An initiative of The ResultFrom Knowledge to Impact
Elevating research practices and innovations to respond to employment outcomes, stakeholder needs, and community development.
Knowledge that reaches the people it was meant to serve
Research and innovation are among the most powerful drivers of job creation, economic transformation, and community development. Yet, despite the abundance of research outputs and innovations produced daily, a persistent gap remains between knowledge generation and its translation into tangible impact for communities.
Globally, expenditure on research and development reached 2.63% of GDP in 2021, and countries that exceed the 3% threshold consistently rank among the world's most innovative and competitive economies (UNESCO, 2023). Rwanda's Vision 2050 aims to increase national investment in research and development from 0.66% of GDP in 2016 to 3% by 2050 (MINECOFIN, 2020).
Youth unemployment in Rwanda stands at 17.5% (NISR, 2024), and across Sub-Saharan Africa, 21.9% of young people are neither working nor in school (ILO, 2024). Yet solutions to many of these problems already exist, sitting untapped inside higher learning institutions, research centers, and innovation centers. The barrier is not a shortage of solutions; it is the lack of a structured pathway to carry that knowledge out of the classroom and into use.
The gap between research and impact
Shifting the focus from research production to applied research and innovation that create jobs, respond to stakeholder needs, and drive sustainable community development, while empowering graduates to return to their communities as agents of change.
Project outcomes
Get in touch
Speak to the Project Coordinator.