NUST thrives on Disruptive Innovation

Directorate of Research, Innovation and Partnerships / 15 April 2024 / 0 Comments

…preparing the nation for the future

In a world where technology has become embedded in everything we do, it comes as no surprise that universities are expected to take the lead in shaping the future that is upon us. As the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) transcends its role as an educational institution, its forward-thinking approach inculcates a national culture of innovation, rightfully strengthening the vital link between academia and industry.

As such, the High-Tech Transfer Plaza Select (HTTPS), is the University’s technological innovation hub - a dynamic space that fosters collaboration, providing students, industry partners, and experts with the resources and connections to shape the future of Namibian technology. As part of the HTTPS ecosystem, the University has a number of partners, of which the Mobile Telecommunications Company (MTC), is the platinum partner.

FROM LEFT: Dr Colin Stanley, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Partnerships; Prof Fungai Bhunu Shava, Acting Executive Dean: Faculty of Computing and Informatics; Hon Emma Theophilus, current ICT Minister and Patron of the National Namibia Cybersecurity Competition, pictured during an award ceremony last year.

Digital Inclusivity through Innovation
The MTC Tech Innovation Bazaar, held in collaboration with NUST’s ICTechHub, is more than just an annual event – it is a platform dedicated to highlighting digital inclusivity through the lens of innovation. Last year, scores of participants showcased their cutting-edge technologies and innovations that have the potential to revolutionise various industries, with a focus on enhancing digital inclusivity. Investors are called upon to plough into the future of Namibia’s innovation sector.

Tech4Good: Ideas with Impact
A team of Namibian innovators, led by Yyeni AI, recently won the global championship title of the Huawei Seeds for the Future Tech4Good Competition. The team's winning submission was an Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered teaching solution, which provides personalised tutoring to individual students in large classes. This is one of the student innovations incubated at NUST’s Namibia Business Innovation Institute (NBII), as part of a student-based Acceleration Inspire Programme. The programme aims to equip incubatees with the necessary entrepreneurial skills to enhance and fulfil their business aspirations.

Experiencing Mining in the Metaverse
Over the recent past, hackathons have proven to be a great tool for acceleration of innovation, and inevitably a hackathon culture has taken the campus by storm. Students from disciplines beyond IT, have heeded the call to find creative answers to real-world challenges.

In one of the hackathons, students showcased technology's transformative potential with Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality applications that brought the NamDeb Diamond Corporation mining process to life. The hackers developed an interactive design and development platform that virtually showcases the complete diamond mining process from underground to the surface.

Smart Tech for growing Cities
Teaming up with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), MTC, and the City of Windhoek, students explored smart city concepts through engaging gamification, thereby promoting sustainable urban development. A smart city is an urban area with infrastructure that uses connected digital technologies at its heart. The participants designed prototypes to enhance the physical interaction and engagement of selected members of the public to collect real-time data on public participation to assess people’s knowledge about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but also to establish what their idea of a smart city might look like.

Prevention is Better than ‘curing’ Cyberattacks
Bringing together learners, students and industry experts to battle the growing threat of cyber-attacks, the University hosts an annual National Namibia Cybersecurity Competition, providing a crucial training ground for skills in this fields. The competition has been running successfully for over a decade. Moreso, through the India-Namibia Centre for Excellence in IT (INCEIT), the University champions widespread digital literacy, preparing Namibians for the modern world courses targeted at individuals and businesses.

As NUST continues to break boundaries, it secures Namibia's place at the forefront of a technology-driven future.