Event Status: Inactive

Catalysing Innovation through Partnership: Transforming Research into Scalable Solutions for Industry and Society

The GRIC Annual Forum 2025 is here! 🎉

Join researchers, industry leaders, government, innovators, and international partners for the flagship platform shaping Ghana’s research and innovation ecosystem.

📌 This year’s theme, “Catalysing Innovation through Partnership: Transforming Research into Scalable Solutions for Industry and Society”, comes at a critical time. Now, more than ever, we must bridge the gap between knowledge and application to drive sustainable growth.

Through keynotes, plenaries, and interactive workshops, we’ll unpack:
✅ How partnerships can accelerate research uptake
✅ Case studies on commercialisation & technology transfer
✅ Strategies for securing diversified funding models
✅ Updates to the GRIC Collaborative Action Plan for 2026

Ghana Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Conference

The conference will feature a dynamic mix of keynote addresses, learning sessions, and panel discussions designed to foster knowledge exchange and strategic collaboration.
The conference aims to convene key stakeholders from across the academic technology transfer ecosystem, including university and research institution leadership, Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Officers, industry representatives, development partners, and government agencies. Together, these participants will engage in the various sessions to:
Facilitate knowledge exchange on IP management and strengthen Technology Transfer Office operations in universities and research institutions.
Explore strategies for the continuous promotion of academia-industry collaboration for Innovation and technology transfer.
Build the capacity of IP and TT officers on research commercialization and its value for economic development
Official Launch of the Ghana Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Professional Network

The Sixth Sense: Uncovering the Hidden Drivers of Innovation & Commercialization

For entrepreneurs and start-ups, the toughest challenge isn’t just creating a product—it’s making one that people actually choose, keep, and champion. The difference between market success and failure often comes down to something subtle, but decisive—that ‘Sixth Sense’ for consumer acceptance. In this essential 90-minute online workshop, we will move beyond typical market data and business strategy. We will explore a set of practical, real-world tools that reveal why some products take off while others stall. This is especially critical in competitive Ghanaian and African markets where consumer loyalty is paramount. You will learn methods to sharpen product quality, significantly increase market acceptance, and strengthen your overall commercialization success rate. This workshop is vital whether you are working in food & beverage, cosmetics, biomedical devices, or consumer goods.

Key Takeaways
A new lens for evaluating your product’s hidden impact.
Practical methods to shape what consumers notice, value, and return to.
Strategies to align innovation with what the local market truly embraces.

Utilizing Modern Machinery in Cassava Farming to Boost Food Supply and Industrial Growth

Cassava processing is notoriously labour-intensive, with peeling alone often accounting for up to 40% of the total labor cost! This is the gap that research and innovation must fill.

The GRIC is excited to announce our next Industry Brief Session featuring Professor Emmanuel Bobobee (@KNUST) on “Utilising Modern Machinery in Cassava Farming to Boost Food Supply and Industrial Growth.”

The shift to mechanised farming is essential for three reasons:
1) Boosting Food Supply (higher yields)
2) Attracting Youth (reducing drudgery), and
3) Industrial Growth (consistent supply for processing/export). Professor Bobobee will be showing how innovations like the TEK harvester are already deployed and delivering results across Africa.

Discover how this technology is not only boosting yields but also transforming farming into a viable and attractive business.

ProGARI: A Micronutrient-Fortified Soyabean Cassava Blend to Address Malnutrition among Gari Consumers

Gari is a Ghanaian staple, but what if it could be a powerful weapon against malnutrition?

The GRIC is excited to announce our upcoming Industry Session with Leticia Amoakoah Twum, a Research Scientist at the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission
Join us as she presents ProGARI, a micronutrient-fortified soybean cassava blend designed to tackle hidden hunger in Ghana.

The statistics are stark: research shows that a significant portion of Ghana’s population, particularly women and children, suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. ProGARI offers an innovative, scalable solution with the potential to transform public health and create new market opportunities.

Natural Pest Control Solution for Vegetable Farming: Driving Green Solutions for Food Safety and Sustainability in Ghana

How can Ghana grow safer, more sustainable vegetables without over-reliance on synthetic chemicals?

Join us as we spotlight a natural pest control solution for vegetable farming, an innovation driving food safety, sustainability, and green growth.

Theme: Natural Pest Control Solution for Vegetable Farming: Driving Green Solutions for Food Safety and Sustainability in Ghana

Scaling Clean Planting Materials for Ghana’s Root Crop Sector

How can Ghana increase farmer incomes, reduce disease in root crops, and tap into a multi-billion-dollar global cassava market?

This Thursday at 10:00am live on zoom, we dive into an innovation that could revolutionize cassava farming in Ghana. Our featured session:
Scaling Clean Planting Materials for Ghana’s Root Crop Sector by Dr. Hillary Mireku Botey (PhD.) unpacks findings from a 2025 study that explored the Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponics (SAH) system—a scalable technology producing 10–20x more clean, disease-free cassava plantlets at lower cost.

🔍 What’s in it for you?
✅ Learn how to unlock 116% ROI within 3 years using SAH
✅ See how a $15K–$20K investment can set up a scalable plantlet facility
✅ Discover how to integrate SAH into seed systems, outgrower schemes, and rural livelihoods support

👥 Recommended for:
Agri-tech startups | Seed companies | Agro-input dealers
Investors | Food processors | Agricultural development partners

Promoting the Uptake of Cassava as an Industrial Crop in Ghana

Join us as Dr Gregory Komlaga, Deputy Director/Principal Research Scientist at CSIR – Food Research Institute Research Institute shares technologies developed to boost cassava’s industrial use — including cassava-based glucose syrup, adhesives, and high-quality flour.

🎯 Relevant to the confectionery, pharmaceutical, and brewing industries, this session explores how research can unlock new markets, improve farmer livelihoods, and reduce reliance on imports.

Key points:
📌 Tech opportunities for entrepreneurs
📌 Improved incomes for cassava farmers
📌 Savings on glucose syrup imports

Don’t miss this opportunity to connect industry to innovation!

Transforming Food Waste into Biochar: A Sustainable Solution for Waste Management and Organic Fertilizer Production

Join us as we explore how research is transforming municipal food waste into biochar — a sustainable, nutrient-rich organic fertilizer that improves soil health and supports climate-smart agriculture.

📌 Topic: Transforming Food Waste into Biochar: A Sustainable Solution for Waste Management and Organic Fertilizer Production
🗓️ Date: Tuesday, 27th May 2025
📍 Channel: Zoom
🔗 Registration: https://lnkd.in/eqxP2s4Z
🔍 This session will spotlight a research study by Ing. Dr. Patrick Boakye on using pyrolysis technology to convert food waste into biochar, reducing landfill dependency and providing a powerful alternative to chemical fertilizers.

Why You Should Attend:
✅ Discover how biochar enhances soil fertility and water retention
✅ Learn about the commercial potential for waste management and agriculture
✅ Explore public-private collaboration and policy opportunities
✅ Connect with researchers and industry leaders in sustainability
🎯 Ideal for: Farmers, agribusinesses, waste management agencies, environmental advocates, and policymakers.

Enhancing Breakfast Nutrition with Sprouted Finger Millet-Maize Composite Flour

Join us for an insightful GRIC industry brief session on “Enhancing Breakfast Nutrition with Sprouted Finger Millet-Maize Composite Flour.”
Explore how local grains and improved food processing methods are being applied to enhance the quality and nutrition of everyday breakfast options. Whether you’re involved in research, nutrition, food science, agro-processing, or investment in the food sector, this session offers practical insights you can apply or build on.

Let’s talk about food innovation that’s accessible, nutritious, and driven by local potential.