Day 1|| The Entrepreneurship Leadership Training Program (ELTP) Deputy Vice Chancellors Edition The Entrepreneurship Leadership Training Program (ELTP) by @KeNIAupdates is on! This time round, we target Deputy Vice Chancellors (DVCs) from 14 universities to explore the implementation of the Entrepreneurial Institutional Maturity Framework (from their universities). This intensive program focuses on five key pillars critical to driving innovation and institutional growth: -Funding -Leadership & Governance -Human Capital -Policies & Strategies -Strategic Linkages To set us off, the CEO of KeNIA, @tomwansa, made it clear that "KeNIA, as an agency, relies on the university leadership to deliver its mandate—'enabling innovation for socio-economic development'. #EnablingInnovation #ELTP #InnovationLeadership

"Institutions in Kenya are known for research, but how many are known for start-ups resulting from their research work?" - Dr. Tonny Omwansa, CEO @KENIAupdates. In the first session, the CEO challenged the attending deputy vice-chancellors to shape the research curriculum in their institutions to lead to innovations that can be scaled to entrepreneurial enterprises. He emphasised the importance of: senior leadership university policies and partnerships with funding organisations, in bringing innovative ideas from universities to light, only achievable through following laid strategies to grow basic research into business models for market products that can be launched and scaled in the market. #EnablingInnovation #ELTP #InnovationLeadership

Day 1 Wrap-Up | Entrepreneurship Leadership Training Program (ELTP) – Deputy Vice Chancellors Edition The final session of Day 1 of the Entrepreneurship Leadership Training Program (ELTP) – Deputy Vice Chancellors Edition concluded with institutional leaders presenting their progress in implementing the Entrepreneurial Institutional Maturity Framework (EIMF) within their respective universities. Participants were evaluated against the seven core pillars guiding the EIMF implementation: Leadership and Governance – fostering a culture of innovation Policies and Strategies – enabling and sustaining innovation Funding – supporting research and scaling of innovations Entrepreneurial Education – nurturing innovative, entrepreneurial-minded graduates Human Capital – building skilled teams to drive innovation from lab to market Infrastructure – establishing facilities that support innovation and scaling Linkages – strengthening partnerships and collaborations with external stakeholders Most institutions demonstrated strong leadership and governance structures that support innovation. Significant strides were also noted in developing human capital, forming partnerships and linkages and embedding entrepreneurial approaches within academic curricula. However, the most common challenges amongst the pillars are mobilising adequate funding and advancing infrastructure to support innovation ecosystems. The ELTP is designed to equip institutional leaders with the skills and strategies to foster innovation, mobilise resources effectively, and strengthen institutional capacity for sustainable impact. #EnablingInnovation #ELTP #R2C #InnovationLeadership

Day 2|| The Entrepreneurship Leadership Training Program (ELTP) Deputy Vice Chancellors Edition Session 1 focused on the Institutional Funding Framework (IFF), a tool developed by KeNIA, with support from @TheRISAFund and other expert collaborators, to guide universities on resource mobilisation for research and innovation and launched during Kenya Innovation Week 2024. Guided by Mr. Maloya Dennis, the CEO of Metier Matrix, the deputy vice-chancellors were guided on possible strategies for increasing access to funding for research and innovation within their institutions. Mr. Maloya demonstrated the IFF's importance as a tool for equipping universities with robust, strategic mechanisms to finance innovation and drive commercialisation. This toolkit marks a significant step in strengthening the innovation ecosystem within higher education institutions, ensuring that great ideas don't just stay on the shelf—but find pathways to scale and impact. #EnablingInnovation #InnovationFunding #ELTP #InnovationLeadership

"Culture Eats Strategy" – Prof. Kenneth Karanja, University of Minnesota Wrapped up || Day 2 of the ELTP – Deputy Vice Chancellors Edition Prof. Kenneth Karanja, led powerful session on entrepreneurial leadership. Drawing from his role as a Technology Licensing Officer at the University of Minnesota's Technology Commercialization office, he emphasized that successful research commercialization starts with: - A strong institutional culture of innovation - Structures for entrepreneurial training and funding access - Clear, shared goals across the institution He urged the DVCs, to set Kenyan universities ahead of the rest by leveraging the country’s position as #2 in Africa for startup activity to drive investor-ready innovation. #EnablingInnovation #ELTP #InnovationLeadership

Day 3|| The Entrepreneurship Leadership Training Program (ELTP) Deputy Vice Chancellors (DVCs) Edition Long-term Corporate Strategies for Commercialisation George Masila - @GeorgeMasilla , the Communications and Partnerships Manager at KeNIA highlighted the key strategies for commercialisation that would ensure sustainability of institutional ventures including: - Development of networks to support innovation. - Identifying Investment Avenues for growth and scaling. - Leveraging Corporate funds for strategic ecosystem building and foundations focusing on impact investing. He further suggested some of the best pathways for Research-to-Commercialisation (R2C) like: - Establishment of an angel investment circle comprising industry alumni. - Universities setting up their own innovation funds. - Hosting innovation investment weeks and connecting investors with students. - Engagement in grants and startup competitions. George affirmed, KeNIA's support to help innovative institutions: - Leverage incubators, accelerators, and membership organizations through it's networks linkages - Coordination through the Kenya Network of Entrepreneurial Institutions (KNEIL) to support applications and representation in international organizations. Which are platforms that can be leveraged for networking and strategic creation of partnerships for commercialisation of innovations. #EnablingInnovation #ELTP #InnovationLeadership

The second session focused on Industry-Academic Partnerships. Facilitated by Dr Blessing Mukonoweshuro, Knowledge Transfer Manager at the University of Leeds, we explored how universities can build successful and sustained partnerships with industry. This session highlighted the success of industry-academia collaboration, including: -fostering innovation and sustainability -accelerating technological advancements -and enhancing student employability #EnablingInnovation #InnovationLeadership #ELTP

Final Session of Day 3|| The Entrepreneurship Leadership Training Program (ELTP) Deputy Vice Chancellors (DVCs) Edition Concluded the day with a deep dive into institutional practices that fuel commercialization success using case studies from a diverse panel. Panelists incuded Dr. Thomas Dorson Anning - Witts University Dr. Chris Ghere - University of Minnesota The session was coordinated by Ian Korongo, Commercialisation Manager at KeNIA. Conversations delved into cases and discussion of scenarios and ways that institutions can - create governance models that promote innovation commercialisaton - explore common commercialisation pathways - develop and implement funding strategies - invest in human capital and support their innovative efforts The key advice is to adopt strategies to embed a commercialisation mindset across the university ecosystem. #EnablingInnovation #InnovationLeadership #ELTP

LIVE: Presidential Innovation Challenge and Award 2024-2025 County Winners Ceremony Today we celebrate the innovators who have risen to the top at the Presidential Innovation Challenge and Award 2024-2025. From a pool of 86 talented participants representing diverse regions and sectors, finalists have showcased solutions that tackle some of Kenya’s most pressing challenges. The winners' ceremony recognizes outstanding achievements across five pivotal thematic areas: ✅️Food security and agriculture. ✅️Digital transformation. ✅️Healthcare. ✅️Climate action and Green energy. ✅️Entertainment and Gaming. Winners will receive ksh 500,000 in catalytic funding, mentorship and national recognition to scale their innovations and amplify their impact. Today is not just an awards ceremony, it’s a celebration of Kenya’s innovative spirit and the promise of a brighter, more sustainable future driven by homegrown solutions. Stay tuned as we crown this year’s champions and spotlight the innovations shaping tomorrow. #PIA #PIA2025 #EnablingInnovation

“How could we also work with competitors to be more like partners?” James Nyamai - Founder and MD @BIOAFRIQENERGY Speaking on the importance of engaging competitors and other actors within the same value chain, James dissected the value of collaborative competition and strategic partnering in leveraging shared resources, knowledge and networks to enhance market penetration, drive innovation and strengthen the entire ecosystem.

The Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) proudly formalized a strategic collaboration with @TheRISAFund and @vikventures marking a significant step in advancing research commercialization and innovation support in Kenya. The agreement was signed by KeNIA’s CEO @tomwansa, the CEO, Viktoria Ventures @stephengugu and the RISA Fund Kenya Lead Mark Lawler. This partnership builds on our ongoing work together and is set to strengthen Kenya’s national research and commercialization frameworks, enhance institutional capacities, and foster industry collaboration. Through this collaboration, we will: ✅ Implement the Venture Builder Program to support startups and innovators. ✅ Expand commercialization capacity across 25 universities and research institutions. ✅ Host key industry engagements and knowledge-sharing forums. We are excited about the opportunities this partnership will create for Kenya’s innovation ecosystem, ensuring that research leads to impactful, market-ready solutions. #EnablingInnovation #ResearchToCommercialisation #R2C

Change of Dates for the Commercialisation and Entrepreneurial Institutions Leaders' (CEIL) Summit 2025! Note that CEIL Summit 2025 will NOT BE on August 28th—29th of August, as communicated earlier. The NEW DATES will be: Date: 11th - 12th September 2025 Location: Mombasa, Kenya Get ready to explore groundbreaking strategies, foster collaborations, and drive impact in commercialisation and entrepreneurship. Stay tuned for more details! #ceilsummit2025 #InnovationLeadership #EnablingInnovation

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) @DiscoverJKUAT and the Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) have partnered to strengthen the country’s innovation ecosystem by synergising institutional capacities and commercializing intellectual property. During KeNIA's visit to JKUAT, yesterday, April 14th 2025, the Vice Chancellor of JKUAT, Prof. Victoria Wambui Ngumi, highlighted JKUAT’s repositioning as a research and entrepreneurship hub, currently spearheading innovation across 17 thematic areas. In support of the initiative, Dr. Tonny K. Omwansa, PhD, the CEO of KeNIA, affirmed the agency’s support in scaling JKUAT’s impact as a model university for innovation. #EnablingInnovation #InnovationLeadership