The government has unveiled a platform titled iTATU aimed at creating an avenue for tertiary colleges to launch prototypes into the market.
Launch of the student-centric and industry-academia was via partnerships with select companies.
The open-source platform also targets to create nationwide opportunities for local companies to seek partnerships with select student teams.
This is with a focus towards development of product-specific prototypes thereby creating an effective path for commercialisation of products and launch of an entrepreneurial journey for students.
The name of the platform, iTATU, was coined from the three 'I's in Ideate, Innovate and Implement (3i).
It's a component of the Kenya Industry and Entrepreneurship Project (KIEP).
KIEP is a six-year project implemented by the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry and supported by the World Bank Group.
The launch of the platform will see companies support innovation of new products through access to relatively low-cost human capital.
It will also enable students gain practical, on-demand skills and workplace experience during their formal education hence strengthening the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Kenya.
Speaking in Nairobi during the launch, state department for industry PS Juma Mukhwana said this is an opportunity for corporates to build synergy with students.
He said this is by nurturing an innovation culture at the workplace where solution-oriented initiatives will now become the norm.
"At the cusp of a significant shift in how economies are organised around digital and green transitions, innovation is now more crucial than ever,” Mukhwana said.
“Emerging countries risk being left behind unless they pay attention to how to create and drive local innovations and capture the leapfrog opportunities that these new developments present.”
The launch themed 'enhancing industry-academia partnerships through open innovation', also saw panel discussions from various stakeholders take centre stage in emphasising on the value of creating buy-in from both sectors.
iTATU seeks to drive productivity and increase the participating companies’ competitiveness in the market.
It plans to achieve this by facilitating innovation challenges that will be posed by the participating companies and carried out by cross-disciplinary student teams in different colleges.
iTATU team lead Julius Gatune said the platform is a clinic that Kenyan MSMEs can refer to when they want to tackle challenges.
These, he added, can be the pain points an organisation is experiencing and wants to see what is on the horizon thereby preparing better for the future.
"It can equally help companies test how they can deploy new technologies, say, Industry 4.0 technologies and also help companies identify talent," Gatune said.
