The Kenya government has launched a new platform that will allow tertiary colleges to partner with companies to develop product prototypes. This is a great opportunity for students to gain practical experience and launch their own entrepreneurial journeys. Companies will also benefit from access to low-cost human capital and innovative ideas.
Named iTATU, the open-source platform facilitates partnerships between local companies and select student teams to develop product-specific prototypes. This creates opportunities for students to embark on entrepreneurial journeys while providing companies access to affordable human capital for supporting product innovation. Additionally, students gain practical workplace experience during their formal education, contributing to the growth of Kenya’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Speaking in Nairobi during the launch, MITI Principal Secretary Dr. Juma Mukhwana said this is an opportunity for corporates to build synergy with students in 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 organized around digital and green transitions, innovation is now more crucial than ever. 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,” he said.
The event themed ‘Enhancing industry-academia partnerships through open innovation’ featured panel discussions with various industry stakeholders focusing on gaining support from industry and academia.
The platform’s primary goal is to enhance productivity and boost the competitiveness of participating companies by developing new products. iTATU plans to achieve this by organizing innovation challenges proposed by these companies and executed by diverse student teams from different colleges.
According to Julius Gatune, the iTATU Team Lead, the platform is a valuable resource for Kenyan MSMEs. “…iTATU is the clinic that Kenyan MSMEs can refer to when they want to tackle challenges. These can be the pain points an organisation is experiencing, wants to see what is on the horizon and thus prepare better for the future, help companies test how they can deploy new technologies, say, Industry 4.0 technologies and also help companies identify talent…,” stated by the iTATU Team Lead, Julius Gatune.
