University Innovation without the Industry: The case of Makerere

The contention between the National Innovation System (NIS) and Triple Helix (TH) on what and how universities should contribute to innovation has stood for some time now. Developing countries recently instituted innovation policies or incorporated innovation into their previous science and technology policies. Universities in such developing countries are critical resources for research. They are the option now for the pursuit of innovation and technology transfer. This paper considers the case of Makerere University in a least developed country: Uganda. Several historical and present conditions have made university-based innovation an option. The paper finds the undertaking as reasonably justifiable in the context of the prevailing economic structure and the broader national challenges. The university can play a greater role in the country’s technological transformation which should be beyond only passing out graduates as framed in the reformulated ‘developmental university’ of Brundenius et al (2008). The internal university status however does not support the need for reorganization and transformation that TH advocates for. TH rather has to appreciate the challenges faced by universities in developing countries which it has not conceived in its framework. Prevailing fears over loss of institutional autonomy and integrity, university privatization and knowledge commodification may not necessarily be outcomes of university-based innovation. Issues of public support and system coordination require redressed within national policy which should arise out of clear understanding of the university’s significance to national development. The ‘entrepreneurial university’ and the reformulated ‘developmental university’ bear insights but both hold extremes. Each if taken in full measure might not be most helpful to developing countries’ technological efforts.