Mbarara gets innovation support centre

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Bishop Stuart University has become the latest academic institution to join Uganda’s growing innovation ecosystem with the official launch of the country’s 41st Technology and Innovation Centre (TISC). 

The centre was launched on Thursday (May 15, 2026) at Bishop Stuart University.

The milestone event was officiated by Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) board chairperson Francis K. Butagira, alongside several other officials, including top leadership of Bishop Stuart University.

Butagira was happy to note that the programme launch marked yet another step in Uganda’s deliberate journey towards building a knowledge-driven economy powered by research, creativity, and intellectual property.

The ceremony brought together academia, innovators, researchers, students, government officials and development partners in a celebration of innovation and the transformative power of intellectual property (IP) in national development.

Butagira praised the growing role of universities in shaping Uganda’s innovation future.

“Innovation is no longer a luxury for developing nations; it is a necessity. Universities must become centres where ideas are protected, nurtured, and transformed into solutions that improve lives and strengthen economies," Butagira said.

“The establishment of a TISC at Bishop Stuart University is, therefore, a significant investment in Uganda’s future,” Butagira added.

The event was also attended by URSB registrar general Mercy Keinobwisho, who said the entity implements the Technology and Innovation Support Centre programme in partnership with the World Intellectual Property Organisation to strengthen innovation support systems within universities, research institutions, and innovation hubs across the country.

Vice Chancellor Bishop Stuart University, Prof.John Mugisha (3rd from right), BSU university council chairman Prof. Kenneth Kagame (4th from right), Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) board chairman, Rt.Hon. Ambassador Francis K Butagira (5th from right), Mercy Keinobwisho, the URSB Registrar General (2nd from left seated) and other officials posing for the photo shortly after the launch of the 41st Technology and Innovation Centre launched at Bishop Stuart University on Thursday in Mbarara City.

TISC provides innovators, researchers, startups, and students with access to critical intellectual property services, including patent information, innovation and technology searches, IP awareness, research support, commercialisation guidance, and technology transfer services.

The centre also supports innovators to avoid duplication of existing inventions while helping them identify opportunities for new solutions and partnerships.

Keinobwisho added that the centre is expected to highlight the increasing importance of intellectual property in Uganda’s economic transformation agenda and the role universities play in driving innovation-led development.

In his speech,  Bishop Stuart University vice-chancellor Prof. John Mugisha reaffirmed the university’s commitment to research excellence, innovation, and practical solutions that respond to community and national needs.

Bishop Stuart University council chairperson Prof. Kenneth Kagame welcomed the programme, saying it has come at a time when Uganda continues to strengthen its standing in regional and continental innovation conversations.

Kagame and other stakeholders believe that expanding the TISC network across universities and innovation institutions will significantly contribute to improving Uganda’s performance on global innovation and competitiveness indices, including the Uganda Innovation Index and broader African innovation rankings.

They also believe the commissioned centre reflects a growing national movement where ideas are being recognised as powerful drivers of transformation, and where universities are increasingly becoming engines of innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainable development.

Trade ministry commissioner Patrick Mugisha urged universities to invest heavily in quality infrastructure, expressing the ministry's commitment to support them.