Research Funding

Innovative Fund To Drive National Development

Researchers from JKUAT and beyond now have an additional funding opportunity to translate their research results into tangible innovations with support from JKUAT innovation fund.

The projects to be funded must meet commercial viability and resonate with themes captured in vision 2030, National Industrialization Policy, Millennium Development Goals, and the National Agriculture Development Policy.

According to the fund’s call for proposal document, potential projects should focus on, food security, disease control, biodiversity conservation, technology transfer, ICT and infrastructure.  Successful projects submitted by individuals or innovation teams, will be funded for a period not exceeding three years.

Applications can either be made by individuals or multidisciplinary teams comprising social and business talents that can boost the transformation of the innovations into commercial ventures.

JKUAT’s Director of Research and Production, Prof. Martin Obanda says the initiative aims to spur the translation of research findings into usable innovations that can transform livelihoods.

“A number of applied research findings with potential to improve our economy are currently lying idle across the country. We hope the innovation fund will reverse this trend by translating such findings into innovations with economic value,” says Prof. Obanda.

Speaking during the opening of the University’s Eighth Scientific, Technology and industrialization Conference, Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Research, Production and Extension Prof. Esther Kahangi reported JKUAT is currently funding 52 research and 32 innovations projects at a combined annual cost of Ksh. 115 million. The University which is currently repositioning as a research oriented university is keen on ensuring research results in various fields are transformed into innovations with commercial viability.

In additions to the Innovation and Research funds run by the University, JKUAT is also subscribing to the Research-Africa Platform, which exposes its researchers to a wide range of research funding opportunities across the world.

Story by Cavince Adhere