This morning, the TUM Partnership, Research and Innovation (PRI) office, in collaboration with the Mombasa Innovation Hub (MiHub), hosted the Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI) and the Kenya Industrial Property Institute (KIPI) for an exclusive program with TUM and Mombasa innovators.

The program included a team of facilitators from KIRDI, led by Mr. Nicodemus Mutinda, the director of Strategy, Planning and Compliance at KIRDI and a board member at KIPI. Ms. Nayla Hatimy and Joel Nyanje from MiHub also attended.

The main goal of the event was to identify innovators and talents, provide insights on how to commercialize innovations and brief presentation on intellectual property.

The participants were introduced to the KIRDI KIEP Identification for Talent and Innovation Support Tool, which screens identified beneficiaries for talents and innovations for industry uptake. Following this, KIRDI will nurture and link innovators with relevant agencies, established firms, and startups to establish commercial relationships, thereby increasing the uptake of innovation and technology absorption.

The Kenya Industry and Entrepreneurship Project (KIEP) is a pilot project funded by the World Bank to empower innovators and entrepreneurs in Kenya by offering business incubation services to address the challenges facing business innovators and entrepreneurs in the region. In the past financial year (2023/2024), KIRDI developed 125 new industrial technologies and supported 1521 MSMEs through incubation, common manufacturing facilities, and quality assurance services.

The event ended with a question and answer session, giving participants the opportunity to interact with industry experts, share their challenges, and gain insights on how to progress. Furthermore, KIRDI was invited to expand its collaboration with TUM by establishing an incubation centre within the institution.