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Mnangagwa shields Murwira in UZ-HIT intellectual property battle
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A prolonged battle between University of Zimbabwe (UZ) and Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) over ownership of various innovation patents has indefinitely forced President Emmerson Mnangagwa (then) to swap ministerial portfolios for Professor Amon Murwira and Frederick Shava last year, with the former (Murwira) promptly features in innovation dishonesty by stifling academic integrity of other institutions through bias accompanied with failure to accord them intellectual property rights which led to his imminent reassignment.
Investigations by Bulawayo24.com and information gathered from close sources attached to both institutions (UZ and HIT) have shown that the intellectual property (IP) war became intense when Professor Murwira, the (then) Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development declared on various occasions and platforms that University of Zimbabwe is always the first to lead in innovation, including during the invention and manufacturing of detergents whilst all other institutions of higher education and learning follow.
The sources further accuse Professor Murwira for perennial interference, being an accomplice of innovation misconduct and plagerism with the intention to portray the University of Zimbabwe as the beacon of all-time success.
"We were the first institution to do research and innovation, (using modern technology) on making multi-purpose detergents and were surprised when then Minister, Amon Murwira gave credit and intellectual property rights to the University of Zimbabwe. We reported the matter to the presidency, who promised to look into it, but never saw any action to that end," the source claimed.
"On various occasions and confrontations, we got surprised to learn that whenever we share our innovation with Minister Murwira, he would earlier launch the same (prematurely) before our formal public announcement and scheduled official launch, which paints an image that the University of Zimbabwe is solely the pioneer of major innovations," the source added.
"During the Covid-19 era, Minister Murwira praised the University of Zimbabwe again for being the pioneer of all time innovations and on various occasions, he failed to credit to rightful ownership of some innovation patents where they are due. We reported him again using the same procedure and authorities," the source added.
"Another confrontation was when we shared with Minister Murwira on our prospects and progress towards Vehicle Registration Plate/Tag Facility innovation. We shared and showed him samples including the processes involved, but in the shortest space of time, we were surprised to witness the launch being done at the University of Zimbabwe. The Minister just copied the innovation from HIT and pasted it at the University of Zimbabwe," the source added.
"As an institution, we wrote to the relevant authorities including the Presidency while seeking audience and formal engagement from them in terms of being accorded ownership of that innovation patent, but it proven to be a futility since the Minister (Murwira) had a bias towards UZ since he had vested interests there and once a lecturer," the source added.
"These and other related violations of intellectual property rights has ultimately led to his imminent ministerial transfer from Higher education into Foreign Affairs. Though we are celebrating his transfer from the Ministry last year, we are still sceptical to share some innovations and therefore do it secretly whilst planning to announce them a few days before the main launches," the source said.
"Meanwhile, we have had reservations on sharing a series of innovations and partnerships using modern technology and we will launch them in instalments before sharing with several authorities for fear of further IP violations," the source said.
Another source from the Ministry concurred that Minister Amon Murwira blocked any attempt to grab fame from the University of Zimbabwe using research, innovation and technology transfers. The source added that Murwira was jealous to recognise and accord ownership over innovation patents especially those derived from other universities which he does not have vested permanent interests.
"Professor Murwira would work tirelessly in blanketing other universities threatening UZ's monumental fame and prestige. It is no longer that famous in terms of being ranked the best institution in Zimbabwe, but survived on his mercy because he served there as both a lecturer and scholarship beneficiary or alumni," the source said.
"Their battle is not however a preserve of Harare Institute of Technology only, but other universities including Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT), Midlands State University (MSU), among other universities which are part of patent testimonial victimisation," the source added.
"Professor Murwira had created a narrative that any innovation and research without the input of UZ or mentioning it, it would be as good as a futility or white elephant investment. The University of Zimbabwe has become the demi-god for innovation, research and technological transfers," the source added.
"Several reports on discrimination of other institutions of higher learning education were made by universities in Zimbabwe and this forced President Mnangagwa and relevant authorities to make the indefinite decision to transfer him, despite the fact that the Professor had mastered in leading the Ministry," the source disclosed.
"Other universities which did not forward their complaints about the Minister's attitude and interaction with them were either indirect beneficiaries to Murwira's patent hypocrisy or direct products of the University of Zimbabwe. To us, his removal from that Ministry last year was long overdue," the source added.
University of Zimbabwe Vice Chancellor, Professor Mapfumo (then) said it had been encouraging to note the progress Zimbabwe was making when tertiary institutions came together as opposed to having silo mentalities.
Mapfumo said the country's youth demographic was a major advantage as they had potential to do even bigger.
"They (youth) can do more than we can imagine. And there is also potential in us that we can also surprise us even once you get that playground open. So we felt very good and one of the sources of the incredible feeling is the idea that we can actually come together to do it as institutions," Mapfumo said then.
"In the past, I think there was a little bit more of silo mentality, more of ‘I do, they don't do' and so on, but I think this is one of the projects that does show that we can put that away and just work together I don't mind who contributes more, contributes less and so on I take it as a learning curve," Mapfumo said.
"Some don't contribute but they will learn that ‘okay it is doable let me join' so I don't mind who joins it at whatever stage as long as the spirit is now there so I think that's the motivation and the inspiration that we got out of this. We feel that the nation should know that it can be done by ourselves and I feel very good about that," said Mapfumo.
Professor Mapfumo (then) added that the commencing of number plate manufacturing, became a turning point in the country's Heritage Based Education 5.0.
"His Excellency, the President, Chancellor of this university, officially commissioned this plant on the 2nd of December, 2022, if you remember. I remember the idea of importing substitution on some of the key products for which we pay the forex through import," said Mapfumo.
"One of those that was troubling us was number plates and we started to introspect, locate our capacities, to find out if we could then have the capability to produce the number plates," he added.
"The University of Zimbabwe worked in tandem with the Ministry of Higher Education to bring the number plate plant to life. So we worked coordinated by our parent ministry, the championship of our Honourable Minister, Professor Amon Murwira, and the Permanent Secretary Prof Fanuel Tagwira coordinated us, gave us that challenge, tasked me to bring together others so that we could do that," Mapfumo claimed then.
"So we established a team led by the investors. I think what it did, it gave us that self-belief. But I think for some of us, it's the people who firmly believe in the philosophy nyika inovakwa nevene vayo as pronounced by His Excellency, we were never in doubt that we can do it," Mapfumo boasts then.
Of importance to note is that, research universities have indeed risen to become influential hubs of IP (intellectual property) generation. The commercialisation of innovations that emerge on campus have transformed various institutions of higher education in developing and developed countries.
Some universities in the developed countries reportedly took their own researchers to court in IP battle, which is an essential signal showing that some selected institutions have a broader strategy to become innovation powerhouses whilst blanketing others.
Investigations by Bulawayo24.com and information gathered from close sources attached to both institutions (UZ and HIT) have shown that the intellectual property (IP) war became intense when Professor Murwira, the (then) Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development declared on various occasions and platforms that University of Zimbabwe is always the first to lead in innovation, including during the invention and manufacturing of detergents whilst all other institutions of higher education and learning follow.
The sources further accuse Professor Murwira for perennial interference, being an accomplice of innovation misconduct and plagerism with the intention to portray the University of Zimbabwe as the beacon of all-time success.
"We were the first institution to do research and innovation, (using modern technology) on making multi-purpose detergents and were surprised when then Minister, Amon Murwira gave credit and intellectual property rights to the University of Zimbabwe. We reported the matter to the presidency, who promised to look into it, but never saw any action to that end," the source claimed.
"On various occasions and confrontations, we got surprised to learn that whenever we share our innovation with Minister Murwira, he would earlier launch the same (prematurely) before our formal public announcement and scheduled official launch, which paints an image that the University of Zimbabwe is solely the pioneer of major innovations," the source added.
"During the Covid-19 era, Minister Murwira praised the University of Zimbabwe again for being the pioneer of all time innovations and on various occasions, he failed to credit to rightful ownership of some innovation patents where they are due. We reported him again using the same procedure and authorities," the source added.
"Another confrontation was when we shared with Minister Murwira on our prospects and progress towards Vehicle Registration Plate/Tag Facility innovation. We shared and showed him samples including the processes involved, but in the shortest space of time, we were surprised to witness the launch being done at the University of Zimbabwe. The Minister just copied the innovation from HIT and pasted it at the University of Zimbabwe," the source added.
"As an institution, we wrote to the relevant authorities including the Presidency while seeking audience and formal engagement from them in terms of being accorded ownership of that innovation patent, but it proven to be a futility since the Minister (Murwira) had a bias towards UZ since he had vested interests there and once a lecturer," the source added.
"These and other related violations of intellectual property rights has ultimately led to his imminent ministerial transfer from Higher education into Foreign Affairs. Though we are celebrating his transfer from the Ministry last year, we are still sceptical to share some innovations and therefore do it secretly whilst planning to announce them a few days before the main launches," the source said.
"Meanwhile, we have had reservations on sharing a series of innovations and partnerships using modern technology and we will launch them in instalments before sharing with several authorities for fear of further IP violations," the source said.
Another source from the Ministry concurred that Minister Amon Murwira blocked any attempt to grab fame from the University of Zimbabwe using research, innovation and technology transfers. The source added that Murwira was jealous to recognise and accord ownership over innovation patents especially those derived from other universities which he does not have vested permanent interests.
"Professor Murwira would work tirelessly in blanketing other universities threatening UZ's monumental fame and prestige. It is no longer that famous in terms of being ranked the best institution in Zimbabwe, but survived on his mercy because he served there as both a lecturer and scholarship beneficiary or alumni," the source said.
"Their battle is not however a preserve of Harare Institute of Technology only, but other universities including Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT), Midlands State University (MSU), among other universities which are part of patent testimonial victimisation," the source added.
"Professor Murwira had created a narrative that any innovation and research without the input of UZ or mentioning it, it would be as good as a futility or white elephant investment. The University of Zimbabwe has become the demi-god for innovation, research and technological transfers," the source added.
"Other universities which did not forward their complaints about the Minister's attitude and interaction with them were either indirect beneficiaries to Murwira's patent hypocrisy or direct products of the University of Zimbabwe. To us, his removal from that Ministry last year was long overdue," the source added.
University of Zimbabwe Vice Chancellor, Professor Mapfumo (then) said it had been encouraging to note the progress Zimbabwe was making when tertiary institutions came together as opposed to having silo mentalities.
Mapfumo said the country's youth demographic was a major advantage as they had potential to do even bigger.
"They (youth) can do more than we can imagine. And there is also potential in us that we can also surprise us even once you get that playground open. So we felt very good and one of the sources of the incredible feeling is the idea that we can actually come together to do it as institutions," Mapfumo said then.
"In the past, I think there was a little bit more of silo mentality, more of ‘I do, they don't do' and so on, but I think this is one of the projects that does show that we can put that away and just work together I don't mind who contributes more, contributes less and so on I take it as a learning curve," Mapfumo said.
"Some don't contribute but they will learn that ‘okay it is doable let me join' so I don't mind who joins it at whatever stage as long as the spirit is now there so I think that's the motivation and the inspiration that we got out of this. We feel that the nation should know that it can be done by ourselves and I feel very good about that," said Mapfumo.
Professor Mapfumo (then) added that the commencing of number plate manufacturing, became a turning point in the country's Heritage Based Education 5.0.
"His Excellency, the President, Chancellor of this university, officially commissioned this plant on the 2nd of December, 2022, if you remember. I remember the idea of importing substitution on some of the key products for which we pay the forex through import," said Mapfumo.
"One of those that was troubling us was number plates and we started to introspect, locate our capacities, to find out if we could then have the capability to produce the number plates," he added.
"The University of Zimbabwe worked in tandem with the Ministry of Higher Education to bring the number plate plant to life. So we worked coordinated by our parent ministry, the championship of our Honourable Minister, Professor Amon Murwira, and the Permanent Secretary Prof Fanuel Tagwira coordinated us, gave us that challenge, tasked me to bring together others so that we could do that," Mapfumo claimed then.
"So we established a team led by the investors. I think what it did, it gave us that self-belief. But I think for some of us, it's the people who firmly believe in the philosophy nyika inovakwa nevene vayo as pronounced by His Excellency, we were never in doubt that we can do it," Mapfumo boasts then.
Of importance to note is that, research universities have indeed risen to become influential hubs of IP (intellectual property) generation. The commercialisation of innovations that emerge on campus have transformed various institutions of higher education in developing and developed countries.
Some universities in the developed countries reportedly took their own researchers to court in IP battle, which is an essential signal showing that some selected institutions have a broader strategy to become innovation powerhouses whilst blanketing others.
Source - Byo24News
