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By Flower E. Msuya at the 11th TCI Global Conference, Cape Town 2008
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Role of a University in Cluster Development
Flower E. Msuya
Facilitator, Zanzibar Seaweed Cluster Initiative,
Institute of Marine Sciences, University of Dar es
Salaam, P.O. Box 668, Zanzibar, Tanzania
11th Annual Global Conference on The
Competitiveness Institute, Southern Sun Cape Sun,
Cape Town, South Africa, 29 — 31 OCTOBER 2008
Lay out of the presentation
O Definition of a university
O Definition of clusters and clustering
O Role of universities in Cluster development
Case study: The role of the university of Dar O Case study: The role of the university of Dar es salaam in cluster development in Tanzania
Defining university
O The word university is derived from the Latin universitas magistrorum et
scholarium, roughly meaning "community of teachers and scholars”of teachers and scholars”
O Universities deal with accumulation of knowledge, its development and transmission across generations and its practitioners and transmitters.
Defining a cluster
O According to Porter (1990) “Clusters are geographic concentrations of interconnected companies, specialized suppliers, service providers, firms in related industries and associated institutions etc in particular fields associated institutions etc in particular fields that compete but also cooperate”
O Clusters are based on common technologies or know how, commodity or service linkages, competitive advantages etc.
The role of universities in cluster development
O Clusters can develop naturally
O A university can hasten and direct the process
O Universities can provide technology, training personnel, identify opportunities and linkages and assess the developmental processand assess the developmental process
O Universities ( as a part of triple helix) and clusters can work together to develop organisational structure, assess needs, identify problems and solutions and identifying new areas of development
The case of the University of Dar es Salaam
O Vision: “to become a reputable world-class university that is responsive to national, regional and global development needs through engagement in dynamic knowledge creation and application.”
O Mission: “the unrelenting pursuit of scholarly and strategic research, education, training and public service directed at attainment of equitable and sustainable socio-economic development of Tanzania and the rest of Africa.”
Contributions of the University to
clusters and Cluster Initiatives
O Education and training
O Research
O Technology
O Extension
O Financing
O Economic Role
O Other roles
O Provision of the right education to ensure
formation and sustainability of cluster
initiatives/clusters
O Incorporating the cluster idea curricula
••••O Education/Training
O Incorporating the cluster idea curricula
-CoET-UDSM: Innovation courses
-Diploma, Certificate, short courses,
training an extension
O Training of facilitators (e.g. ISCP-Tz has
done 3 trainings with more than 100 trained
facilitators
O Training of stakeholders
Education/Training
O Training of stakeholders
– how to run activities as
business (entrepreneurship), innovation,
O Pave way to changing established/ present
mind-set of people
O Training of researchers (within & out of
Univ.) in innovation/ Cluster development and
facilitation
-need to have batch of researchers with
Education/Training
-need to have batch of researchers with
innovation skills
O Training of groups of cluster members
on particular skills-Special courses
e.g. A special course to tour guides by
Education/Training
e.g. A special course to tour guides by
UDSM (History Dept) for the Bagamoyo
Cultural Heritage Tourism Cluster
Initiative
Research
Conduct research on issues related to cluster problems
-quality control, diseases, resistant
/alternative varieties
••••O
O e.g. IMS-UDSM:
research on a new/alternative
seaweed sp. for Seaweed cluster
members;
O die-off mitigation
measures
Technology••••O
O Seaweed farming
O Deep water floating lines seaweed farming technique to combat die-offs
O Seaweed soap production machines O Seaweed soap production machines
O Mushroom farming
O Solar panels?? Food processing cluster?
O ……
The seaweed soap production machines made at
TDTC-CoET-UDSM
Kettle for boiling and mixing
• Technology
Solar drier Seaweed grinder
Kettle for boiling and mixing
Extruder Moulder
Official launching
Seaweed soap
Other examples also available
Extension
O Benchmarking visits
O Exchange visits
O Participatory identification of a problem
••••O
O To establish what is there and give reports
O Help in establishment of collaboration between clusters
O Create environment for sharing experiences
Benchmarking visits
O Create environment for sharing experiences
O Evaluate and give e.g. certificates to best performing clusters etc
Courtesy: Mr. Samuel Asman
••••O Make use of the well established
clusters as (practical) training centres
for students e.g. University students
to visit and do research with various
Exchange visits
to visit and do research with various
clusters
O National & international students
visits to cluster activities
O Clusters visiting the university
Participatory identification of a problem faced by members of a cluster/needs assessment and looking for answers
O Conduct seminars to identify the problems
/needs
O Example: Meetings of facilitator based at O Example: Meetings of facilitator based at the IMS with cluster members in 3 villages-identify problems the cluster groups have and want to solve
Financing
O Sourcing of funds
OISCP with Sida, Rockefeller, other sources
O e.g. Zanzibar Seaweed Cluster Initiative-
••••O
O e.g. Zanzibar Seaweed Cluster Initiative-
worked with IMS to obtain funds from SMEs
Competitiveness Facility, Tz Commission for
Science & technology
O CoET-UDSM Support to Cluster Initiatives-ISCP-Tz
E.g. Mushroom Cluster Initiative through ISCP
Economic RoleO••••
Courtesy: Mr. Samuel Asman
Morogoro Metal Works
Cluster Initiative
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Turnover (Mil TZS)
Firms Groups
© pchisawillo
Productivity:
Turnover/Employee
(Mil TZS)
Year 2’3 2’4 2’5 2’6 2’7
Firms 2.68 4.06 4.94 5.53 6.51
%Incr. 34 18 11 17
Groups 0.74 1.11 1.40 2.59 2.72
%Incr. 34 21 46
Zanzibar Seaweed Cluster Initiative
Number of Seaweed Cluster Initiative
Members
0
500
1000
1500
2006 2007 2008
Year
No.
of
mem
bers
Number of Seaweed Cluster Initiative
Groups
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
2006 2007 2008
No
. o
f g
rou
ps
Year Year
Soap sales and profit in Kidoti Village, Zanzibar
(1 US$=1,150 Tsh.)
0
2,000,000
4,000,000
6,000,000
8,000,000
10,000,000
2005 2006 2007 Jan-
Aug2008
T. S
hillings
Sales
Expenditure
Profit
O Advertise, create, and coordinate cluster initiatives/clusters
O Support facilities to clusters
O Linkages and filling gaps
••••OOther roles
O Linkages and filling gaps
O Support to cluster initiative specific activities
O Shout!/advertise the cluster initiatives /programme
O Enable creation of (more) cluster initiatives
Other rolesAdvertise, create, and coordinate clusters
-Lead the league
O Coordinate/monitor/evaluate the functioning of cluster initiatives
-What stage, How to proceed, Make changes etc
O Create a service centre e.g. A Hub for
cluster consultation/servicing
O Give continuous support -even if not
Other roles
Support facilities to clusters
O Give continuous support -even if not
financial
-To let clusters always count on it
-Interact more to remove the fear of
‘university”
O Linking different clusters
O Linking clusters with other stakeholders e.g.
government, financial institutions,
Other roles
Linkages and filling gaps
O Fill-In the gaps
-Get involved in activities that are not/no longer
interesting to the other part of the triple helix
-Participatory identification of problems
-Participatory working out of the solutions
O e.g. CoET, IMS, and other university institutions
support participation of the clusters in trade fairs
and exhibitions: -Exposure
••••OO Support to specific activities of cluster initiatives
Other roles
and exhibitions: -Exposure
-Marketing their products
O CoET-SCP-Provided funds for the training on
technology transfer to Zanzibar Seaweed Cluster
Initiative
O Take the lead in influencing policies
O Lobbying in government, politicians
– can be hard in some countries but needs more effort
••••O Policy Issues
more effort
-In some countries there are ministries on clustering and innovation
