Among others, UCU’s researchers showcased robotics designed to aid in disaster search and rescue, agricultural innovations, health and AI- related solutions.
Uganda Christian University (UCU) has showcased a number of research and innovation outcomes which have been running since 2021.
According to Dr. Elizabeth Kizito, the Director of Research, Partnerships and Innovation, the two-day research and innovation symposium which ran between Thursday 16th and Friday 17th October 2025 enabled different researchers from the eleven schools and faculties to showcase their projects.
The research and innovation symposium was held at the main Campus under the theme “Innovating for an Industrialized Uganda”.
UCU, Kyagulanyi Mourns Tragic Death of Law Student, Buganda Youth Leader
Kizito said that the main focus of their researchers and innovators is to have their research outcomes solve community challenges, as the only way to bridge the gap between the university as an institution and the local people in the community.
Among the research highlights is ‘Olutindo’ (Bridge), a card game developed by a team from the School of Journalism, Media and Communication led by Prof. James Kiwanuka-Tondo.
The tool is designed to help parents and teenagers talk about sexuality and relationships more openly, addressing the high rates of teenage pregnancy and school dropouts in Uganda.
Other innovations included a mental health counselling app that allows young people to access therapy anonymously, a sanitation model in Mbale City developed through community engagement, a food waste recycling system that turns household waste into animal feed, and a mobile health records platform that allows patients and doctors to access medical histories securely.
Among others, UCU’s researchers showcased robotics designed to aid in disaster search and rescue, agricultural innovations, health and AI- related solutions.
Dr. Kizito emphasized that UCU has strengthened its position as a hub for research and innovation through an ambitious internal grants programme that is funding projects across academic disciplines.
The initiative aims at building a culture of research, mentorship and innovation with impact on national development.
“The university committed funds to support researchers at different levels, enabling them to publish, innovate and mentor others,” she said.
Under the UCU Research Fund, professors receive sh150m to conduct research and mentor junior academics, PhD holders receive sh50m for up to 24 months to build research teams, and master’s students get sh15m to complete and disseminate their theses. Student innovators also receive between sh3 and 4m to develop new products and ideas.
“The grants are competitive,” Dr. Kizito said, adding; “We use an online grants management system and external reviewers to ensure proposals align with national development goals, the university’s strategic plan and the Sustainable Development Goals.”
She added that the university has also strengthened its monitoring and evaluation systems to track project outcomes and ensure accountability.
Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushyengyezi, the UCU Vice Chancellor, commended the research directorate for separating postgraduate studies from regular research activities to allow both areas to grow effectively.
Mushengyezi said universities must strengthen the link between research and industrialisation if Uganda is to achieve its development goals.
“If we are to industrialise our country, we must have strong linkages between universities, research institutes and the industrialisation agenda,” Mushyengyezi said. “Many global industries began as small ideas in university labs.”
The Vice Chancellor also appealed to the government to support such initiatives in both public and private universities to boost national development.
Dr. Kizito noted that the UCU research fund remains open to new applicants. “Wherever you are, you can get better. We are encouraging growth at every academic level,” she said.
The research grants have attracted both internal and external funding, including support from the European Union (EU), North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST).
The university says it hopes to scale some of the most promising projects into viable products and businesses that can create jobs and solve real community problems.
Researchers who excelled in research, published it and placed it in the library digital repository for others to access were awarded with items including all-paid air tickets to conferences of their choice with per diem for 14 days, laptops and other incentives.
Handing over the awards, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration David Mugawe thanked the exhibitors for showing the university community that this work is possible, and prayed that they provide a hint on the best way for taking it a notch higher.
He disclosed that the UCU is committed to earmark funds for subsequent rounds of research and innovative work next year, noting that this time round, the university wants to look at how their own laboratories can be developed for research to be conducted at the university.
23yr-Old Lorry Driver Kills Woman, Collects Her Blood in Search for Riches
