1.0 Introduction

Department of Innovation and Incubation is the one-stop place for creators, developers, designers, artists, scientists, researchers, mentors, start-ups, students, staff and Incubates activities. The department promotes promote multidisciplinary teams, works with student clubs, project teams, develops new ideas, create new business models & new products services to the community and the country. Also, the department promotes gender balance in business, science, technology and engineering innovations.

The department is open to new opportunities for local and international partners to collaborate and accelerate innovation at the university and in the country at large.

Furthermore, the department promotes innovation activities from all courses offered by the university by facilitating techno-innovation entrepreneurship workshops, seminars, Incubation programme training and exhibitions from students, staff and innovators from the ecosystem in the southern highland regions.

1.1 Objective 

To create an ecosystem that incubates innovators from different fields for economic growth and social impact. 

1.2 Department Functions 

The department performs the following functions: -

1. Conduct training and mentoring of inventors and innovators; 
2. Handle innovators complaints related to innovations and incubation;
3. Establish and run Innovations and incubation in liaising with other partners;
4. Coordinate all matters related to Technology Transfer;
5. Maintain database of Innovators;
6. Handle all matters related to registration and assessment of students Innovation programmes.
7. Coordinate evaluation of performance programs and keep periodic implementation reports of programs.

1.3 Statistics 

1. Fifty-four (54) Innovations 
2. Nine (9) spin-off (2019 – 2020)
3. TZS 159,800,000/= received funds for Innovations (2019 -2020) 

1.4 Innovation Clusters 

The department promotes innovation clusters based on 4IR technologies and solutions as follows: -

1. Digital Technology
   • The VR/AR
   • Digital Humanities & social science design
   • Human-computer Interaction and Design
2. Blue/Green Technology-Economy and Environmental
3. Coders (Software Developers)
   • UX/UI Design
   • Block-chain
   • Cloud Services
   • Mobile computing & IoT
   • Data Science & Big Data
   • Image Processing & Computer Processing
4. Robotics (makers space)
   • Drone technology
   • 3D printer technology
   • Automation
5. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)
6. Network
   • Wireless technology
   • Cyber Security
   • Signal Processing
   • Software-Defined Network (SDN)
7. Computational Biology
   • Biotechnology
   • Food Technology
8. Digital Marketing
9. Entrepreneurship club
10. Land, Building & Transportation
    • Architects Technology
    • Geotechnical Engineering
    • Structural Engineering
    • Transportation Engineering
    • Water Resources Engineering

 1.5 Training Programmes 

1. Incubation programme 
   • Pre-Incubation
   • Incubation 
   • Post-Incubation 
2. Pitching
3. Human / user-centred Design (HCD)
4. Business Model Canvas (BMC)

Our incubation programme allows incubates to have Technical Mentorship, Meeting with Graduate Co-founders, Early Stage Investment, Business Mentorship, Industry Experts, Prototype Development Support and Seed Support for Scaling

1.6 Services 

1. Incubations (DII/DEBM)
2. Workshops
   • Skills development and training (DII/DEBM)
3. Events
   • Innovation Competitions
   • Innovation Week
4. Hackathon (DII/DEBM)
   • Coding contest
   • Hack 4 disability
   • Hack 4 girls/women
5. Community engagement (DII/DEBM)
6. Investors deck (DII/DEBM)
   • Business Demo day
   • Pitching
7. Virtual Incubation Programme

1.7 Incubation model

1. Human / user-centred Design (HCD) - Is a creative/innovative approach to problem-solving by putting people/user at the core of designing.
2. Business Model Canvas (BMC) – It’s an innovative planning tool that helps to map, discuss and design a successful business model 

The department is uniquely positioned with the skills to converts ideas into products.

We give everything it takes to create the NEXT BIG STARTUP for economic growth and social impact.