Malawian universities are being urged to strengthen their frameworks for commercialising intellectual property and student innovations, according to the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS). During a Technology Transfer Office seminar hosted at the MUBAS University Innovation Pod in Blantyre, education officials discussed strategies to move academic research from campus laboratories into the commercial marketplace. MUBAS Librarian Dr. Dorothy Eneya stated that tertiary institutions must ensure their inventions directly benefit local industries and communities.
Isaac Chingota, Acting Director of the National Commission for Science and Technology, praised the recent progress of local universities in securing their intellectual property. He reported that MUBAS and Mzuzu University (MZUNI) have collectively disclosed more than 40 new inventions and successfully registered two trademarks. Additionally, a start-up company originating from the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) has officially begun commercialising its research products.
In a separate university development, 29 students from the University of Malawi (UNIMA) received certification from the Football Association of Malawi after completing a basic refereeing course, according to a May 18 university bulletin. The training program aims to integrate higher education students into the national sports officiating structures.