Botswana Development Corporation (BDC) and Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise their collaboration which is aimed at harnessing the power of research, innovation, and entrepreneurship to drive Botswana’s transition to a knowledge-based economy, and towards becoming a high-income economy.
The scope of the MoU includes collaboration on proposal ideation, commercialisation of research outputs, screening of prospective licenses, and other mutually agreed-upon activities. Through these joint efforts, BDC and BIUST aim to accelerate the translation of knowledge and ideas into tangible economic value, thereby contributing to the nation’s development agenda.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Cross Kgosidiile, the Managing Director (MD) of BDC cited the need for a deliberate change in mindset in order to unlock new possibilities and uncover the country’s full potential to grow the economy.
For his part, BIUST Vice-Chancellor Professor Totolo stated that the signing marked the beginning of a journey that will allow the two institutions to leverage each other’s respective strengths and resources to address the economic challenges and opportunities of “our time”.