University of Rwanda (UR) is partnering with other institutions to come up with an initiative for assisting final-year students turn their research ideas into innovative solutions.
According to officials at UR, currently, almost all the research work done by students ends up in libraries and doesn’t go further than that.
From Monday, November 14 to Thursday 17, academics from UR are convening a workshop with their counterparts from other institutions to look into what can be done to assist students implement their research ideas, turn them into solutions that can be of importance to society.
The workshop brought together different university leaders from institutions in Africa, as well as the Chalmers University of Technology from Sweden.
They are planning to work with the Chalmers University of Technology and come up with possible partnerships in areas of high priority like Sustainable Energy Innovations, Food and Nutritional Health, Data Driven ICT, Air Quality, Transportation, and Water.
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, the Minister of Education, Valentine Uwamariya reflected on the importance of research as one of the means of finding solutions for complex challenges.
"Government recognises the necessity of scientific knowledge to address the complex challenges facing the whole world. We do value strategic research collaboration and innovation to advance and share such necessary knowledge," she said.
Uwamariya added that this is an open opportunity for the university community to contribute satisfactorily to both the socioeconomic and sustainable transformation of the country.
Speaking to The New Times the Vice-chancellor of the University of Rwanda Didas Kayihura Muganga said, "it is readily evident, no country can develop without adequate knowledge, institutions supplying relevant expertise and skills for social and economic transformation."
Muganga said that in all developed nations, the role of the university has gone beyond the traditional missions of teaching and research. It is also worth noting that no university can make it alone.
Lisa Uwiringiye, a student who is part of the innovative team that created Gorilla's Cooking Stove said that the idea came around during the research in an attempt to find renewable energy solutions.
Uwiringiye had to recycle garbage to light the stoves, during her research, she realised that one can use rice peels to light the stove instead of using charcoal or firewood.
"This program will help students to be innovative, and use the ideas they have on paper to create employment," she said.
The CEO of Intambwe Food and a student of Animal Production at the University of Rwanda, Bosco Nshutimana, said that "this program is going to motivate researchers or students to create innovative ideas."
He said that there are very many ideas in the thesis but since the whole idea of writing research is more of academic but not business-focused, students write the research to be submitted in the library.