Annual Conference 2026

 A.      Government

1: National policy on industry and academia relations. Preamble: Recognising the critical role of collaboration between universities and industry in developing relevant skills, promoting innovation, creating employment opportunities, and driving Uganda’s socio-economic transformation, the meeting observed that the existing National Industry Policy does not adequately address structured collaboration between academia and industry. The meeting further noted that the current legal and regulatory framework does not sufficiently provide for or enforce formal partnerships between the two sectors, particularly in facilitating students’ access to practical training and internship opportunities. This gap underscores the need for a comprehensive policy and regulatory framework to strengthen academia–industry collaboration and ensure that graduates acquire the practical skills and competencies required to meet the demands of the labour market.Accordingly, the meeting resolved that;

Resolution 1: National policy on industry and academia relations.  In the context that Uganda has no comprehensive national policy to guide cooperation between universities and industry, and that current law cannot enforce such relationships, the Ministry of Education and Sports should work on a national policy that supports industry and academia relations with consultations from the universities. The policy will give industry incentives to act as active training grounds for students. The incentives will help industries set up training departments and reduce or remove the charges they place on students. The policy will also direct funding to industries that can drive national development.  

2: Internship policy.Recognising that internship and industrial attachment programmes play a critical role in equipping university students with practical skills, professional competencies, and workplace experience required by industry. The meeting noted with concern the increasing commercialization of these programmes, whereby some industries charge students a fee for industrial training. This practice increases the cost of higher education, creates financial barriers to practical training, and undermines the objective of ensuring that graduates acquire the skills demanded by the labour market.

Resolution 2: Internship policy.Accordingly, the meeting resolved that the Uganda Vice Chancellors’ Forum (UVCF), engages the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) to develop and adopt a national internship policy that promotes equitable access to industrial training, provides clear guidelines on placement, and strengthens collaboration between universities and industry. The Secretariat shall prepare a formal letter to the MoES for consideration and further engagement with relevant stakeholders.

Resolution 3: Room for competence-based pilots and professors of practice. In light with the perspective that NCHE sets minimum standards as opposed to maximum limits, universities and institutions of higher learning will see to it that competence-based degrees and micro-credentials are recognized while meeting limits in existing frameworks. In that regard, university senates will consider professors of practice, who would bring industry practice without necessarily obtaining an academic PhD.

NCHE will be engaged to confirm, within its minimum-standards approach, how much room universities have to pilot competence-based degrees and micro-credentials, and to appoint professors of practice who do not hold a PhD.  

B. Industry

4: Training of students and associateships.Recognizing that students need exposure to industry while they study, and that attachment charges raise the cost of their education, Kiira Motors runs a research associateship for students in their final years and a graduate associateship for fresh graduates. Kiira Motors will take an agreed number of students for training during their studies and will offer research and graduate associateships on this model, with clear learning objectives, supervision and assessment.

Resolution: Kiira Motors Corporation resolves to—for the next twelve months—develop partnerships focusing on the battery value chain. The Corporation will therefore start partnerships with universities on battery technology within twelve months of 15 October 2026. The partnerships will cover material processing, component manufacturing, plant production and the treatment of batteries at the end of their life. Signed partnership agreements will also be considered.

C. Universities

Resolution 5: UVCF PhD Enhancement Project.   Universities that committed to host PhD candidates will provide the Secretariat with the particulars of the programmes they are willing to offer. They will confirm their training disciplines before the last general quarterly meeting to be held on 7^th December 2026. 

Resolution 06: Five actions for the next twelve months:  Drawn from the NCHE Executive Director’s Remarks;

i.  Each university will select one area of learning reform and set a baseline.
ii. The Forum will facilitate a shared staff development programme on teaching, assessment and responsible use AI.

iii. Universities will establish a unified, standardized framework to track their alumni after graduation (tracer studies) and collect systematic evaluations from graduates.
iv. The Forum will identify and document shared facilities or expertise to be shared by all.
v. Each university will strengthen one research or innovation partnership. Simple milestones will support the actions, and the Forum will review them at the end of 2027.  

Resolution 07: Industry seats on senates.  Universities will consider the prospects for industry seats on their respective senates.  

D. UVCF Secretariat and Executive Committee

Resolution 08: Accountability of resolution outputs. To keep the Forum on track, the UVCF Secretariat will keep a register of resolutions. The register will show - for each resolution, the action, the person responsible, the deadline and the status. The Forum will review the register at the start of every meeting.

Resolution 09: Follow-up with ministries and agencies.  Relevant Forum committees will follow up resolutions of a policy nature with the relevant ministries and agencies. Each will agree who leads, who supports and report back to the Forum.

Resolution 10: Welfare of former Vice Chancellors.   The UVCF Executive Committee will discuss issues pertaining the welfare of former vice chancellors/ and or individuals whose contribution has greatly impacted the higher education sector and will give feedback to the general meeting.

Resolution 11: Professional AI accounts.  Paid AI accounts give students and staff an advantage over those who use free versions. UVCF will coordinate joint talks with providers on professional AI accounts for members. The UVCF Executive and Secretariat are responsible.  

Resolution 12: Generic AI policy framework. UVCF will set up a team to draft a generic AI policy framework. The framework will state principles, protect academic freedom and include a protocol for declaring AI use. Universities will adapt it and may customize it to their institutional environment. The UVCF Executive and its Research and Innovation Committee are responsible. For purposes of benchmarking, Prof. Stijn Coenen (President), Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Belgium, will share his institution’s draft policy on the use of AI through RENU and the UVCF secretariat.