iTATU, aka Ideate, Innovate, Implement (3i) is a new platform by the Kenya Industry and Entrepreneurship Project (KIEP) under the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry (SD-MITI), supported by the World Bank Group to increase innovation and productivity in select private-sector firms.
Implemented by Maastricht School of Management (MSM) iTATU.co.ke targets students in tertiary colleges to launch prototypes into the market via partnerships with select companies. The open source platform creates nationwide opportunities for local companies to seek partnerships with select student teams towards development of product-specific prototypes thereby creating an effective path for commercialisation of products and launch of an entrepreneurial journey for the students. This will see companies support innovation of new products through access to relatively low-cost human capital and enable students to gain practical, on-demand skills and workplace experience during their formal education thereby strengthening the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Kenya.
Speaking in Nairobi during the launch, MITI Principal Secretary Dr Juma Mukhwana said this is an opportunity for corporates to build synergy with students in nurturing an innovation culture at the workplace where solution-oriented initiatives will now become the norm.
“At the cusp of a significant shift in how economies are organised around digital and green transitions, innovation is now more crucial than ever. Emerging countries risk being left behind unless they pay attention to how to create and drive local innovations, and capture the leapfrog opportunities that these new developments present,” he said.
The launch themed ‘Enhancing industry academia partnerships through open innovation’ saw panel discussions from various industry stakeholders take centre stage on emphasising on the value of creating buy-in from both industry and academia.
The platform seeks to drive productivity and increase the participating companies’ competitiveness in the market via development of products. iTATU will achieve this by facilitating innovation challenges that will be posed by the participating companies and carried out by cross-disciplinary student teams in different colleges.
“…. iTATU is the clinic that Kenyan MSMEs can refer to when they want to tackle challenges. These can be the pain points an organisation is experiencing, wants to see what is on the horizon and thus prepare better for the future, help companies test how they can deploy new technologies, say, Industry 4.0 technologies and also help companies identify talent…,” stated by the iTATU Team Lead, Julius Gatune.
KIEP is a US$50 million project that will be implemented by the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI), with support from the World Bank Group over the next six years between 2019-2024. KIEP aims to increase innovation and productivity in private sector firms in Kenya by strengthening the private sector (including startups, SMEs, incubators, accelerators, technology boot camp providers, etc.) through financial grants and technical assistance.
The Project consists of three components. Component 1 seeks to strengthen the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Kenya by building the capacity of incubators, accelerators, and rapid technology skills providers (collectively called ‘intermediaries’). It also seeks to connect the Kenyan ecosystem to international networks of talent and support infrastructure and foster links between startups and traditional industry. In addition, this component aims to bridge the technical skills gaps in the market by linking young talent and academia to the private sector. Component 2 strives to increase productivity at the firm level by supporting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in improving their managerial and technical skills and their use and access to technology. Component 3 provides support for communications, M&E and implementation of the project.
Students can register for the various challenges on the iTATU website at www.iTATU.net