Institute signs MoU to establish a TISC at African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS)

Photo Caption: 
John Onyango (Left), Institute's MD, & Prof. Tom Ogada (Right), ACTS Executive Director, exchange documents after signing the MoU to set up a TISC

The Institute has signed a Memorandum for Understanding (MoU) with the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) to establish a Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) to facilitate ACTS researchers in their research work. 

John Onyango, Institute's Managing Director, and Prof. Tom Ogada, Executive Director, ACTS signed the MoU at the end of a three-day training on Industrial Property (IP) that the Institute organised for ACTS researchers to empower them to protect and commercialize their IP rights. 

Onyango said harnessing science and technology is the only vehicle that will enable Kenyans develop the country. Citing some of the developed countries in the world such as Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan, he noted that they lacked natural resources such as mineral and potential for agriculture.

“They have, however, managed to develop so much so that they boast of some of the highest economic development indicators, including GDP (gross domestic product), because they embraced science and technology,” he said. He said the proposed TISC will enable the ACTS researchers, scientists and the nearby community to access millions of databases from all areas of science and technology free of charge.

“You do not need to reinvent the wheel. We have many challenges such as food shortages, unemployment, climate change and the only way we can resolve them is to invest in research and technology and the TISC opens a window of opportunity for you to access and exploit available technology without infringing on their owners IP rights,” he said.

ACTS is a development research think tank on harnessing applications of science, technology and innovation policies for sustainable development in Africa.

The ACTS TISC will join a network of other Centres the Institute has assisted other institutions to establish as seen her https://www.kipi.go.ke/technology-and-innovation-support-centres-tiscs