By Sifelani Tsiko
Harare, Zimbabwe (February 16 2007)

Construction of a multi-billion science park project at the Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) is under way in a new development that will strengthen academic activities, applied research and industrial application.

HIT Acting Pro Vice Chancellor Eng Quinton Kanhukamwe said the equipment for the Technology Centre and Technopark will be arriving in the country in the first week of March.

"This will be the biggest machining centre in the country supported by other lathe and milling operations," he said. "Reverse engineering and solving of complex engineering problems will also be done."

HIT was transformed from a polytechnic into a university of technology in 2005 through an Act of Parliament.
The major function of this technology university with 120 students is to train lecturers in technology, provide education programmes focusing on design, production and maintenance technology relevant to industry and other sectors of the economy.

Eng Kanhukamwe also said that his university had the task of developing technical expertise to the highest degree possible and the delivery of useful, innovative, timely and cost-effective technological research outcomes.

He said the science park project will be equipped with the state-of-the-art equipment which will help students and the training of people in the small and medium enterprises to be projected oriented, creativity driven and understand all the stages of invention up to the commercialisation level.

Eng Kanhukamwe said the students and artisans in the SME sector would also learn about idea generation and development, proto-type development, patenting and the commercialisation process.

"We need to start developing our capabilities by releasing our research and development products to the market," he said. "We have to produce using local materials and generate more money through value addition."

The science will have three initial strategic units – technical training unit, a common facility centre and food processing facility.

"The main objective of this initiative is to bring together ideas and people with knowledge and financial strength," Eng Kanhukamwe said.  "The idea is to maximise development by minimising the time between invention to marketable product stage with high economic return."

The other motivation for setting up the science park, he said, is the rejuvenation and growth of the industrial sector through the incubation and promotion of start-ups and business development in defined technology areas while promoting the application of research and development.

"The world is not waiting for us. Technology is advancing everyday. We should put more resources on science and research development. Science should be at the centre of wealth creation."

The main objective of the Technology Centre and Technopark will be to provide a focal point for interactions between industry and researchers, fostering mutually beneficial commercial and research linkages and the transfer of technology between HIT and the private sector that will result in expanded capabilities for all.

HIT is now gearing itself to play a meaningful role in the economy by developing import substitutes, commercial products and other processes that save foreign currency and create employment.

Perkins Muredzi, dean of academic programmes and co-ordinator  of the Insti Foods, a food processing division of HIT  said they needed US$150 000 to buy equipment to produce soya products at a commercial level.

"If we get the equipment we can go into full-scale production and be able to meet the local and export demand," he said.

He said the department is gearing itself to enter the food processing industry through training, applied research, technology innovation and commercialisation.

Insti Foods, with limited production equipment, he said, now produced a range of soya products such as Soy Milk, Soy Sour Milk, Soy Yoghurt, Soy Ice Cream, Tofu –soy cheese, mineral water and Twasa – a soy drink juice.

"We have a small processing unit to produce the soy products which are being imported at presented using scarce foreign currency," Mr Muredzi said. "If we get better equipment we can expand and produce the products on a commercial scale and help Zimbabwe to reduce its dependency on imported soy products."

He said the sales for the soy products generated revenue amounting to $1,8 million between August 2006 and January 2007 despite the limited production capacity.

"We can surpass this amount. We need capital to buy the equipment," Mr Muredzi said. The Insti Foods products were exhibited at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair 2006, Harare Agricultural Show and the Research Council of Zimbabwe 8^th Symposium.

A number of people and institution showed interest in the products and were now placing orders.
Soy milk products have no sugar additives, lactose and are cholesterol free.
Diabetics and other people who are allergic to lactose were buying the products regularly.
HIT formed Institech Holdings a company which will be the holding company for all products developed in the six key divisions of the university –food processing, electronics, industrial and manufacturing, computer technology, chemical and process systems and financial engineering.

Eng Kanhukamwe, Muredzi and other lecturers at HIT visited Singapore and Malaysia to get an insight into how these countries ran their technology universities and technoparks.

"They have production centres in almost all their universities. They have taken the issue of techno-preneurship seriously," Mr Muredzi said. "Students are involved in production and this creates a conducive environment for them to be innovative and come up with new inventions."

"We need similar ventures, we need funding and equipment to be able to come up with bigger plants to produce more," he added.

"Zimbabwe produces more soya beans now than ever before and we need to add value to it and come with a healthy range of soy products."

HIT electronic division has developed electronic gadgets for security, tutor boards and other electronic components which can be marketed on a commercial scale once the faculty gets equipment worth US$100 000.

At present, the division is working to develop electricity meter readers using local materials.
"We can produce the meter readers which are being imported by Zesa using scarce foreign currency," Mr Muredzi said. "With adequate funding for research and product development HIT can develop the electricity reader gadgets and help save foreign currency."

 Eng Kanhukamwe said HIT had a role to play in bringing about rapid industrialisation of the Zimbabwean economy through innovation, research and development.

HIT produces technically biased graduates at bachelor's level and plans are afoot to expand the programme to masters and doctorate levels and also to widen the undergraduate programmes to include materials engineering and pharmaceutical technology.

The university faces challenges that included, the shortage of library books, experienced lecturers, funding for research and development, equipment and other learning materials.

Other research scientists said the government should identify import needs for the manufacturing sector and support efforts by technology universities to substitute them.

For example, HIT can produce citric acid and fermentors needed in the manufacturing sector if the university is given adequate funding to buy equipment.      

Universities and other research institutions are strategic and with adequate funding and strong industrial linkages, they can provide answers to some of the pressing problems in the country.