The University of Zambia Technology Development and Advisory Unit (TDAU) says it is working with the School of Engineering at the university to encourage innovations among students that will contribute to the country’s economic development.
TDAU Chief Engineer Oliver Samugole said the unit, in collaboration with Ministry of Higher Education and National Science Technology Center, is training and developing innovations among students that will contribute to the economy of the country.
TDAU will come up with its own innovations, and then collaborate [again] with the School of Engineering; they give us students and those innovations are given to students…we work together and development is done,
Samugole.
The Chief Engineer added that the largest project TDAU undertook last year was under ZESCO where the unit was contracted to construct the Energy Source Assessment in Serenje, Kanona area.
He said TDAU designed and installed solar assessment units to try and assess the potential the area had for coming up with solar energy generation.
We went on to work with the Rural Electrification Authority (REA) where we did a wind assessment project [as well] in Luapula province and also an assessment of wind potential with energy sources. We came up with another plant where we built a tower for the assessment of the wind energy,
Samugole.
He said one of the major challenges TDAU faced mainly concerned funding, stating that in order for the unit to research and finish projects, the unit required additional external funding to assist with their functionality.
Meanwhile, University of Zambia Head of the Department of Chemistry Dr. Evelyn Funjika said the department has been working hard to contribute in the fight against COVID-19.
Dr. Funjika said the department is currently working on two projects; the first project involves looking into the screening of the current drugs which can be used as therapeutics against COVID-19.
And the second project looks into the construction of a surface imprinted electro-chemical virus sensor which will be able to detect the virus in a given sample.
She said the department hopes that these projects will become common use and aid in the on-going battle with the virus.