Prof Jephias Gwamuri
The innovation hub is the centre of innovation, technology commercialization and quality job creation. Its primary purpose is to: ignite innovation, entrepreneurship, successful business development, and community revitalization, ensuring a local economy that generates wealth and shares prosperity. To achieve this, the strategic direction of the hub is to bring tech business to the grassroots level and birth start-up firms to create sustainable pathways of employment.
The IHub is going to become a catalyst for driving socio-economic change in Masvingo Province through propelling innovations as well as amplifying efforts of already existing ideas, and technologies like Agri-technology (smart farming) and future energy technologies (agrivoltaics, FPV). When fully functional, it will include: business incubators, startup (or seed) accelerators, co-working spaces, makerspaces, hackerspaces, and other structured innovation environments which supports diversity, inclusion and equality.
The GZU-IHub is seeking to provide solutions to the challenges we have in our economy today in-line with V2030.
Vision
The vision of Research and Innovation is to support world-class research and discovery by University faculty, staff and students, who ask bigger questions and generate better answers every day to bring brand enhancement and global visibility to the University.
Mission
The mission of the Research and Innovation is to advance the research capabilities of the University by striving for excellence in research across campus. We will strive to realize this by enabling the research success of our faculty through supporting university research centers, institutes and core facilities; providing research development, stewardship, compliance and safety services; and, securing strategic external partnerships for initiatives designed to grow institutional research capacity. At the centre of operationalizing all this, is the innovation hub
Core Values
Team work
Responsiveness
Commitment
The innovation hub is the centre of innovation, technology commercialization and quality job creation. Its primary purpose is to: encourage innovation, entrepreneurship, successful business development, and community revitalization, ensuring a local economy that generates wealth and shares prosperity. To achieve this, the strategic direction of the hub is to undertake research/projects in the following priority areas;
Activities of the Research and Innovation Department
Our Team
Professor Gwamuri Jephias
Director
Prof Jephias Gwamuri holds a PhD degree in Material Science and Engineering from Michigan Technological University, USA in addition to a BSc degree in Physics and Electronics and a Master of Science degree in Lasers and Applied Optics from the National University of Science and Technology.
Prof. Gwamuri has co-authored several research articles, technical reports, a policy brief and a contribution to a book chapter. He received some awards towards his research work including the ICTP African LAM network award, The Most Outstanding Scholar Award (Michigan Tech) and the researcher of the year award at NUST in 2011. He has held numerous posts in the past, some of which managed to spark a lifelong interest in the harnessing of solar energy and its potential to solve Africa’s energy challenges. One of these was a three year stint at the Wright Center for Photovoltaics Innovation and Commercialization. and has over 14 year of research and university teaching. He has earned several research grants and has successfully
worked/collaborated as a PI and co-PI of different projects notably among them; the AFRA Regional project RAF/8/040 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the RAEIN Africa Zimbabwe-Mutoko Biofuels project. Additionally, he has more than three years of running his company, Integrated Solar Solutions for Africa (ISSA PVT, LTD) in Zimbabwe. Prof Gwamuri has done several Renewable Energy Technologies consultancy work both locally and internationally. He brings a vast hands-on experience in research and business management and possesses strong leadership qualities.
Email: jgwamuri@gzu.ac.zw
ADMINISTRATOR:Ms Yeukai Makotore
Ms. Y. Makotore holds a Master of Science Degree in Human Resources Management, Midlands States University in addition to a Bsc degree in Human Resources Management from Great Zimbabwe University. She also holds a Diploma and Cerificate in Secretarial Studies, Masvingo Polytechnic.
SECRETARY: Ms Delight Masocha
Ms. D. Masocha holds a Certificate in Secretarial Studies, Masvingo Polytechnic College. She is currently studying a Diploma in Secretarial Studies and also Bachelor of Commerce Honours Degree in Human Resources and Labour Relations Management. She has 9 years of experience in Secretarial field.
