Establish Science Parks/ Innovation Hubs and Industrial Parks
Establish Science Parks/ Innovation Hubs and Industrial Parks; (addressing policy 2.7)
Following the urgent call by His Excellency, The President to rapidly transform and modernise the economy through technology-based interventions in line with global best practices, the government will undertake to establish science parks/innovation hubs at all state universities as well as Industrial Parks in all the 10 provinces of the country – a facility that has not been embraced by Higher and Tertiary Institutions to date. This endeavour will provide the necessary infrastructure to nurture the translation of knowledge generated by universities through R&D into goods and services contributing to sustained socio-economic transformation and accelerated growth. Lessons on this initiative are drawn from demonstrated rapid industrialising countries such as of Republic of Korea, China, Malaysia, Brazil and many others. Under phase one of this this program, six science parks/innovation hubs will be established at selected state universities including University of Zimbabwe (UZ), Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT), Harare Institute of Technology (HIT), Midlands State University (MSU), Zimbabwe National Defence University (ZNDU) and National University of Science and Technology (NUST). Industrial Parks linked to Higher and Tertiary Institutions shall be established in all Provinces of the country.
Activities:
- Finalise Chinhoyi University and University of Zimbabwe Innovation Hubs in 100days;
- Identify land for Building Industrial Parks in 100days;
- Purchase Equipment for the Innovation hubs.
Progress to date
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MSU Innovation Hub was commissioned;
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CUT and UZ Innovation hubs to be completed in the next 100days;
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Mobilisation of resources to start constructing the remaining eight (8) Innovation hubs is in progress.