Stephen Asiimwe, Chief Executive Officer of the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSF-U), underscored the importance of strengthening collaboration between government, industry, and academia through the “triple helix” model, noting that such alignment is critical to driving innovation and national development.
Speaking as keynote speaker during the 7th Higher Education Conference, he pledged PSFU’s commitment to supporting policy engagement and advocacy to ensure that research and innovations emerging from academia are effectively integrated into national programmes.
The 7th Annual Higher Education Conference provides a platform for policymakers, academia, and industry to collaborate on practical solutions that translate research and innovation into tangible economic impact.
Mr. Asiimwe highlighted that PSFU is strategically positioned to connect universities and innovators to a wide network of financing partners, including banks, insurance companies, and foundations, thereby addressing existing funding gaps and enabling scalable solutions.
He further noted that the Foundation is already implementing targeted programmes such as the GROW Project, aimed at generating opportunities for women, while also working to link and align various initiatives into coordinated frameworks that can accelerate transformation.
Emphasising the need to support innovation ecosystems, he pointed to ongoing collaboration with universities to guide students and graduates into strategic areas of engagement, as well as efforts to promote joint platforms such as incubation hubs, interdisciplinary collaborations, and shared innovation spaces.
He stressed that aligning research with industry needs and strengthening ecosystem coordination will be key to unlocking sustainable, innovation-led growth for Uganda.
Dr. Medard Twinamatsiko, Director, Centre for Innovations &Technology Transfer (CITT) at Mbarara University highlighted the urgent need to strengthen university-industry linkages to drive innovation and solve real-world challenges.
