Less than 5% of Ugandan university research reaches industry
The concern comes as the Government seeks to use science, technology and innovation (STI) as a major engine of economic transformation under the proposed National STI Policy.
Dr James Kisaale, executive secretary of the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST). (File photo)
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Less than 5% of Uganda’s research outputs are being commercialised or adopted by industry, while an estimated 80% to 90% of university research is not directly responding to industry needs.
Academic experts say this exposes a major gap in the country’s ambition to build a science and knowledge-driven economy.
The figures, which were presented by Dr James Kisaale, executive secretary of the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST), have raised questions about whether Uganda’s universities are producing knowledge that can translate into technologies, businesses, jobs and solutions to the country’s development challenges.
The concern comes as the Government seeks to use science, technology and innovation (STI) as a major engine of economic transformation under the proposed National STI Policy.
The policy sets an ambitious target of transforming Uganda into a $700 billion (about sh2,660 trillion) economy by 2040, with a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of $10,000 (about sh37m).
It also envisages Uganda having six of Africa’s 15 leading universities and estimates that about $150 billion of the projected economy could be generated through the research and development value chain of Ugandan universities.
However, Kisaale’s figures suggest that Uganda faces a fundamental problem, since producing research is not the same as producing economic value.
The experts note that the country may have scientists publishing research papers and universities generating new knowledge, but much of that knowledge is not reaching factories, farms, hospitals, technology companies or other businesses where it can be turned into practical solutions.
From research papers to products
Opening the engagement, science, technology and innovation minister Jonard Asiimwe Akiiki challenged universities to rethink what constitutes success in research.
He argued that academic publications and qualifications should no longer be treated as the ultimate measure of research success if the knowledge generated does not contribute to solving real-world problems.
The minister’s challenge comes at a time when Uganda is seeking to industrialise, create employment, increase exports and reduce its dependence on imported technologies.
His message was that research should increasingly be judged by what happens after publication.
He said that the challenge is therefore to move beyond producing research for academic purposes and build stronger relationships with industry so that researchers understand the problems businesses and manufacturers are trying to solve.
The missing link in the research chain
Kisaale said the proposed policy seeks to address this gap by strengthening the entire research-to-market chain. This, he says, includes technology development and validation, intellectual property protection, testing, certification, technology transfer, commercialisation and access to investment.
Academic leaders say such interventions are critical because a research discovery cannot automatically become a commercially viable product.
According to them, a researcher may develop a new agricultural technology, medical innovation or manufacturing process, but without testing, intellectual property protection, certification, financing and a company willing to produce and sell it, the innovation may remain on paper.
Uganda’s technology dependence
This commercialisation gap is occurring alongside another challenge, with Uganda remaining heavily dependent on imported technologies. The country imports technologies used in agriculture, medicine, information and communication technology (ICT), renewable energy, manufacturing and mobility.
According to academic experts, this creates a paradox for an economy seeking to become more industrialised, since Uganda has universities and research institutions producing knowledge, yet businesses continue to rely heavily on technologies developed elsewhere.
Notably, Uganda has fewer than 100 researchers per million inhabitants, compared with approximately 2,100 full-time-equivalent researchers per million in China, according to figures presented during the engagement.
Experts say this difference illustrates the enormous gap in research capacity between Uganda and countries that have successfully used science and innovation to drive industrial development.
The proposed STI policy therefore seeks to reverse this pattern by strengthening Uganda’s capacity to develop and commercialise home-grown technologies.