PS Shaukat pushes universities to turn research into real-world solutions

The government has called on universities to stop treating research as a purely academic exercise and instead start turning their innovations into products and services that create jobs and solve national problems.

Speaking during the Entrepreneurial Leaders’ Training Program (ELTP) hosted by the Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA), Principal Secretary for Science, Research and Innovation Prof. Abdulrazak Shaukat said universities must become drivers of demand-led research and commercialization.

He challenged Vice Chancellors and their deputies to transform institutions into hubs of practical innovation, not just centers of theory.

“Universities are no longer ivory towers—they must be centres of real-world problem-solving,” Prof. Shaukat said.

He added that the government is working to increase funding for research and development from the current 0.8% to 1% of GDP, while establishing national think tanks and strengthening science diplomacy to ensure no institution or innovator is left behind.

The training brought together over 25 Vice Chancellors and Deputy Vice Chancellors from across the country.

It forms part of Kenya’s Research-to-Commercialization (R2C) agenda aimed at helping universities develop technology transfer offices, strengthen industry partnerships and generate revenue from innovation.

KeNIA CEO Dr. Tonny Omwansa said the program is already bearing fruit, with universities filing patents, developing innovation master plans, and attracting funding for student-led inventions.

He noted that although Kenya ranks in Africa’s top three in research output, less than 10 percent of university research is currently commercialized — a gap the government now hopes to close through targeted reforms and capacity building.

Throughout the training, university leaders showcased successful innovations, including a $890,000 international funding award won by Crackfox through the University of Embu, multiple patents filed by KCA University, and Maasai Mara University’s new Technology Transfer Office focused on bioenergy and agriculture.

Prof. Penina Lawbudo, Vice Chancellor of Maasai Mara University, said innovation is now fully embedded in the university's culture, curriculum and governance structures.

The government plans to support institutions further through exchange programs in Denmark, India and South Africa, and through the upcoming CEIL Summit in September, which will highlight university-led innovation strategies.

Prof. Shaukat emphasized that Kenya’s future competitiveness depends on transforming research into commercial value, saying universities must take the lead for the country to unlock new economic opportunities.