Entrepreneurship at KIST in Rwanda
Current externally (International) funded knowledge Transfer activities in KIST in 2009.
- 2009- KIST selected by British Council for funding the first
Knowledge Transfer Partnership between Universities and Industries
in Rwanda
- 2009- KIST awarded $750K over three years by UNIDO to build
a meat processing plant in CITT.
- 2009-KIST to host the Banana fibre Technology Centre in Rwanda
for the production of Paper, Textiles and affordable building
materials in Rwanda (with WDA/RDB).
- 2009-KIST receives seed funding on Nutrition from USAID, follow
up to US-Africa Higher Education partnership conference in Rwanda.
- KIST selected to host the Life Science Virtual platform in Rwanda
(with office of the Minister of Science, Technology and ICT in
the Presidency).
- 2008-2009 KIST Receives $250k from UNEP for research on the
environment
KIST international achievements awards in
entrepreneurship and Knowledge Transfer (CITT/TBIF).
- 2001- KIST centre for innovation and Tech Transfer (CITT)
wins ASHDEN AWARD U.K. for improved bread making oven
- 2005- KIST CITT wins ASHDEN AWARD U.K. for sustainable energy
for Biogas units sold to various organisations in Rwanda
- 2007-KIST awarded a UNESCO-UNEVOC international centre award
for Technical education and Training by UNESCO-UNEVOC centre,
Bonn, Germany.
- 2008- KIST wins world Bank infodev award for Technology business
incubation coming 1st amongst submissions from 97 countries
- 2008- KIST computer engineering student wins East African Google
Computer Gadget competition.
Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurship in KIST
One of the approaches adopted in Rwanda is based on a Technology
and Business incubation (TBIF) facility located on campus of the
Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), which was set-up
to facilitate technology based enterprise development and economic
growth. The KIST based TBIF recently (September 2008) won the infoDev
award from the World Bank amounting to $50,000:00 for promoting
business incubation in Rwanda. The TBIF proposal was placed first
amongst several international contestants for a proposal aimed at
promoting ICT-enabled innovation and entrepreneurship in developing
countries.
Inference:
One can finally summarise that the present and future development
of human society in terms of infrastructure and economic growth
will at least partly depend on successful partnerships between higher
education and industries driven by entrepreneurship. Academic entrepreneurship
will appear to have now taken its place as one of the major catalysts
for the economic development and transformation of any society.
1. What areas of knowledge Transfer
is KIST involved in?
• Waste water management and production of Biogas
This has been carried out in schools, households and prison establishment
and has led to tremendous saving on fuel wood consumption, hence
minimizing deforestation and arresting creeping desertification
in Rwanda.
• Energy saving
Fuel efficient community cook stoves: This has addressed the problem
of acute shortage of fuel energy for cooking in institutions with
a large number of people and households. Other energy saving technologies
have also been developed in areas like: home solar system, kerosene
shower, bread oven, household fuel saving cooking stoves, etc. in
Rwanda
• Low cost housing
This has addressed the high cost in construction of houses in Rwanda
especially low income earners like estates (Imidugudu).
• Other Technologies Developed by CITT
Rainwater harvesting and storage
- Food storage (Storage bin, Maize storage crib)
- Agriculture technologies (Treadle pump, Maize Sheller, Rice thresher,
potato peeler, tomato pulper, etc)
- Water supply ( hand pump used to draw water from underground tanks)
2. What are the areas of strength
of KIST in Knowledge Transfer?
- Human resources ( KIST had qualified staff in knowledge transfer)
- KIST as an institution of higher learning has a management structure
for Knowledge Transfer.
- KIST has modern and good teaching materials for knowledge transfer
and management in its Technology and Business incubation facility
(TBIF).
- KIST has got a specialised Centre for Innovations and Technology
Transfer (CITT),through this which practical skills are transferred
are acquired and used to support the technological and economic
growth of the country.
Future Plans : Replication
of the cottage industries below, currently existing in KIST across
Rwanda ( A catalyst for industrialization)
- Wire fencing and Nail manufacturing for building construction
- Plastic manufacturing including tubes for various domestic and
home applications
- Soap manufacturing
- Candle Manufacturing
Planned future projects in CITT
- Metal Casting and Machining Centre
- Setting up a national centre for technologies related to refrigeration
using methane gas and biodiesel development in kist
- Setting up a knowledge transfer partnership office between industries
and KIST
- Equipment leasing scheme
|
