The Ministry of Education is launching the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Programme. This event will be held at MINEDUC Headquarters in Kacyiru on 18th January 2013. The Honorable Minister of Education. Dr. Vincent Biruta will grace the occasion as a Guest of Honour.
The programme to be launched is the follow-up on the report of the 2009 study entitled “Mapping Science and Technology for Industrial Development in Rwanda: Linking Research and Development between Industries and Higher Learning Institutions” that was sponsored by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and led by the Minister in the Office of the President in charge of Science and Technology. The report identified potential partnerships between Higher Learning Institutions/ Research and Development Institutions and leading companies from key sectors of economy including agro-processing, manufacturing, construction, textiles, cosmetics, ICT and Energy.
Following this study, the Ministry of Education requested for financial support from the AfDB for the implementation of the above mentioned partnerships. The support was granted and it was recommended that the successful delivery of these partnerships will be managed using a proven intervention known as Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) through the Support to Science and Technology Skills Development Project. MINEDUC plans to support 5 partnerships under this programme. Each partnership will involve a business seeking to implement a strategic project, an academic or research partner providing essential knowledge and a high quality recent graduate who will manage the project.
The objective is that each partnership will achieve the following:
A successfully completed project that delivers commercial benefit to the company, providing increased employment and prosperity.
Beneficial feedback to the University in terms of relevant curriculum development, case studies and student projects.
A well developed graduate business leader, contributing strongly to the company.
An ongoing strong partnership between the Company and the University/Research and Development Institution.
Each partnership project will be provided with a budget of 10million Rwf per year per project for two years, to cover the costs for travel, academic time, academic development, graduate training and minor equipment. The company on the other hand will be responsible for the salary of the graduate. The programme is due to start in January 2013.