ENTEBBE, Uganda — The Uganda Registration Services Bureau launched the country’s 38th Technology and Innovation Support Centre at the Uganda Virus Research Institute on Friday to bolster patent research and commercialization.
The center is part of a global program facilitated by the World Intellectual Property Organization. It provides researchers with access to patent databases, technical information and advisory services intended to transition scientific discoveries into protected, market-ready products.
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Ambrose Ekaju, URSB commissioner for finance and administration, said the initiative aligns with national development goals to prioritize science and technology as economic pillars.
“Research must increasingly translate into protected technologies, commercial products and sustainable enterprises,” Ekaju said.
Dr. Samuel Okware, director general of the Uganda National Health Research Organisation, said the center would reduce research duplication and foster a sustainable culture of innovation.
UVRI Director Pontiano Kaleebu said the partnership adds a structured intellectual property framework to the institute’s scientific work, placing patents at the center of its research agenda.
The URSB has now established 38 such centers across Uganda to embed intellectual property services within the nation’s research institutions.
