Innovation on show: Bindura Uni opens mall to public

Fungai Lupande-Mashonaland Central Bureau

BINDURA University of Science Education has opened the doors of its new mall to the public, marking a major milestone in its drive to turn university innovations into businesses and create a new market for locally produced goods.

The mall, located at the university’s industrial park, houses the InnoPark Supermarket, an Eye Service Centre, a curio shop showcasing Zimbabwean craftsmanship and an electronics outlet selling locally assembled technology.

In a recent interview, Vice Chancellor Professor Eddie Mwenje said the facility was more than a commercial centre, describing it as tangible evidence that universities could become engines of economic activity.

The opening comes as BUSE moves to deepen the implementation of the Education 5.0 philosophy, which places emphasis on teaching, research, innovation, industrialisation and community engagement.

Prof Mwenje said the university had also supplied more than 4 200 locally assembled devices to schools, universities and private organisations since President Mnangagwa commissioned its Opto-Tech Technologies plant last year.

The plant assembles laptops, tablets and mobile phones, with the university now preparing to move beyond assembly towards manufacturing some of the components locally.

“With the Zimbabwe National Geospatial and Space Agency cutting chip, a surface-mount technology line has been delivered to this university,” he said.

“We will mould our own casings and print our own boards, and by the first quarter of next year, we intend to be making here in Zimbabwe some 50 percent of what we currently import.”

Prof Mwenje said the transition would mark a shift from simply assembling imported components to developing local manufacturing capacity.

“That is the difference between a country that assembles and a country that builds,” he said.

The BUSE developments come as the university celebrates its 25th graduation ceremony, with 2 371 students receiving degrees and diplomas.

Of these, 1 700 are first-degree graduates, 396 master’s graduates, 21 postgraduate diploma holders, 249 diploma holders and five PhD graduates.

The university is also awaiting the conclusion of legal processes following Government approval in principle to rename it Bindura University of Science, Innovation and Technology.

Prof Mwenje said the proposed name reflected the institution’s transformation over the past three decades from a university established primarily to address the shortage of science teachers into a broader institution focused on science, innovation and industrial transformation.

The mall will also provide space for products developed by other universities and colleges, giving higher education institutions a direct route to the market.

Prof Mwenje said the facility, which also has space for other business tenants and a spacious parking area, would be open to the public.

The development reinforces BUSE’s growing role in the commercialisation of university research and innovations, with the institution seeking to ensure that knowledge generated on campus translates into products, services, jobs and economic opportunities beyond the university gates.

Source: Innovation on show: Bindura Uni opens mall to public – herald

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