ADDIS ABABA— Addis Ababa Science and Technology University (AASTU) confirmed efforts to strengthen technology transfer that could improve the life of communities.
In an exclusive interview with The Ethiopian Herald, Girma Gonfa (PhD Research Directorate Director with the University, said that the University is constructing Research and Innovation Park for those centers of excellences and aggressively working to equip the centers with state-of the art research facilities.
According to him, the University has allocated about 42 million Birr for research and technology transfer and about 2.6 million for university-industry linkage activities. It has also allotted 1.7 million Birr for community service works.
He further noted that, the University has enrolled over 8,000 undergraduate and close to 700 postgraduate students (both PhD and MSc) under those colleges. it has also established eight research and innovation center of excellences where research and innovation are carried out.
As to him, these centers of excellences include artificial intelligence and robotics center, mineral exploration, extraction and processing center, construction quality and technology center, biotechnology and bioprocessing center among others.
Currently, both academic staffs and students are working on various innovation and technology transfer works; and the University hopes that the projects contribute a lot in solving industrial and societal problems, he added.
The Ethiopian Herald, January 29/20120
BY MENGISTEAB TESHOIME
