Group picture of participants at the Workshop
Stakeholders working on implementing the Institutional Framework to Enhance the Agri-innovation Ecosystem within the University (IFEA-ECO) recently participated in a closeout workshop.
The IFEA-ECO project, funded under the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF), a flagship program of Partnership in Applied Sciences Engineering and Technology (PASET), aimed to bolster the University's Agri-innovation development and technology transfer processes as well as foster partnerships with agroindustry.
Prof. Irene Egyir, Dean of the School of Agriculture, was the Principal Investigator of the project, with the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness at the School of Agriculture overseeing the project's implementation.
During the Project Closeout Workshop, Prof. Egyir provided an overview of the project and highlighted some of the project outputs. This included the organization of several workshops and lecture series on innovation and technology.
Prof. Irene Egyir, Dean of the School of Agriculture
She also highlighted the training of Agri-Technology Transfer officers on IP drafting, IP valuation, IP Licensing, and technology marketing skills. “An online course with two modules was developed and promoted to University staff and students, as well as a short course developed with WACCI on Entrepreneurship and Agri-innovation,” she added.
Outlining plans for the future of the project, she stated that “the project team looks forward to engaging UTAG to push for more clarity on the promotion weight placed on research commercialisation and IP products”. She further mentioned that the project team will “seek to strengthen partnerships with private innovation centres and financial institutions to support scholarship schemes linked to research commercialization.”
Prof. Egyir, on behalf of her team, expressed gratitude to the project partners and stakeholders for their support and contributions towards the project.
A cross-section of participants at the Workshop
There were presentations from Ms. Cynthia Orango, the Research and Grants Officer for the PACET Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund; Ms. Rosalyne Naa Norkor Baddoo, a PhD Candidate at the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness; Mrs. Mammie Hutchful Nortey and Mrs. Diana Owusu Antwi, from the Office of Research Innovation and Development, UG and Ms. Regina Aseye Asiamah from the Office of the Legal Counsel, UG.
Participants at the workshop had the opportunity to offer suggestions and recommendations on fostering partnerships with other academic tertiary research institutions and the private sector. These collaborations aim to stimulate and encourage the development of technological innovations and research commercialization in Ghana's agricultural sector.
A cross-section of participants at the Workshop
The workshop was attended by representatives from the Copyright Office, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the Ministry of Environment Science and Technology and Innovation, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Kosmos Innovation Centre, sister universities, Agricultural innovation hubs as well as units in the University of Ghana.
The Institutional Framework to Enhance the Agri-innovation Ecosystem within the University of Ghana (IFEA-ECO) project was initiated in 2019 with the objective of supporting the university in updating policy documents related to Agri-innovation development, intellectual property production, and technology transfer.
A cross-section of participants at the Workshop
The project additionally focused on capacity building among faculty and students, enhancing their understanding of IP protection and agricultural technology transfer processes. The ultimate goal was to establish an environment conducive to university-agroindustry partnerships.
Despite a temporary setback due to the pandemic, the project resumed in 2021 and concluded in January 2023.
The closeout workshop served as an important platform for the project stakeholders to reflect on the achievements of the IFEA-ECO project and explore opportunities for continued growth and collaboration in advancing Agri-innovation within the University of Ghana and beyond.
