Patience Kyesimire and her colleagues displaying their projectWhen students present science projects at exhibitions, the attention usually goes to creativity, competition and academic achievement. But behind some of the models, prototypes and products displayed on exhibition stands are ideas with potential far beyond the classroom.Some could become commercial products, solve community challenges or attract investment. This is raising a question Uganda has not fully answered: when a student creates an innovation at school, who owns the idea and who benefits if it succeeds? The debate gained attention during the National STEM Exhibition held at Kololo Secondary School, where hundreds of learners showcased innovations ranging from robotics, medical products and agricultural technologies to digital solutions and environmental projects, among others.Among the displays was a small bottle of herbal syrup presented by students from Bubangizi Secondary School in Mitooma District. To visitors, it looked like another school science project. For the students behind it, however, it represented months of research, failed experiments and laboratory testing as they searched for a possible solution to a health challenge they had observed among their peers.Patience Kyesimire, a Senior Five student, said the project began after noticing that many learners at their school frequently complained of stomach pain and related illnesses. Together with her classmates, she started investigating whether locally available materials could be used to develop a possible remedy. Drawing from lessons in biology and chemistry, the students explored plant materials and their properties.Their research led them to experiment with cabbage, carrots, beetroot, aloe vera, honey, and other plant-based materials as they searched for active ingredients for their formulation.The project moved from classroom discussions to laboratory trials, including testing the product on laboratory rats to assess its potential effectiveness.The syrup is still at an experimental stage and requires further scientific research before any medical application. But for Kyesimire, the project represents the kind of learning the competence-based curriculum seeks to promote, where students identify problems and attempt to develop solutions.“We started with a problem around us and tried to find a solution,” she says. “We have spent time researching and developing this product. If one day it becomes something useful, there should be a way of protecting our work.” Kyesimire says she hopes to seek guidance from the Uganda Registration Services Bureau on how such student innovations can be registered and protected.Her concern reflects a growing challenge among young innovators. While schools are increasingly encouraging creativity and practical problem-solving, many students have little knowledge about intellectual property rights, revenue sharing, and what happens to their ideas after exhibitions end. For decades, school projects were largely viewed as academic exercises.Students built models, presented them during science fairs and moved on. The competence-based curriculum, which emphasises creativity, innovation and application of knowledge, is changing this approach. Some learners are now developing prototypes with commercial potential. However, questions about ownership remain unclear. Students, teachers and schools often do not know who holds the rights when an idea moves from a classroom experiment into a possible business venture.At the same exhibition, Peter Atuuhura, a Senior Three student at Adelante Africa Secondary School in Kakumiro District, displayed a water purification system designed to transform soapy wastewater into reusable water. The system uses layers of charcoal, gravel and sand before applying ultraviolet treatment to improve water quality. Although similar technologies exist, Atuuhura says their work focused on adapting the idea to challenges within their community.“Our innovation may not be completely new, but we designed it with our environment in mind,” he says. “We need guidance on how such ideas are protected and how students benefit if they are developed into commercial products.” For Atuuhura, recognition alone is not enough. He believes young innovators should also understand their rights and participate in any benefits that come from their creations.For him, ownership is not only about receiving recognition. It is also about ensuring young innovators participate in the benefits created from their work if they prove to be worthwhile. A similar concern is shared by Vannessa Nakalyango and her classmates in the ICT group from St Elizabeth Girls Mityana, who developed an automated irrigation smart system combining agriculture and information technology.The system uses sensors to measure soil moisture and temperature while incorporating weather information to determine when crops require watering. The students designed the technology to reduce unnecessary irrigation, especially in situations where farmers water crops before rainfall. Nakalyango said the programming behind the system is part of their innovation and deserves protection.“The codes running this system were developed by us in the ICT group,” she said. “They are part of our work, and they need protection.” Across the exhibition grounds, students displayed organic fertilisers made from locally available materials, candles, sound systems, interlocking pavers and other projects with possible market applications.The growing number of student inventions has exposed a gap in awareness about intellectual property rights. Uganda has laws protecting inventions, artistic works and commercial products, but many learners, teachers and schools are unfamiliar with how these protections apply to school-based innovations.Geoffrey Namisi, SESEMAT coordinator at the Ministry of Education and Sports who has worked with schools implementing STEM activities, says the concerns raised by students are timely. He added that schools are increasingly producing learners capable of creating products that have value beyond examinations, with some students already earning income from innovations developed at school.Namisi says education stakeholders have started engaging institutions such as the Uganda Registration Services Bureau to guide learners on protecting their creations.According to Namisi, the discussions have also raised the need for a policy framework defining ownership of school projects. Such guidelines would clarify the relationship between learners, teachers and institutions when innovations move from classrooms into commercial spaces.He further added that the conversation should extend beyond science and technology because students also create original works in arts, music, writing and design. “Innovation is broader than STEM,” he says. “Every learner creating something original needs a system that recognises and protects their work.”Secondary school-level students around the world have developed incredible, globally recognized innovations directly from their school classrooms and science labs. These projects frequently address pressing real-world challenges, including healthcare accessibility, renewable energy, and community safety.-URNThe post From Desk to Dollars: Who Cashes In on Student Innovations and Projects? appeared first on Business Focus.