Fueling innovation key to Vision 2030

By the year 2030, Kenya hopes to be an industrialising middle-income country, where citizens enjoy high quality life in a clean and safe environment. For this enviable dream to be realised, crafters of Vision 2030 put a lot of emphasis on science, technology and innovation to drive economic growth and development. Ipso facto, the role of universities and other research institutions in helping Kenya achieve this aspiration cannot be gainsaid.

Kenya is not alone in this thinking. In an increasingly knowledge-based and globalised economy, countries are racing towards utilitarian inventions; upon which industries can emerge. One of the key indicators of the amount of inventions out of any country is the number of patent filings. This heavily leans on the intensity and depth of applied research going on in relevant institutions.