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About the Directorate of Research & Innovation

The Director’s Welcome Remarks

Research and innovation are pivotal to national progress as they enhance productivity, improve livelihoods, and stimulate economic growth. The Directorate of Research and Innovation (DRI) is dedicated to fostering an environment that supports research activities and strengthens Kenya’s competitive edge and economic development. Our primary functions include:

  • Facilitating communication with stakeholders,
  • Establishing and supporting interdisciplinary research groups, research centres, and professorial research chairs,
  • Promoting active research engagement, and cultivating collaborative research partnerships with industry, research institutions, and both local and international donors.

Our Research Policy is formulated to align with the MMU Charter, the MMU Strategic Plan, government policies on research and emerging global trends in research. This comprehensive policy guides all research activities at MMU, with a strong focus on effective research governance and management, the execution of a strategic research agenda, the enhancement of our research information systems, the cultivation of a robust research culture, the provision of state-of-the-art infrastructure, and the pursuit of sustainable research funding.

Currently, researchers at MMU are actively engaged in eight vital thematic areas: Media and Communication; Engineering Technologies; Optics and Laser Technologies; Climate Innovation and Clean Energy Technologies; Pure and Applied Sciences; Information and Communication Technology; Social Sciences and Governance of Urban Mobility; and Business, Economics and Management.

It is therefore my pleasure to invite you to explore the Directorate’s web page, where you will find comprehensive information about our functions, the services we offer, and our impactful research outputs. We trust you will find this platform both informative and engaging. Through this web page and the MMU e-Repository, the DRI maintains a strong connection with its clients and stakeholders, and we eagerly welcome your valuable feedback, which will help us continuously enhance the quality of our services and products.

We extend a warm welcome to you all.

Dr. David Wafula Wekesa, CEM®; CMVP®; Ph.D.

Director,

Directorate of Research & Innovation

Email: director_research@mmu.ac.ke or dwekesa@mmu.ac.ke

About Directorate of Research and Innovation

The Directorate of Research and Innovation at the Multimedia University of Kenya operates under the Academic Affairs, Research, and Innovation Division. The Directorate is responsible for managing and overseeing all research and innovation activities conducted at the university.

To fulfill this role, the Directorate focuses on building research and innovation capacity at the university, ensuring timely and accurate dissemination of findings and innovations, promoting innovative research in high-priority areas, fostering continuous improvement and consultancy with both internal and external stakeholders. All these are done in alignment  with national and international development agendas.

The Directorate’s Mission, Vision And Objectives Are:

Mission:

Promoting the discovery, invention, application, and dissemination of knowledge through quality Research and Innovation.

Vision:

Achieving excellence in research, innovation, outreach, and consultancy.

The Directorate’s Objectives are:

  1. To source and administer research funding from the university and other donors to fund quality research;
  2. To establish and maintain a quality monitoring and evaluation system for funded research projects;
  3. To continuously review and implement the university research policy;
  4. To constantly develop researchers’ capacity to manage research;
  5. To provide a medium and forum for researchers to share, publish, and disseminate their research findings;
  6. Spearhead impactful community service projects;
  7. Champion collaboration across disciplines within MMU and beyond.

The Directorate of Research and Innovation is in charge of the following:

  1. Facilitate communication of all matters regarding Research and Innovation activities to the MMU community;
  2. Facilitate creation and maintenance of interdisciplinary research and innovation groups and centres both internally and externally;
  3. Facilitate engagement, creation, and maintenance of collaborative research and innovation links with industry, other research institutions, local donors, and foreign donors in a proactive way;
  4. Guide the activities for Research and Innovation by setting goals and standards, and by supporting initiatives and new directives in these areas;
  5. Ensure the transmission and implementation of decisions made by the University organs in line with Research and Innovation;
  6. Liaise with government departments, private and public sector organisations, donor agencies, and education institutions on issues related to Research and Innovation;
  7. Promote a research and innovation culture to MMU staff and students;
  8. We safeguard intellectual property rights, ensuring recognition for creators;
  9. We publish research and use strategic marketing to solidify MMU’s reputation for research excellence and innovation.