Zimbabwean universities urged to focus on patents and startups

Zimbabwe's universities and colleges should be measured by the patents they file, startups they create and industries they help build rather than the number of graduates they produce, Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Frederick Shava has said.

Speaking at the Teachers Colleges Joint Translational Research Conference at the Montclair Hotel on Wednesday, Shava challenged academics and researchers to move beyond theoretical research and focus on developing practical solutions that address societal and economic challenges.

"The question is not what have we discovered, but what problems have we solved, what product have we created, and what communities have we transformed," Shava said.

He argued that institutions of higher learning should increasingly be judged by their contribution to innovation, industrialisation and community development rather than traditional academic outputs alone.

According to the minister, research that remains confined to journals and laboratories without practical application cannot meaningfully contribute to national development.

The conference brought together researchers from teachers' colleges across Zimbabwe as well as delegates from neighbouring Mozambique. Among those in attendance was Sifelani Jabangwe, principal of Hillside Teachers College.

Shava said the shift towards innovation-led education aligns with Government's broader vision of transforming Zimbabwe's economy and industrialising the country's approximately 35,000 villages by 2030.

"We must cease to be mere consumers of imported technologies. Our institutions must become engines of production, generating solutions, technologies and enterprises, as well as competitive industries," he said.

The minister highlighted several milestones achieved under the Government's Education 5.0 policy framework, including the establishment of 12 innovation hubs and technology transfer centres at state universities.

He also pointed to the introduction of 120 annual STEM scholarships reserved for female students as part of efforts to increase participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.

Shava called for stronger support systems to help academics commercialise their research, including improved access to seed funding, venture capital and intellectual property services.

He said lecturers and researchers should be incentivised to patent their innovations and transform research findings into commercially viable products and enterprises.

The minister further encouraged universities and colleges to extend innovation activities beyond campus boundaries through the creation of community-based incubation units and technology transfer centres.

He cited opportunities for value addition in agriculture, particularly through the processing of locally produced fruits and vegetables, and referenced a wine production initiative in Rutenga as an example of indigenous innovation with commercial potential.

"Our Silicon Valley is our industries, our cities, our towns, our growth points, our villages — those are our Silicon Valleys," Shava said.

Looking ahead to the implementation of National Development Strategy 2, Shava said Government would prioritise innovation and industrial development in key sectors including manufacturing technologies, agro-processing, mining value chains and digital technologies.

"Our future will not be imported," he said.

"It will be researched, designed, engineered, manufactured and commercialised by us."

The remarks underscore Government's growing emphasis on translating academic research into commercially viable products and industries as Zimbabwe seeks to strengthen domestic innovation capacity, create jobs and reduce dependence on imported technologies.