UB tackles innovation barriers with new Fund, coordination efforts

**The University of Botswana (UB) has pinpointed poor coordination among institutions as the chief barrier blocking local innovations from reaching the market. **

Professor Doreen Ramogola-Masire, UB’s Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Enterprise, emphasized the need to dismantle institutional silos and create a streamlined pipeline that connects research, infrastructure, funding, and commercialization. She highlighted ongoing efforts at UB to help innovators transition from prototypes to investment-ready products.

Speaking to the WeekendPost, Ramogola-Masire said coordination outweighs any single obstacle in importance. “Coordination, absolutely, is one of the key barriers Botswana needs to break down because of the siloed way in which we sometimes operate. There can be duplication of infrastructure and support services, which is both costly and inefficient. We need a more coordinated approach to supporting and building a pipeline of researchers and innovators,” she explained.

To support this approach, UB has launched a Technology Development Seed Fund designed to aid prototyping and testing. “At the University of Botswana, we have launched a small Technology Development Seed Fund to support the prototyping and testing of innovations. This helps to de-risk innovations for the next phase of investment, which may come from elsewhere in the ecosystem. The key is that we coordinate, direct and complement one another’s efforts to provide end-to-end support, from infrastructure and technical development through to investment and commercialisation,” Ramogola-Masire said.

UB is also focusing on strengthening its ties with industry by refining its Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to foster long-term research and innovation partnerships. “What we are looking at is how we can optimise our Memoranda of Understanding with industry partners to build long-term research and innovation partnerships. Rather than these partnerships being limited to individual activities, we want to create opportunities for sustained collaboration that respond to industry needs. This would allow early-career researchers, including PhD candidates, to work with industry to research, develop and test emerging technologies, processes and solutions,” she added.

Ramogola-Masire sees industry playing a bigger role in building research capacity by investing in research chair positions and other long-term commitments. “Universities have early-career researchers who can work with industry to research, develop and test emerging technologies, processes and solutions. This gives industry the opportunity to engage with new knowledge and innovation at an early stage, while ensuring that our research is informed by real industry challenges and needs. Industry support for research chair positions and other forms of long-term investment in research capacity could help build centres of expertise around areas of strategic importance while developing the next generation of researchers and innovators,” she said.

On the subject of managing risk, Ramogola-Masire stressed the importance of early evaluation to determine whether innovations are technically feasible and have market potential before committing significant resources. “Early in the journey, we need to be able to assess quickly whether an idea is technically viable and whether there is a market for it. If the answer is yes, we should help the innovator move forward through the pipeline and access the next stage of support. If not, we should encourage a fail-fast approach, allowing the innovator to learn, pivot or move on to the next idea rather than spending significant resources on something unlikely to succeed,” she said.

Mentorship also plays a vital role in the innovation pipeline. “Mentorship is also key because innovators need access to experienced mentors throughout their journey. Good mentorship can improve outcomes, help innovators identify challenges earlier and support them to pivot where necessary. At the University of Botswana, our Technology Development Seed Fund is supporting prototype development and market-readiness activities to help promising innovations progress towards the next phase of funding or investment,” Ramogola-Masire noted.

At the national level, she sees institutions like the National Research and Innovation Council, the National Research Fund, and the Botswana Innovation Fund as critical players in supporting early-stage, high-risk innovations. “At a national level, the National Research and Innovation Council, including the National Research Fund and Botswana Innovation Fund, can play an important role in strengthening this pipeline by supporting innovations through the earlier and higher-risk stages. The principle is to provide the right support early, assess and test ideas, allow those that are not viable to fail or pivot quickly, and help promising innovations reach a stage where private-sector investors can invest with greater confidence,” she explained.

She also suggested that tax incentives could encourage private-sector investment in local research and innovation. “If we want to encourage greater private-sector investment in local research and innovation, we need to create incentives that make it more attractive for companies and investors to take that next step. Tax incentives could be another important enabler in this regard. Ultimately, de-risking innovation should not be the responsibility of one institution or fund, but should require a coordinated pipeline where different actors support different stages of the journey,” Ramogola-Masire said.

UB is taking practical steps to improve the innovation pipeline by setting up a Technology Transfer Office within its Department of Research and Innovation Services. “One practical step we are taking is the establishment of a Technology Transfer Office within the Department of Research and Innovation Services. The role of the Technology Transfer Office will be to help create clearer pathways for moving research and innovation towards application, commercialisation and wider impact. This is being developed in close collaboration with the University’s UniPod, which provides incubation and a test bed for innovation for UB staff, students and the wider community,” she said.

Collaboration extends beyond UB. Ramogola-Masire confirmed ongoing work with the Companies and Intellectual Property Authority (CIPA) and the Botswana Digital and Innovation Hub (BDIH) to ensure that institutional roles complement rather than overlap. “Importantly, we are also working in collaboration with CIPA and BDIH, which is establishing the National Technology Transfer Office, to ensure that our respective roles are complementary. The aim is not to duplicate what already exists, but to connect the different parts of the ecosystem and create clearer pathways for innovators. Bringing these functions together is a practical step towards better coordination within the University and ensuring that innovators can access complementary support as they move through different stages of the innovation journey,” she said.

This response underscores a fundamental weakness in Botswana’s innovation ecosystem. The issue isn’t a lack of ideas or funding, but the absence of a smooth pathway to shepherd promising concepts from research into commercial success. While the Technology Transfer Office, seed funding, and stronger industry partnerships may help bridge some gaps, their impact depends on institutions sharing resources, information, and responsibilities rather than building parallel systems.

The emphasis on early testing and encouraging a “fail-fast” culture is crucial, given the limited public and private capital available. Yet coordination alone won’t guarantee success. Botswana will still need stronger demand for homegrown products, robust intellectual property protections, skilled mentorship, patient capital, and incentives that make private investment worthwhile. The true test will be whether these initiatives generate more patents, investable businesses, industry partnerships, exports, and jobs—not just another layer of institutional support.

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