Some 20 innovative teams are waiting with baited breath as Makerere University’s Resilience African Network (RAN) prepares to announce the results of the second round of innovators' pitch for new ideas.
The teams were on April 20, 2017 invited to RAN’s Innovation Lab where they made 10-minute pitches of their ideas.
The 10 teams are expected to receive between $7,500 (Shs 25m) and $15,000 (about Shs 50m) to support scaling up of their solutions.
Addressing the teams after their pitches, the head of RAN, Prof William Bazeyo, said they were keen to support the most transformative solutions.
“Let us critically analyze what these innovators are doing, ensure that their proposed solutions have the potential to positively impact target communities almost immediately and support them to achieve this,” said Prof Bazeyo,
Bazeyo, who is also dean of the school of Public Health at Makerere University, added that the exercise would continue for the foreseeable future as the youth were endowed with skills.
Among the innovators was the MamaOpe-Pnuemonia kit, a portable device designed to detect pneumonia at home, using a smartphone.
The pitch at the RAN offices in Kololo was preceded by an exhibition at Makerere’s freedom square, a week earlier, where 100 innovators showcased various applications in the Health, Agriculture, Livelihood and Education fields.
One of the judges, Diana Nandagire Ntamu of Makerere University Business School, remarked: "For me, I see a lot of potential at RAN; different new ideas emerge all the time”.