Innovation: Don’t operate in isolation, funders urged – The Citizen

Releasing a new Innovation report on catalyzing and scaling innovation in Tanzania, Human Development Innovation Fund (HDIF) Country Director Joseph Manirakiza said there is a growing need for funders to break out of the silos and see how to coordinate funding approaches to meet the needs of the entire innovation pipeline. “Innovation for development is a new solution with the transformative ability to accelerate impact and can be fueled by science and technology therefore there is need to collaborate and coordinate with funders to avoid duplication of efforts and to direct appropriate levels and types of funding to the areas where it is most needed,” he said.

He said to enable any innovation to balance it needs specific types and levels of support at different stages along its journey Adding that they include particular types of financing from catalytic grants for early-stage social service innovations, to debt and equity for more mature innovations that can absorb commercial investment.

Then the Commission for Science and Technolgy (Costech) Managing Director Amos Nungu said scientists are of the view that open Science in research and innovation for development is vital. However he noted that open science is vital because scientists from developed countries do mega research that developing countries can benefit from.