Julius Ecuru

The Uganda National Council for Science and Technology | UNCST · Research and Technology Management

The bioeconomy is emerging as a significant driver of economic growth and sustainability thinking globally and in East Africa. Leveraging bioscience knowledge, tools and techniques, research organisations and start-ups are developing improved bio-based products including crop varieties, as they respond to the region’s commitment to sustainability t...

The African food system needs significant reforms to meet the mounting needs of the growing population while mitigating regional warming, biodiversity loss, and other sustainability challenges. In addressing this, regional actions have been inclined toward identifying measures that reinforce resilience and sustainable African food system transforma...

Recent literature highlights the potential of animal pollinator-dependent (PD) crops in enhancing food and nutrition security, although there is a lack of detailed household-level estimates. In this study, we investigate the nutrient composition, productivity, and contribution of PD and pollinator-independent (PI) crops to household nutrition in fo...

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlights the importance of reaching net-zero CO2 emissions globally by 2050. Unlocking the potential of natural climate solutions in the strive for net-zero emissions is increasingly gaining attention. A large potential may arise from the adoption of agricultural practices that increase carbon...

Agribusiness innovation is vital for economic growth and diversification, and funds to support it are a major point of debate among innovation scholars and policy makers. Most investors or donors require agribusiness firms to provide matching funds contribution either in kind or cash to the innovation projects they finance. An explorative study of...

The Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST) organised the Biosafety Forum2016 at Protea Hotel, Kampala (February 01 – 02, 2016). The theme of the forum was “BuildingTrust in the Regulatory System for Biotechnology”. Over 70 participants who included the NationalBiosafety Committee (NBC) members, Institutional Biosafety Committee...

Bringing together the ideas of experts from around the world, this incisive text offers cutting-edge perspectives on the risk analysis and governance of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), supporting effective and informed decision-making in developing countries. Comprised of four comprehensive sections, this book covers: integrated risk analysi...

Introduction Adding value to bio-resources and developing bio-process technologies leads to new bio-based enterprises, which is the hallmark of a bio-economy. A vibrant bio-economy in eastern Africa presents a clear roadmap for the region’s participation in the post-2015 development agenda and attainment of the sustainable development goals. Anecdo...

Manufacturing firms ought to innovate in order to stay competitive in a highly liberalised and open economy. This is even more crucial in low income countries, which seek accelerated economic growth and transformation. In this paper, we describe innovation characteristics of formal manufacturing firms in Uganda, in the subsectors of food and bevera...

Developing countries face numerous barriers to conducting effective and efficient ethics reviews of international collaborative research. In addition to potentially overlooking important scientific and ethical considerations, inadequate or insufficiently trained ethics committees may insist on unwarranted changes to protocols that can impair a stud...

Background: On site monitoring of research is one of the most effective ways to ensure compliance during research conduct. However, it is least carried out primarily for two reasons: presumed high costs both in terms of human resources and finances; and the lack of a clear framework for undertaking site monitoring. In this paper we discuss a model...

Biotechnology is an important tool whose application Ugandan scientists are exploring in crop, fish and livestock improvement, value addition, waste management, and in medicine. However, the continuing growth of biotechnology or more broadly, biosciences as an enterprise in Uganda will depend on the support given to science and technology generally...

The study was undertaken to examine water quality in the distribution network of Kampala City by assessing five storage reservoirs and four consumer taps. The aim was to evaluate residual chlorine decay and relate it to the risk of recontamination. Physicochemical quality of water in the distribution network was temperature 25.6(24.23-28.66) pH 6.6...

Paying research participants in developing countries like Uganda raises ethical concerns over potential for undue inducement. This article, based on an exploratory study, reviewed 49 research protocols from a national HIV/AIDS research ethics committee database. Payments mainly adhered to the reimbursement and compensation payment models. Offers ma...

Researchers and others involved in the research enterprise from 12 African countries met with those working in ethics and oversight in the United States as part of an effort to develop research ethics capacity. Drawing on a wealth of experience among participants, discussions at the meeting revealed five categories of issues that warrant careful at...

Research and innovation are key drivers for eco-nomic growth and competitiveness of countries. Of recent research and innovation-related initia-tives have arisen in Uganda pointing to an evol-ving innovation system in the country and to the need to deepen understanding of the transfor-mations taking place therein. This thesis provi-des evidence of...