.........

The University of Rwanda (UR), Hochschule Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences (HNU) Germany, and Kenyatta University (KU) jointly organized a two-day training on “Technology Transfer and Commercialization of University Intellectual Property (TT-CUIP)” to share the information about the project, to meet as lecturers as one University.

Since staff were deployed from different campuses spread across different places of the country it was important to connect and share knowledge and learning from each other during the two-day training.

In his welcoming remarks, Mr. Nathan Kanuma Taremwa, who is the Principal Investigator (PI) of the Technology Transfer and Commercialization of University Intellectual Property (TT-CUIP) project presented its background from the writing proposal, its submission until the project award. The project is supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The workshop featured input sessions as well as hands-on group work on the following topics : Applied Research, Basics on Intellectual Property (IP), Commercialization of IP, Technology Transfer, and Transfer-Oriented Teaching.
During the training, UR Staff, administrative and academic, gained information on the ways to adopt methodologies that can transform the way students think to boost transformation in both academia and industry settings. Prof. Thomas Bayer, from Hochschule Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences (HNU), Germany has several decades of experience in the industry and was well skilled in bringing the two together. He was the facilitator of the training and gave insights into all challenges faced by researchers and Lecturers in Rwanda and the way to overcome them.

Prof. Hilda Vasanthakaalam from UR-CAVM while giving her closing remarks thanked Prof. Dr. Thomas Bayer, who was the facilitator of the training which was a unique experience for many of the participants in the academia. She emphasized the good relationship which must characterize industry and the University because the way of teaching needs to be improved by looking at the business perspective. “Transformation in industries will happen only when transformations in teaching and learning can take place” said Prof. Hilda Vasanthakaalam.
The training recommended that the Director of Teaching and Learning Enhancement should attend such trainings to enhance the teaching portfolio of the academic staff at the University of Rwanda.

Story by Jacqueline UMUPFASONI
PR& Community Engagement Office