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TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS & INNOVATIONS INCUBATION CENTER
(TBIIC)
PROGRESS REPORT
BY
MR. AMBROSE ASHABAHEBWA
TBIIC COORDINATOR
APRIL, 2020
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1.0 Introduction
The Busitema University Technology Business and Innovations Incubation Centre
(BU-TBIIC) is a semi-autonomous arm of the university, and was established in
2017. The main objective of the TBIIC is to support the development of university
research outputs into marketable products and services thereby solving
socioeconomic problems within the society. Busitema University students and
staffs engage in various innovation and research activities, which most of the time
remain at prototype level after completion of the research period. TBIIC facilitates
the process of developing these prototypes into marketable products and services.
This venture continues to support viable student and/or staff projects (prototypes),
most of which are technology based to be fully developed into usable machines or
processes to solve technology gaps in areas of Agriculture, value addition, ICT, and
Health.
Additionally, the TBIIC is focusing on recruiting and supporting external budding
entrepreneurs, who have innovative ideas but with limited technical and logistical
capacities to develop these ideas into usable and commercializable products and
services. TBIIC focuses at facilitating this process, by providing the necessary
facilities, equipment and technical support for producing and marketing the
products. The external entrepreneurs will be facilitated to scale up their production
in terms of quality and quantity and focus them towards manufacturing. This will
not only create jobs for the incubatees, but also create solutions to societal
problems and also contribute to national development. TBIIC is focusing on three
key areas, namely; technology development and transfer, business development
and incubation sustainability.
TBIIC is a venture that has great potential for advancing the research agenda of
the university by acting as a linkage for technology development and transfer from
university to society through incubation and outreach.
2.0 Achievements of the TBIIC since inception
Since 2017, the TBIIC through its operations has achieved the following.
2.1. Development of the TBIIC operational/business plan
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This is a document that was developed to define the formation, mandate, and key
operational structures of the TBIIC. This documents was passed by the University
council as an operational instrument for the first five years (2016/17-2020) of the
TBIIC operations.
2.2 Development of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
A total of seventeen (17) SOPs were developed to streamline the operations of the
TBIIC. These included among others administrative procedures, financial
management, incubatees’ recruitment, incubation process, graduation of
incubates, and post-graduation follow up. These are vital for the smooth and guided
implementation of the TBIIC activities.
2.3 Development of the short course curricula
The TBIIC in conjunction with the Faculty of Engineering, Busitema University
developed a Skills Development Program (SDP) for training and equipping especially
the youth with hands-on skills. This program is on a short term basis (3-6 months),
and aims at producing highly trained and skilled human resource urgently needed
in the wide range of industries. It targets community youths who would like to
have hands-on skills for self-employment or other forms of employment. The areas
of focus include welding and metal part fabrication, Post-harvest handling &
processing technologies, Irrigation technologies & Innovations, and Automotive repair
& Maintenance. The detailed curricula for each of the short courses have been
iteratively developed and submitted to senate for final review before submission to
Council for approval. Once these short courses are approved, the TBIIC together
with Faculty of Engineering will take advantage of the already existing
infrastructure at the University, mainly the mechanical workshop and technical
expertise to train highly skilled personnel in the above mentioned courses.
2.4. Recruitment of incubatees
Incubation of technologies, which have business potential in them is the core
mandate of the TBIIC. Recruitment of incubatees is an essential process that
provides for scrutiny of project proposals, review & selection, and admission into
the TBIIC. So far two Cohorts of incubatees have been recruited, with a total
number of nine incubatees. Additionally two other projects have been developed
and improved within the TBIIC. And these are the animal forage cutter and the
Hybrid Bicycle and Solar irrigation project. This brings the total number of
incubated projects and those being incubated to eleven (11). And these projects are
as outlined below.
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Project What it does Progress (Some photos) Project team
Leader
First Cohort projects
Automatic
RFID
supermarket
billing
system:
For reading and compiling the bills of
items packed together e.g. shopping
basket or bag altogether at once, as
opposed to the current systems,
which use bar codes that capture the
prices of items one by one.
The advantage with this system is
that it does not expose in public what
the client has brought from the
shelves of the supermarket to the
counter for billing. The items remain
in the bag.
Fig 1: On table is the RFID supermarket billing
system. The team member is demonstrating
how it works. It is nearing completion, and the
team is awaiting graduation from the TBIIC
Dr. Semwogerere
Twaibu
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Digital
Emergency
Referral
System
(DERS) – for
patients
For quick and swift referral of
emergency patients to higher level
medical services.
Fig 2: Team member at the server for the
system and demonstrating how it works. Also
nearing completion and the team awaits
graduation from the TBIIC.
Prof. Peter
Olupot Olupot
Improved
hydropower
tiller
For tillage in small scale paddy rice
farming. It is economical in terms of
power consumption and is relatively
lighter for easy movement in water-
logged rice gardens.
Eng. Kilama
George
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Fig 3: Eng. Kilama demonstrating some of the
fabricated parts. This is work in progress, and
is at testing stage.
Other Projects
Animal forage
cutter
For making animal silage especially
for zero grazing animals.
Fig. 4: Five units of the developed forage cutter.
First phase of the project was completed, and
the units tested with the farmers.
With funds availed, the 2nd phase shall be
undertaken with recommended improvements
from the farmers.
Mr. David
Kisambira
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Hybrid
Bicycle and
solar
irrigation
project
Irrigation of small to medium scale
vegetable gardens (about 1 acre)
Fig. 5: Parts of the Hybrid system being tested
in grass field. Fabrication was completed
though a proper garden for testing is yet to be
established. This is work in Progress.
Mr. Bennedicto
Maseruka
Second cohort projects
An improved
solar-biomass
hybrid fish dryer
For drying fish using solar-biomass
technique, which is more hygienic
and cost effective.
Mr. Wangi
Godfrey mario
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Fig 6: The investigator was interacting with
fishermen and also taking specifications of fish
(Tilapia). This is work in progress.
Development
of Organic &
Bio-
Fertilizers
Promote natural farming through
pilot production and testing of
organic and bio-fertilizers; Bokashi,
bone meal/super-phosphate, bio-
fertilizer and vinegar in Busia
district.
Fig 7: Test being taken on the soil where the
bio-fertiliser has been used. This is work in
Progress.
Mr. Denis Bwire
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Engine
powered
ground nut
stripping
machine
This machine is to for stripping
groundnuts by small and medium
scale farmers. It is designed to
increase stripping output with
reduced drudgery. Delays during
stripping in the garden exposes
groundnuts to contamination with
aflatoxin, which lowers the quality of
the ground nuts. The design of this
machine aims at increasing the
stripping output, thus boosting
farmers’ production and income
with minimum post-harvest losses.
Fig 8: Developed 3-D model for the machine. It
is work in progress.
Mr. Obeti Grism
Lawrence.
A solar powered
sewer sucker
technology
for pit latrine
emptying
This is a technology that is being
developed for assisting urban
authorities on how to empty pit
latrines especially in slum areas, to
which the regular sewage carriers
cannot access. This is a mobile
system that can move in the
corridors of the ghetto areas and can
help to empty toilets in such places.
Mr. Makumbi
Thomas
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Fig 9: This is the 3-D model of the proposed
technology. It is work in progress.
Mobile phone
application
for monitoring
non-
communicable
disease (NCD)
risk factors
This application will be used to disseminate
health information about NCDs to
individuals as well as inculcate a culture of
health monitoring in relation to some vital
parameters e.g. blood pressure, body mass
index and blood sugar levels. This is aimed at
improving health literacy and motivating the
making informed choices in life styles and
also enable early detection of non-
communicable diseases.
Fig 10: Some of the equipment used to develop
the app. Work in progress.
Dr. Denis
Bwayo, Mr.
Kanyike Andrew
Marvin.
Automated
drip irrigation
system
This is a system that meters and
discharges irrigation water at a time
when it is really needed. It is a sensor
based system and powered by solar
that controls the entire system for
distributing water to a crop
especially during water stress
periods.
It is work in progress.
Okirya Martin
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2.5. Technology transfer through outreach
The second major function of the TBIIC is technology transfer to the user
communities. This can be achieved through outreach programs such as farmer
field schools (FFS), trade shows, and exhibitions. Three exhibitions have been
attended so far, and several innovations were exhibited. These are;
1. During the two graduation ceremonies at Busitema university that
took place on 3rd October 2018 and 3rd October 2019.
2. Jinja national agricultural show that took place between 12th and
21st July 2019.
From the exhibitions, it was clear that the university technology outputs, if
developed can have tremendous impact on society. In all the exhibitions, the
participants e.g. parents, farmers and entrepreneurs, who visited our stalls
always showed interest in some of the innovations. In fact, some people wanted to
pay cash and take the prototypes especially the forage cutting machine. These
technologies are being further developed for increased performance efficiency and
reduced operational cost. Figure 11 shows the photos from some of the
exhibitions.
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Fig 11: Photos of exhibitions
2.6. Collaborations (PSFU, MUBS, Kaliro farmers group)
The TBIIC has established strong links and collaborations with several partners in
government ministries, departments and agencies, as well as the Private sector
organizations. The partners include Makerere University Business school (MUBS),
Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU), Kaliro Farmers group, among several
others. This is a trend that will be continued to establish strong synergies for
innovation development, testing, production and marketing.
2.7. TBIIC Budgetary allocation
The TBIIC was started using the seed fund from the African Development Bank.
For the activities of the TBIIC to continue, it requires sufficient and consistent
funding from other sources. For the first time the TBIIC budget was developed and
included in the University budget for the FY 2019/20 and 2020/21, which should
be consistent and increased to enable the smooth running of the activities.
3.0 Challenges
3.1 Understaffing
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To achieve the core objectives of the TBIIC, it is necessary to constitute and
strengthen the operation and management team. It is extremely hard for one person
at the moment to fully exercise all the duties of the center. As per the TBIIC
operational workplan 2016-2020, the TBIIC organizational structure indicates that
the center is supposed to be headed by a Director, assisted by administrative
assistant, Business services manager, and two technical staff (Figure 12). For the
TBIIC to run effectively this team composition is very important. I strongly
recommend that this team be instituted if TBIIC is to grow strong and steadily.
Figure 11: TBIIC organization structure
3.2 Limited financing
The university/government will require to increase the budget allocation to the
TBIIC for it to be able to fully establish itself before it can be self-sustaining.
3.3 Limited space for office & storage of innovations
It should be noted that the innovations beings developed and those yet to be
developed will require to be kept in a tidy and secure place. Additionally, the current
TBIIC office is annexed to the workshop, and the place is not quite conducive for
desk work. In future it will require to have a separate unit or structure for storage
of innovations as well as office for the TBIIC.
4.0 Recommendations
i) Allocate adequate funding for TBIIC activities
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ii) Recruit and structure the TBIIC operation management team as per the
operational workplan 2016 – 2020
5.0 Future prospects
Develop sustainable linkages with industry on the progressive technology
and business demands especially for farmers and agro-processors.
Sustain the recruitment and support of incubatees (administratively,
technically and financially).
Partner with other BICs in developing usable products and services.
6.0 Conclusion
The development of research outputs into marketable products and services, and
support of entrepreneurs to achieve business growth is the core mission of TBIIC
and its relevance cannot be overemphasized. With continued support from the
university structure, government and other partners, the potential of this venture
to create jobs, increase university visibility and transform lives of communities is
immensely unlimited.
Thank you.
Ambrose Ashabahebwa
TBIIC Coordinator
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Other photos
Fig. Innovator demonstrating hydropower tiller at the TBIIC.
Fig. Machine for cleaning dry coffee at the TBIIC
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Fig. Animal forage cutter machine developed at the TBIIC
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Fig. Students in mentoring session by TBIIC
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Fig. Students in mentoring session by TBIIC
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