A team of 7 visitors from Mount Kenya University http://www.mku.ac.ke/ visited Makerere University www.mak.ac.ug College of Health Sciences for collaboration discussions on April 24 and 25, 2017. This team held hold meetings with college staff and toured College research, innovation and training facilities but also toured Makerere University Main Campus.
While at the ResilientAfrica Network (RAN) Innovation Lab, the team from Mt. Kenya University led by Dr. Stanley Kangethe, Principal and Consultant Medical Microbiologist College of Health Sciences Mount Kenya University. The team interacted with some of the RAN innovators within the Innovation Lab space appreciating the innovation lab, process and how the developed prototypes currently work. A part from sharing an overview about RAN and the over 150 innovative projects currently under incubation, these visitors physically interacted with Grace Nakibaala who is working on the Pedal Tap innovation, the EpiTent Limited innovation and Hadijah Nantambi currently innovating around the Eco-cold Room for storage of vegetables and fruits before sell and or consumption. ”These are real tangible innovative solutions you are incubating, we must work hard together to take them to the market” shared Dr. John Munguti Kisengi, Accreditation Coordinator, College of Health Sciences Mount Kenya University.
The team from Mount Kenya University were also keen to learn more about RAN’s sustainability plan in particular leveraging additional funding to support innovation but also supporting innovators to open businesses/enterprises. It was also an opportunity for the RAN Team to share with these visitors how they source for innovations highlighting innovation exhibitions to tap into the existing, Request for Applications-Innovation Calls and the collaborative Resilience Innovation Design http://www.ranlab.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/RAN-Brochure-A4_Share.pdf. RAN is now working out a partnership with Mount Kenya University enabling cross learning directed towards growing innovation. ”It was noted that the RAN team could also help us to grow the Mount Kenya University Innovation arm sharing best practices and lessons learnt throughout the Innovation process. Discussions directed towards a possible partnership are underway.
