Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698928130405.pdf (Uganda)
PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA OFFICE OF THE LEADER OF OPPOSITION ALTERNATIVE POLICY STATEMENT SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND INNOVATION FY 2020/21 HON.
ONGUZU LEE DENIS, MP SHADOW MINISTER March, 2020 i TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ iii LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................... iv 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1 2.0 STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF THE SECTOR ............................................................. 2 3.0 OVERALL DIAGNOSTIC PERFORMANCE OF THE SECTOR .................................... 4 4.0 PERFORMANCE OF THE SOCIAL CONTRACT ........................................................... 7 5.0 KEY ALTERNATIVE POLICIES AND JUSTIFICATION .............................................. 7 6.0 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................. 15 ANNEX 1: SUMMARY OF KEY ALTERNATIVE POLICIES ................................................... i ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Following Rule 146 of the rules of procedure of the Parliament of Uganda, and Section 6E of the Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Act, 2006 which requires and empowers the various Shadow ministers to present alternative statements on the floor of the House for consideration and possible implementation, this alternative policy statement is accordingly presented for the Science, Technology, and Innovation portfolio for FY 2020/21.
Science, technology, and innovation are important means of promoting Uganda’s development agenda because of their potential to drive innovative entrepreneurship that delivers growth and productive employment.

Dynamic, innovative firms are also a key feature of successful industrialization strategies.

Therefore, the development of science, technology, and innovation (STI) capabilities among firms and entrepreneurs should be a focus of attention for policymakers1.
Government has promised to improve public appreciation of and support for Science and Technology Sector, establish science parks and science centers, the establishment of science and technology information management systems, strengthening the intellectual property management system and strengthening the institutional capacity of Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST).
The priorities of the Government of Uganda in this regard include the creation of all-round capacities in STI infrastructure in universities and research institutions, creating a critical mass of scientists and engineers that are necessary for spearheading and sustaining industrial development and economic transformation, increased research and scientific innovation support mechanisms.
This will be achieved through capitalization of the STI Fund and an aspirational goal of enhanced budget support of about one percent of GDP expenditure on research and development activities over the next five years.

This will be supported by enhanced public-private partnerships and international collaboration.

1 Science, technology and innovation for enterprise development.
Note by the UNCTAD secretariat Pg 1 iii However, this is mostly on paper and proposals and promises contained in the National Science, Technology and Innovation Plan 2012/13 - 2017/182 have largely been left unimplemented.

The sector is not achieving the government’s set targets.

Summary of our key alternative policies: 1.

Establish of science, technology, and innovation parks to allow meaningful clustering and collaboration among companies in similar scientific innovation 2.
Conduct sustained public awareness campaign Science Technology and Innovation.

Well packaged STI information in local languages will be disseminated aimed to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to participate in and support STI.

3.

Establish a National Venture and Innovation fund with a clear legal framework that deliberately allows for a funding window towards STI.

4.

Develop partnerships between government, industry, and academia to support STI.
Emphasis will be put on improving productive collaboration across the private sector, universities, and governments through public-private partnerships.

5.

Mainstream science and technology strategies in Education system of Uganda.

The skills taught should range from the fundamental level through to advanced skills that can enable Ugandans to take the lead in high-level research aimed at Uganda’s development.

6.
6.

Promote and develop Biotechnology science and Innovation to increase productivity both in terms of crop yield and animal husbandry.

This can be achieved through;.

Affirmative funding will be provided as a priority area.

2 National Science, Technology and innovation plan 2012/13 - 2017/18 http://www.education.go.ug/files/downloads/STI%20PLAN%20Final%20April%20.pdf iv 7.

Facilitate acquisition of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) by scientists, researchers, and innovators.

8.
Tap into and promote indigenous knowledge for national development and preservation of local and traditional knowledge v LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS BFPs Budget Framework Papers Bn FY Billion Financial Year GDP Gross Domestic Product GOU Government of Uganda KMC Kiira Motors Corporation MoSTI Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation MPS Ministerial Policy Statements NCST National Council for Science and Technology NDP-I National Development Plan 2015/16-2019/20 NRM National Resistance Movement R&D Research and Development SMART Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time bound SME STI Trn Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Science, Technology and Innovation Trillions UDB Uganda Development Bank UDC Uganda Development Corporation UGX Uganda Shillings UIRI Uganda Industrial Research Institute vi 1.0 INTRODUCTION The authority to present the alternative policy statement is derived from Rule 146 of the rules of procedure of the Parliament of Uganda, and Section 6E of the Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Act, 2006 which require and empower the various Shadow ministers to present alternative policy statements on the floor of the House for consideration and possible implementation.
Rule 146 of the rules of procedure of Parliament, allows the shadow ministers to submit their Alternative Policy Statements to Parliament by the 29th day of March every year.
Section 6E (1): “The principal role of the Leader of the Opposition is to keep the government in check.” Section 6E (2) states: “The Leader of the Opposition shall under subsection (1), in consultation with his or her party leadership appoint a Shadow cabinet from members of the opposition in Parliament with portfolios and functions that correspond to those of Cabinet Ministers.” Section 6E (4) states: “The Leader of the Opposition (LoP) shall study all policy statements of government with his or her Shadow ministers and attend committee deliberations on policy issues and give their party’s views and opinions and propose possible alternatives.” Besides, the Republic of Uganda issued a guide3 in 2013, on what policy is.
It defined policy to mean a course or principle of action adopted or proposed by a government, party, business or individual.

This guide was founded on and agrees with Thomas R. Dye who in 1995, in his Understanding Public Policy, summarized policy to mean “whatever governments choose to do or not to do”4 Alternative policy therefore, in this context, comprises of different actions, tools and measures, put together, which are capable of attaining specific policy outcomes5.
Following the above frameworks, I submit this Alternative Policy Statement for the Science, Technology, and Innovation sector for FY 2020/21 to Parliament.
3 The Republic of Uganda: A guide to policy development & management in Uganda, October 2013, pg 9 4 Dye Thomas R (1995) Understanding Public Policy, pg 2 5 Howlett & Rayner, 2013, p. Feb 16, 2019 1 2.0 STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF THE SECTOR The NDP-II required the STI sub-sector to contribute the following to the overall national development programme: i. ii.

iii.

iv.
iii.

iv.

Enhancement of the integration of STI into the national development process Increase in transfer and adaptation of technologies Enhancement of Research and Development in Uganda Improve the Science, Technology and Innovation legal and regulatory framework.6 Science, technology and innovation (STI) tools are a pre–requisite for sustainably harnessing our natural resources for economic growth and sustainable development.
STI has the potential to stimulate the growth of new enterprises that create new and well-paying jobs, especially for women and the youth.

Investing in building our technological and innovation capabilities will enhance our ability to tame nature and mitigate hazards of climate change.
Science knowledge helps us to develop new technologies which will facilitate the participation of our citizens in the services and knowledge economy and increasing our competitiveness in the regional and global economic marketplace.

It has helped increase production due to the presence of well-developed technology that speeds up production processes.
Technology eases communication due to the creation of different simplified communication gadgets such as multipurpose phones and computers with the capacity to process huge amounts of information.

This also makes trade and commerce to be run more efficiently.

The defense and security capability of a country depends on the ability of that country to adopt modern warfare.

Technology can help in gathering intelligence with increased accuracy and the use of high precision weapons when in a state of war.
STI has helped in the improvement of the diagnosis of diseases and efficiency in healthcare.

Scientific research in the health sector has also helped in the discovery of new remedies to diseases by enhancing the development of the pharmaceutical industry.

6 National Planning Authority, 2015, Second National Development Plan 2015/16-2019/20 2 STI is also critical to adopting and modifying existing technology to solve local challenges.
For instance, given the prevalence and affordability of motorcycles, how can its engine be adapted as a means of traction for plowing instead of oxen?

This is the question that we explore among other alternatives.
3 3.0 OVERALL DIAGNOSTIC PERFORMANCE OF THE SECTOR There have been several innovations, research, and development at a few institutions in the country, notably Makerere University and the Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI) that gave Ugandans hope that finally, we are beginning to create technology that suits us, as well as processing our agricultural produce to give it a long life.

Unfortunately, most of these have petered out shortly after they are announced.
Perhaps the most notable innovation to come out of Uganda was the development of the Kiira EV motor vehicle and Kayoola bus by Makerere University College of Engineering.

Kiira Motors Corporation (KMC) has since been incorporated to develop and mass-produce the Kayoola bus that uses solar energy to charge the batteries that drive the engine.
The Equity partners in KMC are the Government of the Republic of Uganda represented by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (96%) and Makerere University (4%).

Lack of funding has however stalled the project amidst questions about prioritization and whether this is a vanity project.

However, other significant innovations are less controversial and are lacking support.
For instance, in 2016, Makerere University’s College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences invented a multipurpose tractor, the MV Mulimi, that can thresh maize, pump water from a depth of seven meters to a height of 33m, plough gardens, transport 20 adults and their goods over a reasonable distance, as well as charge a mobile phone.7 The MV Mulimi was launched at Kabanyolo Agricultural Research Institute and was projected to cost UGX 19 million when produced as a commercial scale.
This innovation has not been supported financially.

A team of Makerere University graduate engineers and doctors in 2017 invented a “smart jacket” that diagnoses pneumonia “faster than a doctor!” Named Mama-Ope (mothers hope) kit, it works in such a way that “health workers merely have to slip the jacket onto the child and its sensors will pick up sound patterns from the lungs, temperature and breathing rate.”8 Again this has not progressed beyond the prototype level.
The Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI) has also unveiled several innovations over the last few years that have unfortunately not progressed to the development and mass production stage.
These include; a UV sterilizer prototype that was successfully used to sterilize sanitary pads for 7 https://news.mak.ac.ug/2016/01/mak-produces-affordable-multipurpose-tractor 8 https://cedat.mak.ac.ug/news/ugandan-engineers-invent-smart-jacket/ 4 women produced by the Paper Pilot Plant, an affordable hand sanitizer from Aloe vera containing both ingredients of sanitizing and moisturizing, and a ceramic coral that imitates the natural coral found in salty seas, to mention a few.9 The artificial ceramic corals are reportedly awaiting installation in the demonstration pond.
Budget Analysis Table showing the budget allocations for FY 2019/20-2020/21 Billion Uganda shillings Programme Service Vote: 023 MSTI Vote: 110 Uganda Industrial Research Institute 2019/20 2020/21 UGX %TSB % TNB UGX %TSB %TNB 172.545 92.8% 0.4% 149.872 91.8% 0.4% 13.442 7.2% 7.2% 13.442 8.2% 0.0% Total Sector Budget (TSB) 185.987 0.5% 163.314 0.5% Total National Budget (TNB) 36,221.66 Analysis of data extracted from the National Budget Framework Paper and MPS for FY 2020/21 39,837.30 From the above, there is an observed percentage allocation of 0.5% (of the total national budget), in financial years 2019/20 and 2020/21.
Whereas the percentage allocation remained constant, the sector, lost funding of UGX 22.673 billion in the new allocation.

This reduction in funding will impact heavily on the sector, and the country at large, mainly because Uganda is still lagging behind Kenya and Rwanda in terms of attracting direct investment in the ICT sector10.
If the country does not quickly develop and implement a systematic and sustainable innovation strategy, Uganda will end up importing ICT innovations from the region leading to more outflow of foreign exchange from the economy.

It is worth noting that Uganda’s competitiveness for ICT direct investment in the region is well below that of Kenya and Rwanda, even though Uganda has had a stable economy and vibrant education sector for over 20 years.
ICT innovation development in Uganda has been largely private sector-led with minimal or no significant government contribution.

The lack of systematic support and a national innovation strategy has negatively affected the ability of innovators to go beyond prototypes, i.e.

commercialize their products, both locally and internationally.
This was noted in the Uganda IT & IT-Enabled Services (ITES) Sector Export Plan 2015-2020 as one of the inhibiting factors in the ICT sector11 Many of the countries performing better than Uganda in ICT innovations like the Rwanda, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Singapore, USA, and South Korea have seen their governments deliberately 9 http://www.uiri.go.ug/content/innovations 10 Global Innovation Index, 2019.

11 National ICT Initiatives Support Programme, 2017.
5 and consistently providing support for Research and Innovation in the ICT sector.

This has translated into high-end software and electronic products such as Google and Apple from the USA, Samsung from South Korea, and MPESA from Kenya just to mention a few.

The Government of Uganda has identified ICT as one of the key pillars to spur the socio-economic transformation of the country to middle-income status by 2020.
This vision is articulated in the overarching macro-economic development agenda of Uganda Vision 2040, the Second National Development Plan (NDP II), the ICT sector Strategy and Investment Plan (SIP) 2015/16 – 2019/20, and the NRM 2016/21 manifesto.
Furthermore, President Yoweri Museveni has prioritized ICT as one of the strategic interventions for economic growth and has indeed given directives to guide the sector.12 On that note, Government must take this sector on as one of the engines of growth and development together with other sectors like agriculture, ICT and National guidance, tourism among others.
The sector needs a lot more funding for the nurturing of a systematic and sustainable ICT innovation ecosystem that is vital for long-term socio-economic transformation of the country into a knowledge- based economy13 12 National ICT Initiatives Support Programme, 2017.
13 National ICT Initiatives Support Programme, 2017 6 4.0 PERFORMANCE OF THE SOCIAL CONTRACT This section examines the various commitments that the current government has made to the people of Uganda through mediums such as the NRM election manifesto, National Development Plan and other representations and commitments.
The Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MoSTI) is charged with the implementation of four programmes, namely: Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Regulation; Science, Research and Development; Techno-prenuership; and Finance, Administration and Support Services.

This sector faces various challenges14, which include the following;  The sector is faced with human resource and infrastructure gaps that hinder the undertaking of science, technology and innovation activities.
 Lack of counterpart funding to leverage the support from donor-funded research.

Some external partners (such as South Africa) canceled research collaboration with UNCST due to lack of financial commitment, the MMSC (Manufacturing, Machining and Skilling Centre) project at UIRI lacks counterpart funding as well.

 Duplication of roles and activities by both the MoSTI and UNCST (Uganda National Council for Science and Technology).
Many programmes and sub-programmes under the ministry and UNCST are similar.

Inspite of the soaring rhetoric, the Government has made half-hearted and largely ineffective attempts to channel investments in STI.

Public funds have been invested in a series of presidential initiatives, yet there are no similar commitments to invest in basic and applied research at the nation’s higher institutions of learning.
Strategic science and technology policy institutions including agricultural and industrial research centres are largely underfunded, dilapidated and do not have the necessary research infrastructure.

The STI field is driven by competition and clarity in terms of objectives and annual outputs, as well as investments to drive knowledge transfer.

14 Science, Technology and Innovation Semi-Annual Monitoring Report FY2018/19 pg.
Vi- Vii 7 The sector must ensure that some of the funds allocated to institutional building must go to the creation of a development plan and investment strategy to guide the ministry and the institute to streamline investments in STI to harness Uganda’s capabilities for national development.

The sector has underachieved in the following areas over the years:  Lack of a central coordinating entity that should bring academic, industrial entrepreneurs and research institutions to think together.
 The inability of the sector to give confidence to private investment in STI, which has made the sector less attractive  The amount of money allocated to the sector from the national budget falls short of the minimum required to cater for the very basic requirement for it to function.

 There is very little effort in the promotion through our education curriculum of practical rather than theoretical science and engineering instruction, in institutions of higher learning.
There is no programme for early identification and promotion of students with a science orientation.

 There is almost nothing deliberately being done to promote STI through centres of excellence.

The NDP-II period lapses in June 2020.

It is noteworthy that little has been done in the following areas:  Technology transfer through incubation centres for promotion of SME  R&D due to the inability of the budget to cater for the very minimum need for developing prototypes.
Table showing Key Promises and Delivery thereof: Sector Theme Technology transfer Promise, undertaking and source transfer Technology through incubation centres for promotion of SME15 Delivery thereof Comments There is no technology transfer through incubation centres for promotion of SME The success of the STI sector is registered in transfer, technology without which the sector is of not impact to national development 15 National Science, technology and Innovation Plan 2012/13-2017/18, pg 30 8 Sector Theme Promise, undertaking and source Allocation of at least 5% of the total government expenditure by 2012.16 Linkages with private sector and marketing prototypes Industrial research on fruits and animal by- products Consolidate the gains made by UIRI and other agencies like NCST, to forge links between their enhanced capacities and the needs of the private sector17 Fund the commercialization of the prototypes UIRI has developed through direct government intervention by a in industry and particular marketing the prototypes to the private sector.
Funding UIRI to set up small processing plants vegetable, for animal by-products in areas where they are in abundant supply18 investing fruit, Delivery thereof Comments Government has failed to meet this target as the current budget allocations are at 0.6% and projected to drop to 0.5% of the total government expenditure There is nothing to consolidate since UIRI is to constrained enhance the capacities and needs of the private sector The budgetary allocation to the sector does not sufficiently very these cover important aspects of STI sufficient Without budget allocation to the STI sector, the impact/ desired outcomes from STI shall never be achieved.
The sector private capacities and needs have remained unsupported.
The aspirations and goals of the STI sector could remain a wishful list for long On ground, the UIRI has not recorded any significant progress regarding this promise With current the budgetary allocations to UIRI, this will remain a failed empty promise 16 National Science, technology and Innovation Plan 2012/13-2017/18, pg 51 17 NRM manifesto 2011-2016, pg 70 18 NRM manifesto 2011-2016, pg 70 9 5.0 KEY ALTERNATIVE POLICIES AND JUSTIFICATION Our policy alternatives are directly and variously derived from election manifestos of the Opposition Political Parties advanced in the previous elections.
They are also informed by our analytical review of this sector, drawing from the lessons and challenges emerging therefrom, and best practices from other similar jurisdictions.

We, the Alternative Government, will therefore do the following: i.

Establish of science, technology, and innovation parks.

These will provide the right environment to scale up innovation given the potential for collaboration and well-managed infrastructure.
They will provide a real sense of community, allowing companies in the same or relevant fields to cluster, network and even collaborate.

The innovation parks will also stimulate innovations and provide space for ideas to flourish and support domestic technology development, research and innovation.
Operating in proximity with actual or potential collaborators will enhance the ability of firms to learn, increase their absorptive capacity and develop their tacit and experiential knowledge more quickly and in greater depth.

STI parks are probably among the most widely used instruments to promote collaboration through clusters.
Stanford Industrial Park, established on land owned by Stanford University near San Francisco in 1951, is considered the first such park and played a key role in the development of Silicon Valley.

Today, there are approximately 400 STI parks in operation worldwide, including a significant number in developing countries.

In China and India, innovation policies have adopted the strategy of creating STI parks at the national and regional levels.
In China, 27 were originally set up in 1991, and by 2006, 53 national STI parks had been up and running for 10 years.

By 2006, India had 47 software parks and 25 biotechnology parks.

In most Latin American countries, STI parks are either in operation, being established or being designed.

19 Ad hoc and knee-jack support approach to STI will continue in the absence of these parks while the country will continue to lose unquantifiable resources in the absence of the same.

ii.
ii.

Conduct sustained public awareness campaign Science Technology and Innovation.

The sector remains obscure to many Ugandans and there are limited deliberate efforts to inculcate it in their daily activities.

STI information will be repackaged in local languages to inspire people of all 19 Science, technology and innovation for enterprise development.

Note by the UNCTAD secretariat, pg 10 10 ages and backgrounds to participate in and support STI.
Special focus shall be put on increasing students’ interest and performance in science and technology subjects at all levels to help spur a science culture.

This will translate into increased public support and participation in STI in the development of Uganda.

Failure to adopt this translates into increased disinterest and poor performance of students in science- related disciplines, limited or no innovation and refusal to adapt to new technologies and innovations supporting development.
The best way to solve our problems as a country is to innovate around them in terms of workable solutions.

iii.

Establish a National Venture and Innovation fund with a clear legal framework that deliberately allows for a funding window towards STI.

The Innovation Fund will provide product and technology assistance, support with business growth, access to a network of experts and partners, among other things.
The Innovation Fund should work through competition where the winning innovation wins seed funding to operationalize the idea.

Ideas/innovation proposals should cut across all fields of science and the criteria for the winning proposal must include the fact that the idea will benefit majority of Ugandans economically and must sustain itself after five years.
Also, develop a legal framework for sector innovation funds to ensure efficiency and effective implementation as required under Article 153(2) (a) of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda and Section 29(2) (b) of the Public Finance Management Act.

With no affirmative action, STI will remain unfocused and accessible to a few connected individuals/ institutions.

Less financial support to the programmes will continue, hence the limited impact of STI nationally.

iv.
iv.

Develop partnerships between government, industry, and academia to support STI Government works with development partners to provide serious financial incentives for collaborative research by both foreign and domestic firms.

Emphasis will be put on improving productive collaboration across the private sector, universities, and governments through public- private partnerships.
Avail more public funds for innovation and tax incentives for private-sector R&D for businesses that set up R&D deals with universities and/or research centres.

The compounding effect is that this will make society open to innovation, build trust in science and corresponding institutions.

11 Failure implies an inability to grow new large firms, limited and inflexible capital markets and ignorance and mistrust in science and technology.
v. Mainstream science and technology ttrategies in Education system of Uganda An essential component of building Science and Technology capacity in Uganda is the education of the citizens.

The skills taught should range from the fundamental level through to advanced skills that can enable Ugandans to take the lead in high-level research aimed at Uganda’s development.
a) At the Primary Schools: Government should establish a Science Corner in every Primary School to cultivate an interest in mathematics, science, and technology at an early age and help provide a good grounding in scientific thinking.

It should also review and implement improved teaching methods for primary science.

b) Secondary Schools: Establish a high-quality science and technology education laboratories in schools equipped to undertake practical lessons.
This should ensure that students retain an interest and gain a solid foundation in mathematics, science, and technology that shall prepare them for further education and equip them with the scientific skills to assist in Uganda’s development.

c) Vocational Schools: Maximising the availability of access to vocational training through the provision of a high-quality Vocational Training Centre (VTC) in each of the districts of Uganda should be a priority to the STI sector.
The VTC should include a business enterprise unit to match the students of the school with employment opportunities, and also be able to work in partnership with local business enterprises.

d) Technical Schools: ensure access to high-level technical school training.

Government should construct a high-level technical school in each of the sub-regions of Uganda and these technical schools should include business enterprise units to develop entrepreneurship and innovation skills.
Match the students of the school with employment opportunities and enable them to work in partnership with local business enterprises.

e) Higher Level Technical and Professional Institutions: The two principal objectives for the higher technical and professional institutions are to: 12  train the teachers and lecturers that shall support the development of science, mathematics, vocational and technical school training as detailed above.
 to train high-level professional technicians, engineers, architects, medical professionals, veterinary professionals, agricultural professionals, etc.

These shall take a lead in the ongoing development of Uganda towards the goals of Vision 2040.

This should also include the development of links with “best in field” technical and professional institutions internationally to ensure that Uganda stays abreast of the latest technology and thinking.

vi.
vi.

Increase funding to Biotechnology to develop Science and Technology and Innovation.

The development of biotechnology should be supported to increase productivity both in terms of crop yield and animal husbandry.

This can be achieved through; a) Researching to develop disease and pest-resistant crops, plants and trees, and breeding plants and animals for high yields; b) Undertaking soil research to optimize use of fertilizers (e.g.
expansion of pyrethrum cultivation); c) Strengthen research on disease and pest control, genetic technology (tissue culture, molecular biology), biodiversity, land degradation, environment, and ecosystem problems; d) Strengthening research in molecular diagnostics, vaccine and drug delivery, recombinant vaccines and bioremediation to support the reduction in child mortality, improvement in maternal health and the combat of HIV, malaria and other diseases; e) Upgrading agricultural research facilities and equipment; and investing in the training of biotechnologists and agricultural scientists; vii.
Facilitate acquisition of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) by scientists, researchers, and innovators.

Deliberate efforts must be undertaken to sensitize stakeholders on the importance of intellectual property rights.

Further, there should be a review of the intellectual property rights regime to facilitate the verification and acquisition of protection for indigenous resources and knowledge.

13 viii.
13 viii.

Tap into and promote indigenous knowledge for national development and preservation of local and traditional knowledge Local knowledge is well suited to resolve local challenges, and will remain undeveloped and underutilized if not affirmatively targeted.

Annex 1 presents a summary of our key alternative policies, benefits therefrom and the impact of not implementing the policy alternative.
14 6.0 CONCLUSION Uganda’s development future is anchored on its ability to master and efficiently apply scientific knowledge.

This can be achieved by investing in science education and R&D of products that can increase the GDP of the country and improve the quality of life of the citizens.

There is a need for cooperation across institutions and leveraging of best practices.
For Uganda as a developing country, a strong commitment to fund STI and provide sufficient funds for human resources and infrastructure needs is important to generate competition and innovation.
15 ANNEX 1: SUMMARY OF KEY ALTERNATIVE POLICIES SMART Policy Alternative Sector Area STI parks Provide resources for the establishment of science, technology and innovation parks Public awareness on STI Embark on massive, public sustained awareness campaign Science of and Technology Innovation BENEFITS /Anticipated impacts/Justification ▪ Right environment scale up innovation to ▪ Support domestic technology development, and innovation research, ▪ The ability of firms to their increase learn, absorptive capacity and develop their tacit and experiential knowledge more quickly and in greater depth ▪ STI in to information local repackaged languages inspire people of all ages and backgrounds Increase students’ interest and performance in and science technology subjects at all levels and help to spur a science culture ▪ Impact of not doing Ad hoc and knee-jack support approach to STI will continue Increased disinterest and poor performance of students in science- related disciplines.
or adapt Limited no innovation and refusal new to technologies and innovations supporting development.

to ▪ Public support and participation in STI in the of development Uganda National venture and innovation fund for Provide a National Venture and Innovation fund with legal clear a that framework deliberately allows for a funding window towards STI ▪ Provide product and technology assistance, support with business to a growth, access network of experts and partners among other things.
▪ remain It will and centralized inaccessible to many potential STI candidates ▪ Less support financial the to i Sector Area SMART Policy Alternative Multi- stakeholde r partnershi ps on STI Develop partnerships between government, and industry, academia to support STI and both target and channel funding for and research commercialisation Integrate STI education into Mainstream science Technology and in Strategies BENEFITS /Anticipated impacts/Justification ▪ Seed funding operationalize innovative idea.
to the Impact of not doing programs will continue hence the limited impact of STI nationally.

▪ ▪ The idea must benefit the majority of Ugandans economically and must sustain itself after five years STI will remain and unfocused to a accessible few connected individuals/ institutions ▪ Improving productive collaboration across the sector, private universities, and governments.
▪ Avail more public funds for innovation and tax incentives for private- for sector businesses that set up with R&D deals and/or universities research centres.
R&D ▪ A to society open innovation, build trust in science and corresponding institutions ▪ A strong and diverse higher education system with excellent research STI will be embrace from the foundational levels to the highest level of learning ii ▪ Poor quality innovation will be continue evident in the STI sector players to ▪ Inability to grow new large farms ▪ Limited and capital inflexible and markets and ignorance mistrust in science and technology.
STI will continue to be unappreciated and underdeveloped in the young learners Sector Area al curricula Promote biotechnol ogy Intellectua l Property Rights SMART Policy Alternative Education system of Uganda Increase funding to Biotechnology to develop Science and Technology and Innovation Facilitate acquisition Intellectual of Rights Property (IPRs) by scientists, researchers, and innovators.
Tap into indigenous knowledge for developme nt exploit Fully Indigenous Resources Traditional Knowledge national development its and for BENEFITS /Anticipated impacts/Justification Impact of not doing It will benefit food and animal productivity driven by STI Researchers and innovators will pride in benefiting from their hard work and inspire more join STI hence leading positive impacts on the economy to Local expertise and skills will be tapped and enhanced for STI growth Food insecurity could worsen with the changing climate changes Researchers and innovators will have and drive no motivation to do more and hence discourage future possible and researchers innovators Local expertise will undeveloped remain and hence underutilized.
iii