The Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST) in its efforts of implementing the ENRICH Project Activities continued to interface with stakeholders who took part in the survey on the Innovation Ecosystem in Uganda, that was conducted between July and August 2014. Key among the institutions engaged in this regard were Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI) a public research institution, and Green Bioenergy a leading private sector energy firm.

UIRI is a public agency engaged in applied research and development (R&D) in renewable energy and energy efficient technologies. They are currently focusing on incubation and transfer of solar, wind, and hydropower technologies, while plans for R&D in biofuels are underway. UIRI also works on biomass gasifiers, biogas energy audits and management, briquetting technology and hybrid energy production systems Green Bioenergy (GBE) on the other hand, manufactures and sells charcoal briquettes and improved charcoal stoves. Both institutions are located in Kampala, Uganda.

The UNCST ENRICH team hosted staff from the two institutions at their offices in Ntinda on Wednesday 20th August 2014. The meeting which was chaired by Dr. Maxwell Otim Onapa provided a platform for sharing the objectives and expected outcomes of the ENRICH project; experiences with the data collection; as well as the next steps, with stakeholders. Stakeholders were informed that they would be considered to participate in subsequent capacity building workshops scheduled to commence in 2015, and as part of the national network – a major output of the ENRICH project. 

The meeting observed that the global challenge of climate change makes renewable energy technologies indispensable. Participants noted with concern that there are numerous uncoordinated research and business initiatives in this regard resulting in duplication of scarce resources. The meeting recommended for systematic documentation of the research and research outputs as well as facilitation of transfer of technologies arising from these renewable energy initiatives. The meeting recommended that UNCST spearheads this coordination through among other means, establishing networks of stakeholders. Stakeholders pledged to work with UNCST and the ENRICH Project team on the project.

More information: UNCST - Newsletter August 2014