Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
It is in this regard that some universities and research bodies have begun exploring
the need to develop business incubators or as others have done science parks.
Three institutions that have boldly taken on that route are the Scientific and
Industrial Research and Development Centre (SIRDC), the National University of
Science and Technology (NUST) and the Harare Institute of Technology (HIT).
The SIRDC is an industrial and Research Development centre which has several
institutes focusing on biotechnology, building technology, electronics and com-
munications, energy technology, environmental sciences, food and biomedical,
geoinformation and remote sensing, metrology, production engineering, research,
etc. Its mission is to provide technological solutions for sustainable development.
It has separated its research and development mandate from that of commer-
cialisation of its Research and Development outputs. This has seen SIRDC create a
business innovation park where they have established brands arising from their
research into standalone companies (Phillips
2005
). All these companies of the
SIRDC are run under an investment vehicle called SIRTECH investments (Pvt)
Ltd. Private Players, i.e. other companies and financial institutions have been
allowed to buy equity in SIRTECH.
The NUST has established a Technopark. It is a unit of the university. The
Technopark is in its infancy with a few electronic manufacturing companies
having been established. Other potential projects in the offing require financial
support of the magnitude that some of these institutions are unable to rise.
Indeed large scientific and economic projects that are generated within these
institutions require cooperation from financial institutions and outside. Establish-
ment of partnerships whenever and wherever they are appropriate should be
encouraged and this indeed should become policy in these institutions. With the
current new inclusive government dispensation prevailing in the country, It is
hoped that the efforts by these universities and research entities to mobilise
resources in support of their graduates and researchers will result in start-up
companies and spin-offs that will contribute to the nation's quest for rapid in-
dustrialisation and technopolis growth. This will result in immense economic
benefits for the nation at large benefiting including boosting employment levels.
2.6 Harare Institute of Technology
The HIT is one university that has evolved from being a National Vocational
Training and Development Centre to a fully fledged university status beginning
September 2004. The vision of HIT is to be the leading institution of the devel-
opment, incubation, transfer and commercialisation of technology and manpower
development for greater national industrialisation.
The HIT Mission Statement—to cultivate commitment towards technopre-
neurial leadership while commercializing technology through professionalism
rooted in intergrity.
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