2050 projections, the

population density in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi is estimated to

reach 136, 166, 472, 912, and 1,025 per square kilometer, respectively. For the same

period, population density in Brazil, USA, EU, China, Japan and South Korea is

projected to be 27, 42, 118, 138, 288, and 484 people per square kilometer,

respectively.

Looking at the population profile, in 2013 nearly half of the population in SSA was

composed of those who are 15 years or less (Table 1). And this trend is expected to

continue in the coming decades. Although the presence of large number of youth

could be a huge advantage to drive the economy, to date job creation has never kept

pace with the increase in the number of youth joining the labor market.

Table 1: Population data for 2013 and projections for 2050 for selected countries

Country

/Region

Population in mid

2013

(million)

Projected

population size

in year 2050

(million)

Proportion of

people below

15 years of age

(%)

Population

density in

2013 (per

km2)

Projected

population

density in

2050 (per

km2)

Sub-Saharan Africa and two selected countries outside the East African Community

SSA 926 2,185.0 43 38 89

Nigeria 173.6 440.4 44 189 479

Ethiopia 89.2 177.8 44 81 161

Member countries of the East African Community

Burundi 10.9 28.6 44 391 1,025

Rwanda 11.1 24.0 45 422 912

Kenya 44.2 96.8 42 76 166

Tanzania 49.1 129.1 45 52 136

Uganda 36.9 113.9 49 153 472

Selected countries in other parts of the world

1,314.4 16 142 138

399.9 19 33 42

517.0 16 115 118

227.5 25 23 27

97.1 13 377 288

48.1 16 505 484

Source: Population Reference Bureau 2013 data sheet


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At present up to 70% of the labor force in Africa gain employment from the

agricultural sector. However, with increasing population, traditional agriculture

cannot keep on absorbing the incoming labor force. Additionally, increasing population

density lead to land fragmentation and with fragmented land holding, farmers will not

be able to produce more than their subsistence, a recipe for the perpetuation of

poverty. On the other hand, the growing population, in addition to d e m a n d i n g

jobs, it needs sufficient food. Even at today’s population size, many African

countries are dependent on outside food aid. Doubling of the population in the coming

few decades could further exasperate the situation. And all these happen in a continent

richly endowed with abundant natural resources. Therefore, in relation to an increase in

population, Africa faces the following three challenges:

(i) Food and nutritional security for a growing population,

(ii) Job creation for an increasing number of young people, and

(iii) Ensuring environmental sustainability.

Failure to address one or all of the above challenges could lead to serious socio-

economic crisis in the continent. Over-population and thus resource limitation usually

lead to an increase in conflicts. For example, the author Jared Diamond in his highly

acclaimed book ‘Collapse’ associated the 1994 genocide of Rwanda to resource

limitation that resulted from over population, an increase beyond the carrying

capacity of the land for a traditional farming society. Indeed, today Rwanda has the

highest population density in the region at 422 persons per square kilometer (Table

1). With the population projected to double or triple in the coming few decades, more

problems could be expected unless measures are taken fast. The problem could be

further compounded by climate change and environmental deterioration.

1.2.3 Globalization

Globalization is another reality Africa is facing which can be an opportunity or a

challenge depending on how prepared the continent is. With a globalized economy,

Africa can in theory get access to the international market and greatly benefit.

However, at present African businesses lack the required level of innovativeness and

hence are not competitive. Therefore, globalization, with its motto of ‘survival of the

fittest’, could pose an enormous treat to the survival of most African businesses.

Today, Africa exports raw materials to the global market at peanut prices and in turn

it imports value-added products at exorbitant prices (Fig. 2). As a result, jobs are

created elsewhere using raw materials from Africa while t h e African youth suffers

from lack of job, and the general population suffers from poverty. As shown

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schematically in Fig. 2, the missing link in Africa t ha t puts the continent in a

vicious circle is lack of a culture of research and innovation in science and

technology. To change this vicious circle into a virtuous circle and to make African

businesses innovative and competitive, developing capacity for high quality research

and innovation is absolutely essential.

Fig: 2: Schematic diagram showing Africa’s economic relationship with developed countries

2. SITUATION ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN TANZANIA, THE EA REGION AND AFRICA

At present, Africa is lagging behind the rest of the world in scientific research and

technological innovations. Based on UNESCO’s 2010 Science Report, Africa is the lowest

in all the criteria used to measure science and technology capacity (Table 2). For

example, SSA (excluding South Africa) account for only 0.6% of the total world

researchers in science and technology. On the other hand, the USA, EU, China, and

Japan account 70% of the world researchers in science and technology (Table 2). The

number of African researchers per million inhabitants is a mere 57.5. On the other hand

USA, EU, China, and Japan have 4,663.3, 2,936.4, 1,070.9, and 5,5573 researchers per

million inhabitant, respectively. Even within SSA there is huge variation in the

human capacity in the different countries. For example, Botswana, Nigeria, Ethiopia,

and Niger have 942, 203, 21, and 8 researchers per million inhabitants, respectively.

As shown in Table 2, capacity for scientific and technological research and innovation

is directly linked with a country’s development, as measured by GDP. The four

economic power houses (USA, EU, China, and Japan) accounting 70% of the

researchers of the world and also account for 60% of the world’s GDP. Apart from

the low level of human resource to carry out scientific and technological research and

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innovation, in most SSA countries the physical infrastructure for research and

innovation is very much underdeveloped. This low capacity for research and

innovation in science and technology puts Africa in a vicious circle of

underdevelopment and condemns millions of people to perpetual poverty (Fig. 2). One

of the MDGs was to reduce poverty by half in 2015. This goal, although successful in

other parts of the world, cannot be achieved in Africa. In order for Africa to eradicate

poverty, developing capacity for research and innovation in science and technology will

be essential.

Table 2: Science and technology capacity of SSA and other selected countries

Country/Region Number of

Researchers

World Share of

Researchers (%)

Researchers

per million

Inhabitant

GDP ($ billions)

World 7,209,700 100 1,080.8 66,293.7

USA 1,425,600 20.0 4,663.3 13,741.6

European Union 1,448,300 20.1 2,936.4 14,905.7

China 1,423,400 19.7 1,070.9 7,103.4

Japan 710,000 9.8 5,573.0 4,297.5

Republic of Korea 221,900 3.1 4 627.2 1,287.7

Brazil 124,900 1.7 656.9 1,842.9

LDC countries 34,700 0.5 43.4 926.4

South Africa 19,300 0.3 392.9 467.8

Sub-Saharan Africa (excl. South Africa)

40,800 0.6 57.5 1,023.1

Source: UNESCO 2010 Science and Technology Report

As shown in Table 2 Africa tremendously lags behind the rest of the world in

establishing a critical mass of scientists that can address the continent’s pressing

problems. Recognizing this gap, in 2005 African Heads of States decided on the

establishment of African Institutions of Science and Technology. The Nelson Mandela

African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) in Arusha is one of four

such institutions established in the continent to address the continent’s knowledge

and skill deficit in the area of science and technology. Currently, NM-AIST is fully

supported by the Government of Tanzania and is mandated to train qualified

scientists from Tanzania and the rest of Africa at graduate level and conduct high

impact research and innovation that will have national and regional relevance.

As shown above, SSA will have to go a long way to develop capacity (both human

resources and physical facilities) for advancement in science and technology. Given

the level of economic development in these countries, it could be very difficult to

establish a critical mass of scientists in a short time. Therefore, by attracting

staff and students from all over Africa and outside of Africa and establishing a state

of the art research facility, NM-AIST strives to address major African problems. This

includes, on the one hand training of the young generation of scientists and on the

other hand carrying out high impact research addressing today’s pressing

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problems of the continent. Students, in addition to gaining an in- depth knowledge

in their area of specialization, will receive practical training in solving major African

problems working under the guidance of highly qualified academic staff. In the past

decades, African students received training in the best institutions in developed

countries and did their research on problems relevant to developed countries. Upon

coming back to Africa, some found it difficult to adjust themselves and initiate

research relevant enough to solving local problems of Africa. This has led to brain

drain (forcing them to go back and establish themselves in developed countries) or

brain wastage (all their talents remain unused to solve Africa’s problems).

3. FOCUS, OBJECTIVES AND CHARACTERISTIC OF NM-AIST R&I

3.1 Research Categories and Undertakings at NM-AIST

Research is the creation of new knowledge and/or the use of existing knowledge in a

new and creative way so as to generate new concepts, methodologies and

understandings. This could include synthesis and analysis of previous research to the

extent that it leads to new and creative outcomes. Research undertakings at NM-AIST

will fall under two main categories, namely; basic research, and applied research. Basic

research (also called pure research or fundamental research) is a systematic study

directed toward greater knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of

phenomena. Basic research is executed without thought of a practical end goal, without

specific applications or products in mind. Applied research, on the other hand, refers to

scientific study and research that seeks to solve practical problems. Applied research is

used to find solutions to everyday problems, cure illness, and develop innovative

technologies. It is conducted with a view to acquiring and applying knowledge

that will address a specific problem or meet a specific need of an entity or,

generally, of a society or industry.

3.2 NM-AIST R&I Focus Areas in Relation to National and Regional

Development Agenda and Initiatives NM-AIST’s focus areas for R&I are directly in line to national and regional

development plans. For example, the Tanzania Development Vision 2025 envisions

that by 2025 the country will attain high quality livelihood for all its citizens, develop

a well educated and learning society, and establish a competitive economy capable of

producing sustainable growth with equitable benefit sharing for all citizens.

According to this development vision, Tanzania will become a middle-income country

by the year 2025. Therefore, NM-AIST’s research and innovation agenda is geared

towards contributing visibly to the realization of this vision.

Another initiative is the National Environmental Research Agenda for Tanzania

2008–2013 prepared by the National Environment Management Council (NEMC) in

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2007 which identified different specific and cross cutting priority areas for

research and development. The specific priority areas include: sustainable land use

and conflict management, biodiversity management, mining, energy and environment,

integrated waste management, climate change and vulnerability, and pollution

prevention. In addition, the agenda identified sustainable utilization of natural

resources, biotechnology, and environmental governance as cross cutting priority

areas. All these issues should be addressed by the NM-AIST R&I Agenda.

At regional level, the 2011/12–2015/16 Development Strategy of the East African

Community list agriculture and food security, industrial development, health,

environment, and science and technology as priority strategic intervention areas

that need attention to ensure development of the region. Similarly, one of the issues

raised in the SADC Vision 2050 document states the need to “enhance the benefit to

all from biodiversity and ecosystems services” and “promote sustainable use of

biodiversity”. Again these issues should be addressed by the NM-AIST R&I Agenda.

3.3 R&I Approach at NM-AIST

In line with its Motto of “Academia for Society and Industry”, research at NM-AIST is

coupled with innovation with a view to generating tangible products, industrial and

business solutions that address the needs and problems of the society and industry.

This requires an open channel of communication with society and industry in

identifying research problems, partnership in thrashing out the various aspects of the

problem or need being addressed, using the high concentration of SETI talents

resident at NM-AIST and its network partners to develop the solutions, and feeding

back the developed solutions and technologies or services to the society or industry, as

depicted in Figure 3.

Fig. 3: A model of NM-AIST’s problem identification and interaction with society and

industry

The research and innovation undertaken at NM-AIST shall also be multi-disciplinary in

DeriveNeeds&ProblemsfromCommuni es&theIndustry

NM-AISTLabs

Solu onsFeedBacktoCommuni es&

theIndustry

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nature where researchers from all schools and support departments work together to

develop solutions to address societal and industrial needs and problems (Fig. 4). In this

way NM-AIST will make sure that a problem or need, once identified, is solved by

employing expertise from the various disciplines and the results reach to society or

industry as products and services. By doing so NM-AIST will avoid the trap of traditional

approaches where schools/departments work independently in silos with little or no

communication between them, thus denying synergy and holistic address of the said

problem or need.

For this system to work efficiently, however, reorganization of the laboratories and

research groups based on their function will be necessary. This will facilitate

avoidance of unnecessary duplication of efforts and allow optimum use of scarce

resources to address important research problems. The fact that many groups with

different expertise work together to solve a given problem or need would greatly

shorten the time it takes from idea generation to the availability of the research and

innovation results to society as products and services.

Fig. 4: A schematic model of multidisciplinary approach of problem solving at NM- AIST

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4. MAJOR R&I THEMES AND SUB-THEMES

4.1 Overview

As outlined earlier, the main challenges Tanzania, and the rest of Africa, face in the

coming years is related to rapid population increase and globalization of the world

economy. Similar to all other SSA countries, the population of Tanzania is projected to

grow fast reaching 129 million by 2050 from its current size of about 49 million.

With such fast population growth, ensuring food and nutritional security, job

creation for a population dominated by youth through promotion of industrial

development, are challenges that need immediate attention.

Increased agricultural and industrial productivity can only be ensured when

workers are healthy and well fed. However, today many people in Africa suffer from

one or another type of diseases. This, in addition to affecting the health of workers

and reducing their work efficiency, causes significant mortality and morbidity resulting

in huge socio-economic crisis.

Most diseases affecting millions of people in Africa (up to 60%) are communicable

diseases that include malaria, tuberculosis, diarrheal diseases, HIV/AIDS, etc. Access

to health services in most African countries is very limited and clinics and hospitals

are often overburdened with patients. Moreover, most hospitals and clinics face

serious shortage of resources and lack access to modern technologies that could help

them in patient management. In addition to individual health, environmental

sustainability is another area that will have serious impact on sustainability of

economic developments and the health of society.

To sustain life and support industrial development, access to clean and safe water

is considered vital. Water is also essential for agricultural practices, for both crop

farming and animal husbandry. But Africa in general, and Eastern Africa in

particular is a water stressed area calling for research and innovation in the sector.

Water shortage often leads to conflicts among different populations. Therefore, issues

related to governance are also important to be addressed.

To address the pressing societal n e e d s a n d problems i n T a n z a n i a , t h e E A

r e g i o n a n d S S A g e n e r a l l y , NM-AIST gears its research and innovation towards

generating knowledge, developing products and generating industrial and business

solutions, and policy briefs to inform policy making in the following areas:

(i) Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Security (ii) Harnessing of the Biodiversity of Nature and Eco-systems Management

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(iii) Human and Animal Health in the context of Eco Health (iv) Energy Security, and Management of the Environment for Safety and Sustainable

Development (v) Water Security and Sustainability (vi) Core and Applied Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Information sciences

By addressing these issues NM-AIST will be able to address the major problem

Tanzania (and Africa in general) is facing today.

4.2 R&I in Agriculture, Food and Nutritional Security

Agriculture is the mainstay of SSA’s economy where up to 70% of the work force get

employment and account for up to 30% of the export of most countries. However,

the sector faces several challenges t ha t greatly limit its potential to ensure food

security in the region. For several years, agriculture in SSA did not benefit from any

technological inputs. For example, Africa was not a beneficiary of the green revolution

that helped to transform agriculture in Asia and Latin America in the 1970s, where

millions were pulled out of poverty and many countries were assured of food

security. Today, agriculture in SSA is characterized by low productivity that i s

unable to provide any surplus. To eradicate poverty and ensure food security for a

growing population of SSA, it is important that African farmers be supported with the

latest technologies. Compared to Latin America and Asia, only 6% of Africa’s agriculture

use irrigation and the figure is much lower when SSA is considered separately.

Because agriculture is rainfed, any failure or delay of rain in any given year usually

have devastating consequences.

Crop varieties used in traditional farming are often low yielding. Moreover, crops are

highly susceptible to biotic st re sse s (such as diseases, pests, and weeds) and

abiotic stresses (such as drought, soil salinity and acidity). Some studies have shown

that up to 40% of agricultural produce at any time is lost due to the impact of crop

pests, diseases, and weeds. Moreover, productivity of some important crops that are

propagated through vegetative means (such as sweet potato and cassava) is greatly

reduced due to viral infections that increase with increasing cycle of propagation.

Pastoralists and farmers involved in animal production also face multiple challenges.

These include animal loss due to diseases, lack of access to appropriate animal feed,

lack of genetic evaluation and selection of the regions livestock, access to market, etc.

Moreover, both livestock and crop farmers do lack any access to the latest benefits of

developments of ICT.

At times when farmers have bumper harvests, they also suffer because of lack of

market in the food value chain system. This is especially important for highly

perishable products, such as tomato, cassava, fruits, and many other root crops. On the

other hand, at present, processed food products derived from the above crops that are

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commonly grown locally are imported from abroad using scarce foreign currency.

This shows t h a t development of new technologies for value addition is urgently

required.

Africa is not currently suff ici ent ly benefiting from its animal resources. Although

Eastern Africa has the highest number of animals especially ruminants the region is

not gaining much economic benefit out of this resource. For example, the dairy

industry in Africa remains underdeveloped and its contribution to the economy is

very low. On the other hand, the Netherlands and Denmark, with animal

population a lot less than Tanzania’s, export large quantities of dairy products in

the international market and gain tremendous economic benefit. The leather tanning

industry is another area that depends on the by-products of the meat industry with

huge potential for development in Africa but not yet given due attention. Here too,

development of technology for value addition will have huge benefits for Tanzania,

and Africa in general.

It is often one thing to produce the food but totally a different matter to process it in a

manner acceptable by consumers. Therefore, processing food that avoids post harvest

losses, ensures the right nutritional balance, and that is safe for consumption need a

lot of attention. Hence, development of new and improved technologies for food

processing will ensure availability of the right food for the public create new jobs

and help to diversify the economy. As food is easily contaminated with pathogenic

microorganisms and chemical contaminants, due attention must also be given to food

safety to protect the public from exposure to public health hazards.

Agriculture has been practiced in Africa for thousands of years. During this long period

people in different localities developed their own peculiar technologies and process

that are tested and perfected over time. Today we collectively label such technologies

and know-hows as traditional or indigenous knowledge. Although sometimes there is a

tendency to right off such traditional know-how as unscientific and unreliable, many of

them do work and have passed the test of time. It is, therefore, important to study

such traditional knowledge system, give them scientific explanation and touch, and

make them available for the wider community.

Referring from the above therefore, NM-AIST’s research and innovation agenda in

relation to agriculture , food and nutritional security will involve:

A. Increasing agricultural (including livestock) products yield through:

a. Conservation agriculture

b. Development of high yielding crop varieties through the use of modern

biotechnology and/or traditional breeding processes

c. The use of new and existing technologies to improve soil fertility

d. Reduction of pre-harvest crop losses due to abiotic and biotic stresses.

This could include development of disease free planting materials, disease

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and drought resistant crop varieties, biological controls, etc.

e. Development of ICT tools that assist farmers to gain knowledge about

water use in irrigation process, modeling of meteorological cycles, and

other relevant information useful for the farming activity

f. Detailed study of the genetics of local livestock and improvement through

breeding

g. Development of efficient business and marketing strategies for local

livestock farmers

B. Development of functional foods and optimizing nutritional values of indigenous foods and dishes

C. Value addition to agricultural (including animal) products through:

a. Development of new and improved technologies for agro-processing

b. Improvement of marketing of agricultural products D. Livestock and livestock-products- management, commercialization and

marketing

E. Development of technologies for food processing, preservation and packaging that ensure food safety and nutritional richness, and address pre- and post-harvest losses

F. Deriving scientific explanations and development of improved technologies

for better harnessing of indigenous knowledge.

In this research and innovation focus area, the Schools of LiSBE, MEWES, BuSH, and CoCSE

will collaborate to achieve the intended objectives (Fig. 5). Each school will thus develop

its own research agenda and align it both vertically (with NM-AIST R&I Agenda) and

horizontally (with other school’s R&I agendas).

Fig. 5: A schematic model for an interdisciplinary approach by all Schools of NM-AIST

to solve an agricultural problem.

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4.3 R&I in Harnessing of the Biodiversity of Nature and Eco-Systems Management

As indicated Fig. 1, Africa is endowed with abundant natural resources. This includes

Africa’s unique and immense biodiversity and its mineral resources. To date this

resource is not used to create jobs and diversify the economy. Thus, Africa’s

participation in the global economy is limited to the export of raw materials for which

it has no say in determining the prices. Exported raw materials are processed in

developed countries and Africa purchases the finished products. Therefore, the jobs are

created elsewhere and finally Africa pays for it.

The missing link that is inhibiting Africa from adding value to its raw materials and

limits its participation in the global economy is its inability to carry out sustained

research and innovation in the area of science and technology. Development of this

capacity could, therefore, allow the continent to harness its natural resources for

industrial development.

Out of a total of 34 biodiversity hotspot regions (a relatively small region that contain

over 60% of the worlds biodiversity), at least 8 are found in Africa a n d a t l e a s t

f o u r of which are in the Eastern Africa region. Such immense biodiversity, if

properly studied, could serve as a source of novel products for medical, industrial,

environmental, and agricultural use. However, for a given area to qualify as a

hotspot, it must contain at least 0.5% of its vascular plant species as endemics (found

only in that area) and has lost at least 70% of its primary vegetation. This shows

that if action is not taken fast, there is a very high likelihood that we lose our

biodiversity, some of them (such as the microorganisms), before we even know that

they ever existed.

On the other hand, the presence of such immense biodiversity could give the region, in

the short term, a comparative advantage and in the long term a competitive

advantage in the area of new products and solutions from the biodiversity. For

example, the existence of extensive traditional knowledge about medicinal plants

coupled with the enormous biodiversity could be used to discover new drugs of

pharmaceutical importance. Furthermore, the presence of unique microbial diversity

in the region could serve as a basis for the development of white biotechnology

using novel microbial bio-catalysts.

As NM-AIST’s motto is “academia for society and industry” it will work hand in hand

with local industries to increase their innovativeness and thus to improve their

competitiveness. This should take the form of joint research with industry, contract

research, and other forms of collaboration. However, the fact that the industrial

sector is in its infancy in SSA makes industry-university collaboration very

challenging. Therefore, NM-AIST shall work, on one hand to contribute to the growth of

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existing industries through collaborative research and innovation, and on the other

hand t o catalyze the establishment of new industries deriving from research and

innovation outputs from the institution.

The main research and innovation agenda of NM-AIST in relation to harnessing of the

biodiversity of nature and ecosystems management therefore shall include the following:

A. Natural products research and innovation to develop products and solutions that

address societal and industrial needs and problems including the following:

a. Exploitation of traditional medicinal plants as sources of new drugs

b. Development of new and novel bio-catalysts for industrial use locally

and globally

c. Development of new and novel processes for the treatment of industrial

and domestic waste

d. Development of food supplements/neutraceuticals, drugs, cosmetics and agrochemicals from the biodiversity of plants, animals and microbes

e. Development of organic pesticides and repellants B. Development of technologies that allow value addition to local mineral resources C. Development of efficient and effective ecosystems conservation and management

techniques.

The research a n d i n n o v a t i o n agenda o n b i o d i v e r s i t y a n d e c o s y s t e m s

m a n a g e m e n t will involve participation of the Schools of MEWES, LiSBE, BuSH,

CoCSE, and EaSEn. Each school shall prepare detailed plans of its own R&I agenda

and align it vertically with the Institutional R&I agenda and horizontally with other

collaborating schools.

4.4 R&I in Human and Animal Health in the context of Eco-Health

At present, millions of people in Africa suffer from different diseases causing huge

suffering to individuals and families, and greatly affecting the economy of almost all

countries in SSA. It has been reported that annually, malaria alone cause a 1% reduction

of GDP in most SSA countries.

The common diseases in Africa with the greatest impact are communicable diseases.

Often, the diseases, transmission system involve complex interactions in the

environment involving people, domestic animals, wild animals, and disease vectors. A

clear understanding of this complex interaction is considered an essential element in

the design o f preventive measures and prediction of disease transmission processes.

Some of the major communicable diseases in Africa are caused by water-borne or food-

borne pathogens. Development of efficient technologies for water treatment and safe

food processing and storage techniques could lead to substantial reduction in diseases

caused by water and food born pathogens.

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Another challenge faced in Africa is lack of proper diseases diagnosis. For example, a

number of pathogens cause fever in patients, but because of the absence of reliable

diagnostic techniques most often these are lumped as malaria and antimalarial drugs

are administered. Such failure of proper diagnosis lead to delays that i n t u r n lead

to disease complications and make treatment difficult to the extent of causing death, in

some cases. It also increases the time patients spend in beds or hospitals and

adversely impact workers devotion to their agricultural or industrial works. Other

challenges include lack of access to proper drugs, vaccines, and other reagents.

New ICT based technologies for patient management and follow up at health

institutions all over Africa is also in urgent need. Hospitals and clinics in Tanzania

(and the whole of SSA) could tremendously benefit from the latest technologies in ICT.

This will help such hospitals improve their services and allow them reach more

patients.

NM-AIST’s main research and innovation themes in the area of human and animal

health will have the following major components:

A. Ecohealth (global health) aimed at understanding the interaction of people,

domestic animals, wild animals, and the environment in the emergence and

spread of diseases

B. Knowledge generation on the ecology and interaction of different diseases of

public health importance, and development of new control and management

strategies

C. Discovery of new drugs and other therapeutic agents

D. Development of materials, including nano-materials and technologies for health

management and drug administration

E. Development of new ICT based technologies for healthcare services

a. Mobile based software for farmers

b. Telemedicine technology

c. M-Health approach for improving immunization processes and the like.

F. Development of fast and reliable diagnostic techniques and tools for human

and animal diseases

G. Development of vaccines for major communicable diseases of humans and

animals

The research and innovation agenda o n h u m a n a n d a n i m a l h e a l t h will involve

participation of the Schools of MEWES, LiSBE, BuSH and CoCSE. Each school shall

prepare detailed plans of its own R&I agenda and align it vertically with the

Institutional R&I agenda and horizontally with other collaborating schools.

4.5 R&I in Energy Security, and Management of the Environment for Safety and

Sustainable Development

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The answer to increased population has always been industrial development. However,

industrialization and the resultant urbanization are often associated with

environmental deterioration. Agricultural intensification (for example, intensive

animal farming) is also associated with environmental pollution. The trend in many

countries has been ‘develop first and then think of the environment later’. This attitude

has already been found to be very expensive both in terms of money and lives lost. As

Africa is just about to start industrialization, it is important to take the lesson from

other countries and start to care for the environment before it is irreversibly damaged,

an action that calls for the development of efficient waste management processes.

With population increase, the demand for energy will also grow tremendously. At

present in most African countries biomass accounts for about 90% of the energy

used for cooking. As the population increase this will lead to massive deforestation

and cause serious environmental degradation, an issue that will be further complicated

with climate change. But people must cook and eat. Therefore, to ensure

sustainability it is important that alternative energy sources be sought.

The main research areas NM-AIST will focus in relation to environmental

sustainability include:

A. Development of efficient technology for w a s t e m a n a g e m e n t a n d the

treatment of industrial and domestic waste

B. Development of alternative and sustainable energy sources (such as solar and

wind) for domestic and industrial use

C. Oil/petroleum and gas exploration; especially on deep water drilling and

reservoir exploration technologies for oil and gas

D. Mathematical modeling and computer simulation of energy needs, management

and utilization

E. Development of materials, including nano-materials and technologies for energy

management

F. Development of a p a r t i c i p a t o r y m o d e l s f o r r e s p o n d i n g t o

e n v i r o n m e n t a l i s s u e s i n c l u d i n g t h e Corporate Social

Responsibility and Environmental Health and Safety models

G. Climate change modeling and studies on short-, medium- and long-term impacts,

and design of appropriate responses

H. Development of systems for collecting environment data or parameters (e.g. pollution) for the purpose of monitoring and prediction purposes

The research a n d i n n o v a t i o n agenda o n energy security and the environment will

involve participation of the Schools of MEWES, LiSBE, BuSH and CoCSE. Each school

shall prepare detailed plans of its own R&I agenda and align it vertically with the


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4.6 R&I in Water Security and Sustainability

Water is an essential element of all forms of life. It is also an absolute necessity for our

industrial and agricultural activities. And, yet the East African region is a highly water

deficient area putting huge strain on different spheres of activity. Water shortage and

access for water is often the cause of conflict among different pastoralists and

resident farming communities. Millions of people in Africa still lack access to clean

drinking water.

The main research and innovation focus area of NM-AIST in relation to water will

include development of technologies for:

A. Improvement of water sanitation and reduction of waterborne diseases through

efficient and affordable technologies, such as using nano-technology among others.

B. Wastewater treatment and management (including recycling)

C. Water security infrastructures such as water harvesting technologies to increase

water availability and conservation

D. Groundwater prospecting and watershed management

E. Integrated water resources management and governance

The research a n d i n n o v a t i o n agenda o n water security and sustainability will

involve participation of the Schools of MEWES, LiSBE, BuSH and CoCSE. Each school

shall prepare detailed plans of its own R&I agenda and align it vertically with the


4.7 R&I in Core and Applied Electrical Engineering, Electronics and Information sciences.

ICT and Electrical Engineering solutions enable efficient, very effective and embraced

ways of addressing complex real life needs and problems. The solutions are

characterized by combinations of sophisticated electrical devices and electronics, fine

communication means, computational models, algorithms and data analytics. At a more

abstract level, users are presented by electronic gadgets, information systems, mobile

and desktop applications to mention a few.

In this respect, NM-AIST R&I shall aim at developing the capacity to devise cutting edge

electronics and ICT solutions and use them to develop efficient and effective means of

addressing and managing our needs and challenges, societal and industrial. NM-AIST

shall embark on themes which are critical for the growth of Tanzania and the region in

the aforesaid aspects. These include:

A. Teaching and learning.

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B. Information management in health, agriculture, livestock, commerce and service

sectors.

C. Conservation and protection of natural and other national resources and assets.

D. Productivity Improvement in the various sectors.

E. Sustainable livelihood and security.

5. PRIORITY SETTING OF R&I UNDERTAKINGS Depending on available resources and human capital priority setting for R&I at NM-AIST

will be governed by the following principles:

i) Responsiveness to the needs and problems of the society and industry

ii) Alignment to national, regional and institutional development agenda

iii) Availability of funds for the specific research

iv) Contribution to the realization of NM-AIST Vision and Strategic Plan

In addition, the following factors (priority weightings) will be considered in setting the

priorities:

o Institutional (image, visibility, sustainability, alignment to CSP, etc.) impact

o National contribution and impact

o Regional contribution and impact

o Multiplier effects of the undertaking

o Low hanging fruit effect

o Corporate Social Responsibilities.

6. ORGANIZATION, MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF NM-AIST R&I ACTIVITIES

Research and innovation at NM-AIST is directed to address needs and problems of the

society and industry, and the focus areas are as outlined in the previous sections. All

research activities will be guided by the focus areas and in accordance with the priorities

set. R&I at NM-AIST shall be multidisciplinary in nature addressing one issue from

various angles by various experts working as a team.

The main categories of R&I activities at NM-AIST shall be as follows:

a) Research and innovation by staff sponsored by various national, regional and

international funding agencies

b) Research and innovation by postdoctoral fellows and graduate (PhD, and MSc)

students as part of their research work

c) Contract research undertaken by academic staff and graduate students under

contractual agreement with industry.

Research and innovation agendas developed by schools a n d R e s e a r c h C h a i r s

s h a l l align vertically with the institutional R&I agenda and horizontally with the R&I

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agendas of other schools. Once this happens, staff recruitment and identification of

student research projects shall be made to fill any gap that may exist in addressing the

identified R&I needs and problems.

For better and maximum impact, during the development of new research proposals in

response to calls from funding agencies, it will be very much advisable to form teams

of experts drawn from various disciplines. This will help to ensure that the

development of the research proposals addresses all relevant aspects holistically, and

each team member knows his/her responsibility right from the beginning.

The practice whereby identification of Master’s and PhD research projects is done by

students without regard to the R&I agenda will be discouraged. It will be discouraged

because such approach, although sometimes is useful in encouraging student

innovativeness, it lacks continuity and could seriously inhibit the resolve to address

serious societal or industrial problems identified in the institutional R&I agenda.

Therefore, it will be important that Schools urge students to work with potential

supervisors to identify problems that fall within the R&I agenda.

To encourage multidisciplinary approach in solving a given problem it will also be

important, whenever possible, for students to be jointly supervised by staff from two

or more Schools, each specializing in a different discipline. But this will entail having

in place a research facilities management system that is not strictly School based but

rather one that is discipline based.

Contract research is research carried out by a team comprising staff and graduate

students to solve a given problem from industry. The fact that the problem comes

from industry immediately put the problem in NM-AIST’s priority list for it is the latter’s

aim to assist the former in solving its problems/challenges. When such research idea

comes through the institutional channel, an appropriate team of experts from relevant

schools and disciplines shall be constituted to work on the research problem. It can

also happen that an individual staff brings such research through his/her own contacts.

In that case it will be the responsibility of the individual to assemble the team of experts.

No staff member will be allowed to work solo on a research and innovation project.

7. FINANCING OF R&I AT NM-AIST

Research is an expensive undertaking and needs generous financing. To a large

extent the research output in any institution is directly proportional to how much

is invested for its undertaking. As mentioned earlier institutions in SSA are mostly

underfunded and thus contribute very little to addressing the continent’s pressing

problems. Because their contribution is so marginal, the public sector has very little

incentive to improve the funding of such institution. Similarly, in most African

institutions, industry and academia rarely work together. In fact, sometimes when

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industries face problems they tend to bring experts from abroad, even if equally

competent or even better experts are available locally. In order to come out of this

vicious cycle, NM-AIST has established a Nelson Mandela - Public Private Partnership

(NM-PPP) Initiative as a mechanism for technology transfer and co-creation that will

ensure that innovations and other solutions developed by NM-AIST faculty and

their Master’s and PhD students are effectively transferred to the public and private

sectors and utilized to address societal and industrial needs and problems, and

thereby attract support towards the institution’s R&I endeavours, among other

things, from the public and private sectors.

The first source of finance for R&I activities at NM-AIST will be institutional support

from its own internal revenues. At first the revenue source will be very limited.

However, with time NM-AIST shall increase its revenue through different sources and

invest part of this revenue to support in-house R&I. One important source of revenue

shall come from technologies developed in-house through its R&I. Such technologies

shall be licensed to industry and serve as a source of revenue.

Another source of revenue shall be income obtained from spin-off and spin-in

companies. For technologies where no industry is ready or willing to take up, spin-

off companies will be established such that the revenue shall be divided between

the inventors and the institution as per the guideline to be prepared for the purpose. In

the case of spin-in companies, NM-AIST will run the company itself through a holding

company.

A third source of financing of NM-AIST’s R&I will result from successful implementation

of the NM-PPP Initiative as mentioned earlier.

A fourth source of financing shall involve competitive research grants from various

international funding agencies. As research become highly multidisciplinary involving

participation of different expertise to solve a given problem, it will be to the best

interest of NM-AIST staff to form multidisciplinary teams while developing project

proposals. Proposals prepared through this way will stand a better chance of winning

funding. If it is necessary to conduct group discussion during the proposal

development phase, say arranging a retreat for few days, NM-AIST may provide the

necessary financial support if requested by the principal investigator(s).

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8. COLLABORATION AND MANAGEMENT OF R&I RESULTS

8.1 Research Collaboration

Research and innovation is becoming so international that no single institution can

have all the expertise all the time to adequately address any research problem.

Collaboration with other researchers is therefore absolutely essential. In this regard

researchers at NM-AIST shall be encouraged to initiate research collaboration with

other researchers in universities and research institutions at national, regional, and

international level. The form of collaboration shall involve joint application and

execution of research grants, short visits to learn or discuss about important techniques

or new developments in the field of specialization, or collaboration on the analysis of

samples, etc.

To avoid any conflict of interest, NM-AIST Management shall be informed about the

details of the collaboration well ahead of time, and appropriate f o r m a l i t i e s a n d

p o s s i b l e legalities properly handled. Transfer of materials through such

collaboration must accompany signing of material transfer agreements. Issues

related to I n t e l l e c t u a l p r o p e r t y ( IP) must also be discussed from the

beginning and appropriate legal procedures taken, as stipulated in NM-AIST’s IP policy

and the partner institution’s IP policy.

8.2 Management of R&I Results

For all R&I results having good potential for commercialization, intellectual property

right protection applications will be filled immediately. To facilitate this process

NM-AIST shall establish an IP Office and i n w h i c h t h e r e w i l l b e a

T e c h n o l o g y Transfer Office. Following up of the legal process of IP protection

shall be the responsibility of this office. And, benefit sharing between researchers

and the institutions and other collaborators shall be as per a separate guideline to

be prepared by the Institution.

Once IP protection is obtained, the technology shall be used to produce goods and

services for the benefit of society and/or industry. This can be done either by

licensing the technology or establishing spin-off companies as shown in Fig. 4 and 6.

In both cases NM-AIST shall make sure that innovations it develops speedily reach the

society and/or industry as goods and services.

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Fig. 6: Pathways for the transformation of R&I results as goods and services for the

benefit of society.

8.2.1 Licensing technology

All technologies developed at NM-AIST and IP protected shall be licensed for large-

scale production to local industries. Royalties obtained from such licensing of

technology shall be partitioned between the institution and the innovators as per a

separate guideline to be prepared by the Institution.

To facilitate the process of Technology Transfer and to deal with technology users, NM-

AIST shall establish a separate technology transfer office (or as part of the IP Office) and

deal with external clients. Once the technology is adopted NM-AIST shall provide

support to the end users.

8.2.2 Establishment of spin-off, spin-out and spin-in companies

A spin-out company is one that is created by an employee, a non-employed student,

alumni or other person with the institution claiming ownership of a property or

technology. A spin-in company is one that is created by an employee, a non-employed

student, alumni or other person with the institution claiming no ownership of the

technology. A research spin-off or university spin-off, on the other hand, is a company

founded on the findings of a member or by members of a research group at an

institution. Thus, another option to turn innovations into goods and services for

the benefit of society shall be to establish spin-off or spin-out companies. This entails

developing guidelines spelling out, among other things, the modalities for benefit

sharing between the institution and the innovators.

As it is often the case, innovators (staff and students) may not have the necessary

capital required for the establishment of such companies. Sometimes they may also

lack the managerial experience to run such companies. In both cases NM- AIST shall

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mobilize the required capital from venture capital or other sources and may take

over the management of the company through its holding company until such

time that it is able to stand by its own.

After the company becomes profitable, NM-AIST may wish to sell all or part of its share

and use the revenue to support other new innovations. In this way NM-AIST shall

become an agent of change for a successful industrial development in the region.

8.2.3 Venture capital

Establishment of spin-off and spin-out companies may require availability of

significant amount of capital in terms of technology validation funds, start up

funds, and growth funds. This cannot be covered from regular budget of the

institution. One option NM-AIST may follow is to make use of the NM-PPP Initiative

to raise venture capital from the public sector (government), international donors, or

the private sector. This will be especially important during the initial phases. After

some time, however, NM-AIST may have enough under its Endowment Fund for

Excellence (EFE) to finance such initiatives.

8.2.4 Promotion

To get potential buyers for technologies developed at NM-AIST and sell its

services to industry and society, end users need to know what is available. For that,

different marketing strategies need to be employed. These include:

a) Regular meetings with potential customers or stakeholders to inform them about

available technologies and services

b) Periodic use o f media outlets to inform potential customers about NM-AIST’s

R&I outputs

c) Targeted individuals – arranging face to face meetings/discussions with

selected potential customer(s)

The Office of Technology Transfer to be established under the office of Deputy Vice

Chancellor for Academic, Research, and Innovation will be responsible for this

activity.

9. MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE R&I AGENDA

The aim of R&I at NM-AIST is always to benefit society and industry. Once a given

project is approved for funding from whatever source, the progress of the project

i m p l e m e n t a t i o n as stipulated in the proposal shall be regularly monitored.

Therefore, NM-AIST shall establish an office to follow up and support researchers (but

not to police researchers) in the implementation of their projects and provide

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administrative support for the researchers during the time of reporting. If the project

faces any problem, researchers shall get assistance in time. If a given project comes

up with interesting results warranting immediate application, appropriate support

shall be given by NM-AIST M a n a g e m e n t m a c h i n e r y to complete the study and

apply the results of R&I through the entire chain.

All R&I activities of NM-AIST shall be periodically evaluated by internal and external

assessors. Overall R&I performance of the institution in relation to its main R&I

agenda, outcomes of the R&I in a given period, and the benefit it generates to society

and industry shall be evaluated. The number and quality of spin-offs generated from its

R&I activities shall also be periodically evaluated and based on the results, new

strategies designed or existing strategies strengthened.

10. MOTIVATION AND REWARD OF EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE IN R&I

Individuals or teams with exemplary performance shall receive recognition from NM-

AIST management and the community at large. This recognition shall include both

financial rewards and recognition of their contribution in front of their peers. This, in

addition to encouraging the group or individual to continue performing to the same

level and above, will also greatly help others to follow their examples.

Many people believe that absence of role models for the young generation is partly

responsible for the absence of people that use scientific and engineering knowledge

for innovation. Therefore, regular annual events shall be organized and people with

exceptional performance during the year selected for recognition using objective

criteria. Maximum care shall be exercised to avoid recognition of the wrong people

or not to disregard those who deserve recognition for it will discredit the entire

exercise. Once such process lose faith in the eyes of the public, it could be very difficult to

regain back credibility.

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