By Guest Writer
The Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) has launched Uganda’s 41st Technology and Innovation Support Centre (TISCs) at Bishop Stuart University, Mbarara, further expanding Uganda’s national innovation ecosystem and strengthening support for research, technology development, and intellectual property protection within academic institutions.
The launch ceremony, officiated by Rt. Hon. Ambassador Francis K. Butagira as Chief Guest, brought together innovators, students, researchers, academia, government officials, and development partners in recognition of the growing role universities are playing in transforming local ideas into practical solutions for national development.
Speaking during the launch, Ambassador Butagira emphasised the importance of empowering young innovators and researchers through structured innovation support systems. “The future of Africa will depend greatly on how well we support innovation, research, and creativity among our young people. Universities are becoming powerful centers for solutions that can transform communities, industries, and economies. The launch of this TISC is therefore an investment in Uganda’s future,” he says.
The Technology and Innovation Support Centre programme is implemented by URSB in partnership with the World Intellectual Property Organisation to provide researchers, startups, inventors, and students with access to patent information, technology databases, innovation support services, and intellectual property guidance.
The URSB Registrar General, Ms. Mercy K. Kainobwisho, said the expansion of TISCs across Uganda is helping create a stronger culture of innovation and commercialization within institutions of learning. “Technology and Innovation Support Centers are creating pathways for students, researchers, and innovators to transform ideas into commercially viable solutions. Through the TISC network and the IP in Schools initiative, URSB is supporting the Government of Uganda’s vision of building a knowledge-based economy driven by innovation, research, and creativity,” she says.
The establishment of the TISC at Bishop Stuart University comes at a time when the institution is increasingly gaining recognition for sustainability-focused innovations and agribusiness research. Among the university’s notable projects is the BANATHERM initiative, a 2026 innovation developed in partnership with Scale-Up Research Centre Ltd to transform banana stem waste into thermal insulation materials for vehicles and buildings.
Through its Agribusiness Incubation Hub, the university is also producing environmentally friendly banana fibre products including paper bags, table mats, and decorative materials as alternatives to polythene. The institution additionally partners with Mbarara University of Science and Technology and National Agricultural Research Organisation on projects involving biogas and bio-fertilizer production from organic waste.
Other innovations supported at the university include mushroom farming and processing, fruit juice production, tomato ketchup manufacturing, dairy value-chain solutions, and digital systems designed to improve student enrollment and administration.
The Vice Chancellor of Bishop Stuart University, Prof. John F. Mugisha, says the launch strengthens the university’s commitment to practical research and entrepreneurship. “This TISC will provide our students and researchers with access to valuable intellectual property resources and innovation support systems that will help move research from classrooms and laboratories into communities and markets where it can create real impact,” he says.
The launch also complements URSB’s ongoing IP in Schools initiative, which seeks to build awareness and appreciation of intellectual property rights among learners and researchers across Uganda.
Stakeholders believe the growing TISC network will continue supporting Uganda’s innovation competitiveness, improving commercialization of research, and contributing positively to Uganda’s performance on regional and global innovation rankings.
The launch at Bishop Stuart University represents more than the opening of a center. It reflects Uganda’s growing confidence in innovation as a driver of sustainable development, industrial growth, and economic transformation. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
