University of Zimbabwe Innovation Hub Programmes

Objectives of the University of Zimbabwe Innovation Hub

• Support promising research and innovation outputs at different stages of development into commercialisable outputs.
• Assist Innovation Hub interns to realise their business and entrepreneurial potential.
• Stimulate the establishment of start-up companies from research outputs and seed industries.
• Facilitate the protection of the intellectual property generated.

University of Zimbabwe Innovation Hub Programmes

The innovators come into the Innovation Hub under the

following programmes:

• Graduate Innovator and Start-up Programme

Each year, graduating students who develop their outstanding products/services can be awarded innovation Status under this programme.

• Innovation Hub Fellows: (Staff and students from the University Faculties and Institutes)

This category embraces undergraduate students, graduate and postgraduate students (not qualifying in section 1. above) including MA, MSc, MPhil, DPhil, Postdoctoral Fellows, Lecturers, Professors, Technical Staff and Administrators.

• Community Outreach Innovator and Start-up

Programme, Industrial Innovator and Start-up Programme. This category embraces research institutions, businesses and entrepreneurs, and community innovators who wish to use the Innovation Hub to accelerate product development and/or commercialisation of their technologies or to support the University staff or students’ researchers already in the Innovation Hub.

• Heritage for Innovation and Development Programme

The programme targets mature researchers and is aimed at preserving our national heritage. It has 4 pillars focusing on local/indigenous knowledge;

1. Tapping into Africa’s Live Knowledge Bank;
2.  Increasing the resourcefulness of our natural human capital;
3. Harnessing indigenous/local knowledge and its diversity
4. Engaging scholars from different backgrounds to develop positions or white papers on issues of national strategic importance.

• Future Grains for Africa Programme

This programme promotes the development of food, beverage and feed products to promote the production and consumption of future grain cereals for food and nutrition security in the face of climate change using a value chain approach.