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University of the West of Scotland (UWS) has secured funding for Scotland’s first African Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project.

UWS, Mount Kenya University and Kenya-based agricultural consultancy firm Farmtrack will work in partnership through the Innovate UK programme to tackle the issue of fruit fly infestation in mango crops – with potential to boost the local economy and Kenya’s capacity for international trade.

KTPs link businesses to world-class academic partners to drive innovation through collaboration, bring about change and embed new knowledge, skills and capability. Projects address a specific business need, which is identified by the company.

Collaboration

The programme, which is overseen by the UK’s innovation agency Innovate UK, was extended this year to include a number of African partnerships. The UWS collaboration with Farmtrack is among the first projects in the UK to be funded, and the first in Scotland, with an award of £199k from Innovate UK and the Department for International Development.

UWS academics, led by economist and Director of the University’s Centre for African Research on Enterprise and Economic Development (CAREED) Professor John Struthers, will work with scientists from Mount Kenya University and Nairobi-based Farmtrack to develop an environmentally friendly fruit fly trap which targets females of the species, using locally available raw materials.

To be involved in the first Africa-based Knowledge Transfer Partnerships is a real honour. KTPs bring so many benefits to both industry and academia, and I’m excited to see the impact that this will have in an African context.
Professor John Struthers

Professor Struthers continued: “At present, farmers in Kenya face many barriers when it comes to trade with certain countries, specifically in the EU, so we hope that this new environmentally friendly technology will open up doors for Kenya’s agriculture sector. The Farmtrack project has huge potential to increase farmers’ outputs and to boost the Kenyan economy.”

Currently there is no commercially available and environmentally friendly approach to female fruit fly management.

The proposed approach will reduce the need for chemical pesticides’ current reliance on imported raw materials, safeguarding supplies, human, animal and environmental health.

Cross-departmental project

Professor Struthers, from the University’s School of Business and Creative Industries, will work alongside Dr Richard Thacker (School of Health and Life Sciences) and Professor Andrew Hursthouse (School of Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences) as well as other colleagues from across the institution to deliver the cross-departmental project in partnership with academics from Mount Kenya University.

The two-year project will focus on mango crops, but has potential to be expanded to different types of produce. If successful, Farmtrack will be able to commercialise the technology to support clients across Kenya, the continent and internationally.

As well as working with the partner universities, Farmtrack will gain access to a KTP Associate employed by UWS and based in Mount Kenya University, a recent graduate who will work on the project full-time. Academics from UWS and Mount Kenya University will provide expertise in both the scientific and business side of the project. Work on the project is set to commence in January 2021.

Great strides

The African KTP is the latest in a number of great strides taken by UWS in the Knowledge Transfer Partnership landscape in 2020. UWS’s portfolio peaked at 35 KTP projects in 2020 with a combined value in excess of £7 million, positioning UWS as third in the UK and number one in Scotland by size of its KTP portfolio. With 12 management KTPs, UWS’s School of Business and Creative Industries occupies the top spot in the UK.

Professor Milan Radosavljevic, Vice-Principal and Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Engagement at UWS, added: “UWS has seen huge success in Knowledge Transfer Partnerships in Scotland and the wider United Kingdom, so I am thrilled that we have been chosen as one of the first higher education institutions to introduce the programme in Africa."

KTPs give organisations the chance to access up-to-the-minute research and sector-leading expertise, while addressing business challenges, and it is fantastic to see this going international. At UWS, we truly believe in impactful business-to-university interaction that reaches far beyond our campuses and I look forward to see the progress of this project with our partners in Kenya.
Professor Milan Radosavljevic

Stuart McKay, Senior KTP Manager at UWS, said: “Great to see yet another first for UWS – this is the first AgriFood Africa KTP in Scotland, funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF).

“Our work with Farmtrack will be supported by representatives from UWS’s Schools of Business and Creative Industries, Health and Life Sciences and Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences, meaning this is a real cross-departmental effort with huge potential to make an impact.”