As part of the efforts to strengthen ties with partner universities, IIT Madras hosted a nine-member delegation from The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Tanzania. The visit, whose primary goal was to gain insights from IIT-M’s successfully-implemented incubation centres, also gave the delegation an opportunity to visit Research Park to learn more about the startup ecosystem. Prof. Anthony Mshandete and Prof. Suzana Augustino, Deputy Vice Chancellors of NM-AIST, share some of the specific challenges that were addressed during the course of their visit.
By the Office of Global Engagement
Purpose of the visit
We are basically here to learn from IIT-M and to customise what we have learnt in our institution because it fits very well; we have an incubation centre just like IIT. So, this visit, for us, is like a catalyst. At the same time, we have come to learn about a global problem that academia faces. In Tanzania, we have academicians doing research, getting their PhDs, and sharing knowledge. But they need to think beyond that. During the course of this visit, we have been taught to change that traditional mindset. At IIT-M, we have been told: “Okay, I know you are here to share knowledge, but you can also commercialise it and can commercialise technology.” That is the mindset we have to borrow from IIT-M. It is important to not shy away from commercialising our knowledge in terms of science and technology. Because that is how we can make an impact in society. IIT-M seems to have learnt this from the U.S and they have brought that model to India. It is working perfectly well for your country…they are increasing the number of patents in India and abroad. We have lots to learn from this model. Because we can easily customise this back home for the benefit of our economy and the country at large.
— Anthony Mshandete
A learning curve
The challenge NM-AIST faces today is shared globally. The first of which was explained by Prof. Anthony, which is the mindset of faculty members. The second is on the research side; writing competitive research proposals to win grants has been a challenge, especially in developing countries.
This could be a potential area where we can collaborate with IIT-M, especially on creating a link with the industry which is the resource for money. Because we shouldn’t always rely on the government to inject money into research institutions. After observing the technologies and innovations coming from higher learning institutions, it is about time the industry contributes towards research and development. So, having money come from the market and collaborating in the art of writing proposals are the challenges we have today. The other key challenge we have is the infrastructure. This is one area where we could collaborate with IIT-M; the campus is very beautiful and the whole setup of this institute is so amazing. One of the things that really impressed us about IIT-M is the role of alumni and the interest they show in paying back to the institution through investments, getting grants, and facilitating the whole process. We see the passion the alumni have for the mother institution. This is truly an eye opener for us, and it is doable even back home. We haven’t thought about it so far. That alumni could also pay back.
— Suzana Augustino
IIT-M goes to Zanzibar
I find it so exciting. And first of all, IIT is going to the other part of Tanzania, in Zanzibar, where collaboration has been very minimal with international partners. But NM-AIST has collaborated with other partners in India. They have supported us a lot in terms of ICT (information and communications technology) infrastructure. The government of India supported us with 70 batteries for free. We have a problem with power, which is not stable in our country. And this is one thing we have learnt from India. That we can really invest in solar power and get rid of the hydro power, which has problems due to climate change. Having visited IIT-M, we look forward to establishing a long term relationship with this institution because of the compatibility we share internationally. We could see a great potential to exchange faculty members as well as students for the benefit of the respective institutions. Students from Chennai can also come to NM-AIST and learn from the experience.
— Suzana.
I IT Madras is engaging with Tanzania and Zanzibar through substantive educational initiatives. Several Tanzanian/Zanzibar students are expected to join IIT Madras in postgraduate programmes this fall. This visit is another example of how IIT Madras is engaging with Tanzania/Zanzibar in supporting the education/innovation ambitions of the region, while also learning from the visiting delegation.
— Prof. Raghunathan Rengaswamy, Dean, Global Engagement.
