Category: Latest News

National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI) Director General/CEO Prof. Walter Oyawa has been appointed a fellow of the International Science Council. He is among 66 Foundation Fellows who were recognized for their outstanding contributions to promoting science as a global public good. The Fellowship is the highest honor that can be conferred on an individual by the International Science Council. The first cohort of Fellows includes distinguished scientists, engineers and thought-leaders from the science-policy sphere who have made … Continue reading “OUTSTANDING SCIENTIST APPOINTED FELLOW OF INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE COUNCIL”

In a letter addressed to Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and copied to the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Education Prof. George Magoha, the Principal Secretary Amb. Simon Nabukwesi and the Director General of NACOSTI, Prof. Walter Oyawa, the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) has announced the award to Egerton University to host the 1st ICGEB Regional Research Centre in Africa and its 2nd in the world after China. This is a landmark achievement by Kenya as a … Continue reading “ICGEB ESTABLISHES FIRST REGIONAL RESEARCH CENTRE IN AFRICA”

(CNN)What if doctors could just print a kidney, using cells from the patient, instead of having to find a donor match and hope the patient’s body doesn’t reject the transplanted kidney?The soonest that could happen is in a decade, thanks to 3D organ bioprinting, said Jennifer Lewis, a professor at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. Organ bioprinting is the use of 3D-printing technologies to assemble multiple cell types, growth factors and biomaterials in a layer-by-layer fashion to … Continue reading “WHEN WE’LL BE ABLE TO 3D-PRINT ORGANS AND WHO WILL BE ABLE TO AFFORD THEM”

Steve Verze has become the first man in the world to be fitted with a 3D printed eye, according to Moorfields Eye Hospital. He tried the eye for size earlier this month, as photographed here. (CNN)A British man has become the first patient in the world to be fitted with a 3D printed eye, according to Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.Steve Verze, who is 47 and an engineer from Hackney, east London, was given the left eye on Thursday and … Continue reading “BRITISH MAN GIVEN 3D PRINTED EYE IN WORLD FIRST, HOSPITAL SAYS”

Former Irish playwright the late George Bernard Shaw once famously remarked that, “the single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” This quote succinctly embodies the problem with communication while underscoring importance of effective engagement and messaging. As scientists work around the clock to grapple with intractable challenges such as food insecurity, pandemics, environmental pollution and so on, it is emerging that social sciences, such as science communication, play a crucial role in actualizing research … Continue reading “SCIENCE COMMUNICATION IS A KEY ENABLER OF ONE HEALTH CULTURE AND PRACTICE”

This new report from the ISC outlines plausible scenarios for the COVID-19 pandemic to consider the options for achieving the most desirable end to the crisis, highlighting that decisions made over the coming months and years need to be informed not only by short-term priorities but also by long-term challenges, and will serve as an analytical tool for policy-makers to lead to a more optimistic outcome to the pandemic. A result of the Council’s COVID-19 Outcome Scenarios Project, the report Unprecedented and Unfinished: … Continue reading “COVID-19 AND IMPLICATIONS FOR NATIONAL AND GLOBAL POLICY”

A position paper of the International Science Council The International Science Council (ISC) is committed to a vision of science as a global public good. This vision has profound implications for the ways in which science is conducted and used, and the roles that it plays in society. This ISC position paper considers those implications, exploring the ways they influence the responsibilities of scientists, both individually and collectively, and how they apply in the different settings in which science is … Continue reading “SCIENCE AS A GLOBAL PUBLIC GOOD”

National Cereals and Produce Board, NCPB staff and Facilitators from NACOSTI The National Commission for Science, Technology, and Innovation (NACOSTI) facilitated a three-day training on the Science, Technology, and Innovation performance contracting indicator and reporting to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) Focal Person and Champion(s). The training was convened by the NCPB. In accordance with the purposes of the STI Act enactment, the Financial Year 2021/2022 Performance Contracting Guidelines (18th Cycle) released by the Ministry of Public Service … Continue reading “TRAINING FOR THE NCPB TEAM IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND INNOVATION MAINSTREAMING  PC INDICATOR”

The Kabete National Polytechnic in Nairobi County.[Courtesy] Last week, Kabete National Polytechnic held its second research conference. I was a guest as an alumnus. It was nostalgic visiting an institution that has evolved in the last 100 years from a native industrial training depot (NITD) to a technical school, a technical institute and now a national polytechnic. Now you know why the small town next to this school is called “N”. Did I hear the late founding President Jomo Kenyatta went … Continue reading “WHY THE ROLE OF TECHNICAL INSTITUTIONS IN INNOVATION CANNOT BE GAINSAID”

Researchers need to be assessed on every aspect of their work, no matter where it takes place. Photo by marlenefrancia/Shutterstock How do you assess academic researchers for promotion or funding? This question has become ever more central in higher education settings since the 1980s saw substantial growth in investment in research. This significantly increased the number of researchers in the academic workforce and the need to assess their output for employment, promotion and other career advancements. One response to the need … Continue reading “RESEARCHERS SHOULD BE ASSESSED ON QUALITY NOT QUANTITY: HERE’S HOW”