Nairobi, Kenya · 2022 — The Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) launched the Research-to-Commercialization (R2C) Programme, a multi-year initiative designed to transform how Kenyan research reaches the market by strengthening institutional systems for technology transfer and embedding commercialization as a core mandate within universities.
Implemented by Viktoria Ventures under the Research and Innovation Systems for Africa (RISA) Programme — and funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) — the R2C Programme (2022–2025) targets the structural bottlenecks that have long prevented Kenyan research from translating into market-ready products, services, and enterprises.
Kenya's Innovation Paradox
Kenya produces high-quality, locally relevant research across agriculture, health, climate resilience, water, manufacturing, and digital technologies. Yet this research too rarely translates into commercialised innovations or widespread socio-economic impact. The R2C Programme was designed to address what its architects describe as an "innovation paradox" — the gap between research output and market impact.
The core bottleneck, according to programme documents, is not a lack of talent or research quality but fragmented commercialization efforts, weak institutional systems, and over-reliance on individual champions within universities. Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) often lacked the necessary authority and resources, IP and commercialization policies were either absent or underutilised, and commercialization was treated as a peripheral, project-based activity rather than a strategic institutional function.
Programme Design and Approach
The R2C Programme operates at two levels:
Institutional Level
- Engaging senior university leadership through an Executive Leadership Training Programme to reframe commercialization as a strategic priority
- Strengthening Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) with clear mandates, authority, and resources
- Operationalising intellectual property and commercialization policies within university governance structures
- Embedding commercialization considerations into research workflows and senior management decision-making
Ecosystem Level
- Engaging national actors as "system stewards" to align institutional reforms with Kenya's emerging national innovation architecture
- Building connections between universities, markets, and finance through partnerships with organisations like the Kenya Climate Innovation Center
- Strengthening public-private partnerships to ensure research aligns with market demands in critical sectors
Key Partners
The programme brings together several institutions in Kenya's innovation ecosystem:
| Partner | Role |
|---|---|
| Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) | Programme initiator and national steward |
| Viktoria Ventures | Implementation lead |
| RISA Fund | Programme framework and funding channel |
| UK FCDO | Primary funder |
| Kenyan universities | Beneficiary institutions |
Stephen Gugu, co-founder and Director at Viktoria Ventures, described the programme's approach:
"R2C helped shift commercialization from an abstract concept to an operational function within universities. By engaging national actors as system stewards, the programme aligned institutional reforms with Kenya's emerging national innovation architecture."
The Leadership-First Model
A distinctive feature of the R2C Programme is its emphasis on leadership alignment as a prerequisite for sustainable commercialization. Rather than beginning with technology-specific interventions or funding individual spinouts, the programme starts with senior university leadership — vice-chancellors, deputy vice-chancellors for research, and deans — to ensure that commercialization is embedded in institutional strategy and governance.
Mark Lawler, Team Lead of the RISA Fund, explained the rationale:
"Prior investments increased awareness, but not the durable institutional systems needed for scale. R2C's evidence is clear: investing first in leadership alignment and governance reform unlocks sustainable commercialization pathways and delivers greater value for money."
Dr. Tony Omwansa, CEO of KeNIA, framed the programme as a vehicle for systemic change:
"These results are not one-off wins. They reflect systemic change, predictable pathways that link universities, markets, and finance within a coherent national system."
The Broader African Context
The R2C Programme launches against a backdrop of growing continental momentum around innovation-led development. In 2022–2023, African universities and research institutions are intensifying efforts to bridge the commercialization gap, moving from an academic-output model toward what analysts call the "entrepreneurial university."
Across the continent, countries are establishing formal TTOs and national technology transfer strategies. Rwanda has launched projects to integrate commercialization strategies institution-wide within the University of Rwanda, funded by the RISA Fund. Uganda's Makerere University has established an Innovations Hub focused on IP management and product development. Regional bodies like the African Academy of Sciences and the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) are organising forums to harmonise policies and share successful TTO models.
Looking Ahead
The R2C Programme is designed to run through 2025, with the expectation that its institutional reform model can be replicated across more Kenyan universities and potentially adapted by other African countries. Key priorities for the programme include deepening proven systems, anchoring commercialization in national financing mechanisms, and moving innovations from isolated pilots to sustained, demand-led growth.
Joseph Murabula, CEO of the Kenya Climate Innovation Center, described the next phase:
"Kenya is ready to move from isolated pilots to national commercialization pipelines driven by leadership, sustained by institutions, and reinforced by markets and finance. Our role now, as a national system steward, is to anchor these institutional models within Kenya's innovation architecture, ensuring replication and long-term public-sector ownership."
Sources
- Africa Science News, "Kenya's Research-to-Commercialisation Programme helps universities mobilize $4.68M and create over 400 Jobs" —
- Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) —
- RISA Fund —
- Viktoria Ventures —
- Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) —
- Image: Africa Science News
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Institutional Research Desk · Foresight Institute of Research and Translation
The collective editorial and research translation board of FIRAT, synthesising peer-reviewed evidence, policy briefs, and division milestones across our seven foundational research pillars.
