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The government has challenged researchers to increase commercialisation of their study innovations as part of stimulating high growth in the country’s economy.

Chief of Staff and Head of the Public Service, Felix Koskei (pictured) said though Kenyan researchers have come up a lot of innovations not much of the same is at disposal of the public for use.

 Researchers, he stressed need to go beyond their comfort zones and engage directly with consumers of their modernisations which in the long term will contribute economic growth. “There is a need for scientists and researchers to move beyond their intellectual comfort zones. Further, it is upon them to proactively communicate their research to key consumers, such as farmers and the manufacturing sector,” Koskei said at the Kenya National Research Festival 2024 (KNRF 2024) in Nairobi.

Researchers, he argued, need to fast-track strategies to monetise their work and bridge the gap between their research and the country’s economic prospects. In his keynote address, Koskei emphasised the importance of research in transforming curiosity into knowledge and knowledge into power.

“Research is the disciplined journey that fuels progress, drives innovation, and helps nations tackle the challenges and crises they may confront in their developmental agenda,” he stated. The Head of Public Service said that the festival has come at a critical time when the government is pursuing a paradigm shift towards a knowledge-based economy. He noted, “This festival provides a unique platform for cultivating relevant and insightful discussions, promoting synergies, and strengthening both domestic and international collaborations, which are critical levers of development in today’s interconnected world.”

Prof  Dickson Andala, CEO, NRF emphasised the importance of the festival in catalysing national development through research.

He highlighted NRF’s success in translating over 60 research outputs into tangible products and services ready for commercialisation.

Andala said the examples of these products range from the high-yield Sahiwaal cattle breed by Kenya Agricultural & Livestock Research Organisation (Kalro) to innovative assistive technologies from Meru University of Science and Technology among others.