National policy interventions in the management of intellectual property at Uganda public universities to propel innovations

Abstract

Universities across the world are urged to carefully reconsider their role in society and to evaluate their relationship with the community through innovation. Despite its importance for national competitiveness, few papers examine the impact of National Policy Interventions licensing on Intellectual Property (IP) protections for innovativeness in universities, yet patents and copyrights are often considered to be the determinants of innovation. Our goal in this qualitative research article was to examine, evaluate, and summarise IP management publications, institutional reports, legislation, and policies. The case studies used were Kyambogo and Mbarara University of Science and Technology. This essay aims to address two basic IP-related questions: First, are there operational IP management policies in Uganda's public universities? Second, do national IP regulations foster university innovation? To structure the study, we used the Endogenous Growth Model of Innovation. We discovered that many university academics appear to be unaware of the current IP regulations in areas like patents, copyright, and licensing, despite the fact that several laws have been passed to protect IP and foster innovation and competition. The study also discovered that there are insufficient policy choices for the protection of intellectual property produced by public universities, based on the capacities and gaps mentioned in policy documents and their recommended priority areas of intervention. In order to guarantee IP protection and redress functions of Uganda's public universities, the report suggests that the government create a national innovation council.