By: Kimani Muturi
Managing director, ABP
September 25th 2015
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Enhancing research impact for food security
SMEs in economic development for food security: Innovation and research commercialization.
Presentation outline
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Research innovations and agribusiness – what is it about?
Commercializing research products through agribusiness incubation:
– Benefits and challenges
Afribanana’s experience
Research innovations & agribusiness – what is it about?
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.•Accelerating the transfer of new technologies from the laboratory to the production and commercial marketplace
•Better delivery of scientific discoveries to the marketplace
•Assist technology start-ups in their vulnerable inception stages, enabling them to grow and flourish
•Foster growth of entrepreneurial start-up companies
commercializing innovations and research outcomes
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ImportanceThe importance of commercializing research outcomes is to empower the engine for economic development through: •Creation of employment opportunities•Technology transfer acceleration•Creating a ‘sink’ for producer’s outputs•Wealth creation Challenges
The main challenge for commercializing research outcomes for economic development is the slow progress from subsistence to commercial agriculture - due to:•Small producers scattered in villages and working individually• Inadequate access and use of improved technologies •Low investment in post-production segments•De-link in agricultural commodity value chains •Inadequate processes that support agri-enterprise emergency and survival
Possible solutions
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Research outside the box Generate technologies, innovations and management practices
(TIMPs) Disseminate the TIMPs through various uptake pathways
(incubators, extension, farmers) link enterprises and farmers to industrialistsRealization:
Involvement in processes that facilitate entrepreneurs to; take up the TIMPs,
develop them into commercial products, and market them
◊ Agribusiness Incubation –fills the gap How ?
!
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incubator
incubatees
Partner/sAgribusiness Incubator is a legal entity created in order to support small business entities upon start-up, by providing them with infrastructure for growth and development
What is a business incubator?
Incubator services
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1. links between innovators, universities and research organisations, and entrepreneurs
2. Business and Technical coaching & mentoring
3. Technical support to products development and quality assurance
4. Business development and management support
5. Market research and product marketing
6. Scientific and business consultancy
7. Links entrepreneurs to funding institutions
8. Access to facilities
9. Access to markets
Overview of the UniBRAIN incubator model
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(Universities, Business and Research in Agribusiness Innovation)
UniBRAIN’ s development objective
To contribute to enabling African countries to create jobs and raise incomes through sustainable agribusiness development
Outputs:
1. Commercialization of agribusiness innovations
2. Training of Agribusiness graduates who are efficient entrepreneurs
3. Sharing and up-scaling of innovative outputs, experiences and practices
6 Value chain Incubators: Zambia, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Mali
Agribusiness Incubation centres supported by UniBRAIN in Africa
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Why Focus on Universities for employment and food security
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African universities are less sufficiently geared to meet the needs of industry.
Graduates often cannot find employment, while many small businesses lack staff with the education and skills needed to drive innovation.
Essentially, the relationship between the demands of the private sector and what universities teach is too weak.
Building sustainable businesses for job and
wealth creation
UniBRAIN Agribusiness Innovation Incubator Business Model
Offering graduate start ups:MentoringCouchingBusiness planning
Offering graduatesMarketingFinancing
Offering firms seeking new markets:
Market intelligenceMarket analyses
Offering firms diversifying:Technology transfer and
access services
Offering firms expanding:Partnerships and
networking
Offering faculty:Hands-on experience,Internships, Business
advice on curricularSuccessful role models
Private sector
University
Research
Business consortium
based on commodity value chain
Some achievements so far since 2012
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Partner
Institution
Role played at the incubator
1 FARA •Strategic support, process streamlining, monitoring & evaluation
1 ICRISAT •Hand holding support to incubator management
• creating and strengthening incubator operational systems
2 PanAAC •Business Mentorship and Couching,•Business plan developmentPartnerships and networking
3 ANAFE •Support in curricula design and review
•Improvement of agribusiness education
•Dissemination of best practices
•Development of Learn As you earn model4 ASARECA •Support in development of innovations in banana value chain
•Identification of intellectual property rights along banana value chain
•Bridging the gap between the incubator and private sector
•Support to research leading to new products for commercialisation
UniBRAIN Partners.
How ?
1. Link Universities to private sector
2. Commercialize University projects/ innovations
3. Improve University curriculum
4. Support young graduates with hands on experiences
The Case of Afribanana Agribusiness Incubator
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AfriBanana Partners
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Kyambogo University •Lead partner•Laboratory experiments•Research and innovations • product development
Mbarara University •Laboratory experiments•Research and innovations • product development•Field demonstrations
Uganda Industrial Research Institute •Value addition support•Access to food processing facilities
National council for Science and Technology
•Innovations commercialisation•Industrial property rights•Quality assurance
NARO (Mbazardi) •Access to new technologies and Innovations•Hands on experience •Training
Banana Value Chain
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Commercialised Technologies in banana Value Chain
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Tissue culture seedlings
Fresh Vacuum sealed bananas
Banana juice Banana Wine
Biodegradable paper products
Textile and crafts Charcoal briquettes
Success stories
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Impact of commercialization of innovations/research outputs and business incubation
Direct jobs,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 650
Indirect jobs…………………………………………. 1,726
Total jobs created……………………………….. 2,376
Number of farmers reached………………..3,970
Number of SMEs supported………………………20
Number of new business created ……………32
Number of students supported ……………..284
From laboratory to market place: A case of graduate incubatee in banana juice
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Earning 400 USD while learning
Laboratory
Industrial training at ABP Industrial Attachment outcome
Graduate Incubatee in banana Juice Production
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Banana Juice production Full time Staff
Juice processing Equipment Banana Juice
Cont:
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Number of jobs created by TURSAM
Direct jobs…………………………………..15
Indirect jobs……………………………….32
Total jobs created……………………...47
Number of farmers reached…. 250
Number of interns supported…..…8
CEO. TURSAM INVESTMENTS LTD
Conclusion
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Create incentives for youth to engage in agribusiness through innovation Commercialization along the value chains. (IT, processing, Packaging, Branding marketing. Transport, machinery etc)
Universities should offer relevant programmes and direct innovations to address challenges facing the private sector.
Research at the Universities should have a Commercialization feature.