University students must dream big and venture into start-ups to promote the country's entrepreneurship and venture capital thrust, Deputy Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Simelizezwe Sibanda has said.
Opening the Harare Institute of Technology Technovation Expo 2024 last Friday, he said fostering a culture of creativity, critical thinking and entrepreneurship should empower students to turn their dreams into reality through start-up businesses.
"We have to come to terms with simple realities that include that innovators grow into start-ups," he said.
"They grow from student to partner at the university and from student to core - director of a company. That reality must be understood otherwise we continue not understanding what we are going through.
"Together we must build an ecosystem that fosters creativity and supports local talent. As the Government, we encourage our young people to dream, to dream, and to innovate. We support their dreams. We need to invest in research and development as a priority as well as encourage experimentation as well as failure as a stepping stone to success."
HIT hosted the Technovation Expo last week under the theme: Beyond Disruptive Innovation.
In his inaugural lecture as a newly appointed professor, Prof Quinton Kanhukamwe, HIT vice chancellor said by fostering a culture of innovation, universities can support the development of new start-ups and the commercialisation of cutting-edge research.
Partnerships with industry, the creation of technology transfer offices, and the establishment of innovation hubs on campus, he said, could accelerate the translation of research into real-world applications.
"Universities should encourage entrepreneurial thinking among students, providing them with the tools and resources needed to turn their ideas into viable businesses," he said.
"In doing so, universities not only contribute to economic growth but also to the broader societal impact of technological advancements."
The Government is supporting university research development to drive the country's modernisation and industrialisation agenda.
