The Bioscience Innovation Policy Consortium for Eastern Africa (BIPCEA) project is a collaborative effort between the Councils, Commissions and Ministries for Science and Technology (S&T) in Eastern Africa and other regional S&T partner organizations notably the African Technology Policy Studies, the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the Swedish Environment Institute. BIPCEA project is supported by a three-year grant from Sida financed BioInnovate Program based at ILRI, Nairobi and was launched on the 29th September 2011 at the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST) headquarters in Uganda.

BIPCEA will help ensure that STI investments generally, and BioInnovate’s efforts in particular result in tangible products and innovations in partner countries. This will be done by tackling a number of important regional policy challenges affecting bioscience innovations in the region, which include among others, limited access to new, affordable and eco-friendly technologies for crop production and agro-processing; difficulties in information exchange, including sharing of germplasm and its fair and equitable utilization; and few sustainable financing mechanisms for value addition activities and for creation of bio-based business enterprises. The project will approach these challenges through a participatory and action oriented analysis of the bioscience policy environment to facilitate evidence based decision making, and to provide direction for growth of a bio-economy in Eastern Africa.

Participating Institutions

1. Kenya National Council for Science and Technology (NCST)
2. Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH)
3. Uganda National Council for Science and  Technology (UNCST)
4. African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)
5. International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
6. International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA)

The involvement of these lead S&T agencies in the region and those abroad is expected to result in a true regional bioscience platform that will forge close linkages and synergies with relevant public- and private-sector R&D partners and the business community in each country, regional and international bioscience programs, and with donor agencies that share an interest in supporting bioscience innovations.

Objective of BIPCEA
The overall objective of BIPCEA is to provide policy support services that will enable BioInnovate projects in Eastern Africa to successfully bring their technologies and business ideas to market. Achieving this objective will require, among other things, improvement in policies that facilitate linkages between local private actors, academia and the public sector in the bioscience research and innovation process. These linkages should ultimately create opportunities for bioscience business incubation, improve intellectual property management and technology licensing, increase access to genetic resources, and evolve a more sustainable financing mechanism for bioscience research and innovation in the region.

Expected key outputs of BIPCEA
Evaluating policy support needs through case studies on Bio-Innovate projects; review of STI policies in East Afica, review of seed certification system in EA, review of bio-safety frameworks of the EA and assessment of the access and benefit sharing regime in EA.
Establish a platform for interaction through two high-level regional conferences on bioscience innovations and policies in EA, 18 annual national policy round-tables in EA countries, 45 partnership meetings in all Bio-Innovate countries and a flagship publication on bioscience innovation system and the emerging bio-economy in EA.
Building competencies (tools) through entrepreneurship skills training for 150 scientists (tech licensing & business planning), assessment of IP assets of Bio-Innovate partner organizations, & Freedom-to-Operate for Bio-Innovate projects, sensitization of 80 Bio-Innovate scientists on IP, science communication skills training for 100 scientists; 12 institutional IP policies for Bio-Innovate organizations and 1,500 laboratory note books for Bio-Innovate partner project teams.

For more information about Bioinnovate Africa, click here