On the 7th of July 2023, NACOSTI and the Directorate of Higher Education and Research held meeting with the Centre for Ecosystem Restoration-Kenya (CER-K) on fostering effective public-private partnerships (PPPs) in Kenya under the Chairmanship of NACOSTI-Director General. The meeting also brought together key stakeholders from public universities and centers of excellence to discuss the role of collaboration in addressing global challenges through research and innovation. In recognition of the critical and central role played by NACOSTI in Science, Technology and Innovation in the Country, Prof Walter Oyawa was appointed by the PS, HER Ministry of Education to Chair the session.
Recognizing the Importance of Collaborative Partnerships
During the meeting, Mr. Darius Ogutu, the Director of the State Department of Higher Education and Research, welcomed the participants and stressed the significance of advancing research in the face of ongoing global challenges. Prof. Oyawa, the Director General of NACOSTI, delivered the opening remarks and emphasized the need for public-private collaborations to address ecosystem threats effectively. Mr. Jonathan Jenkins, Director of the Centre for Ecosystem Restoration-Kenya, introduced the organization and discussed potential areas of collaboration with public institutions.
The directors acknowledged the expertise and seniority of the participants and emphasized the possibility of achieving the overall goals of Science, Technology, and Innovation through collaborative partnerships. They highlighted the importance of incorporating a business angle into research projects to enhance their impact and stressed the need for institutions to embrace green technology, improve communication of research output, and consider the next-generation workforce.
Key Themes and Collaborative Opportunities
Several key themes emerged during the meeting, including sustainability, research, livelihoods, grants, partnerships, and scaling up. Representatives from various institutions discussed potential areas of partnership with CER-K and other organizations with similar interests. The following points were raised:
- Commercialization of ecosystem restoration: Exploring ways to convince governments and contribute to the national economy through ecosystem restoration initiatives.
- Establishing freshwater hubs: Focusing on the lake region and leveraging the blue economy to compare ecosystems’ health status and ecosystem services through transects.
- Seed science research and propagation: Accelerating seed propagation techniques in the wild, domesticating essential plants, and advancing crop breeding technologies.
- Ex-situ conservation: Establishing botanic gardens for the conservation of plant species.
- Targeted conservation efforts: Implementing conservation initiatives to protect fauna alongside ecosystem restoration activities.
- Curriculum development: Enhancing the curriculum to address the interdisciplinary nature of ecosystem restoration and conservation.
Two significant takeaways from the meeting were the need for streamlined processes to obtain research permits and licenses, potentially through a one-stop point for necessary permits, and the establishment of a single national research repository, focusing on ecosystem restoration, in collaboration with the relevant agencies.