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Associate Professor of Food Science and Dean of Food and Human Sciences Faculty at LUANAR Dr Agnes Mwangwela has said the Innovative Scholarship Program (ISP) that was being offered by the Global Centre for Food Systems Innovation – Michigan State University will see LUANAR thriving in innovation. This was said at the graduation ceremony of the ISP scholars who underwent the fifteen-month training at Kumudzi Eco-learning centre in Lilongwe later this month. “The ISP program has helped the LUANAR faculty and leaders to enhance their capacity to innovate and support innovation,” said Dr. Agnes Mwangwela, who was representing the Vice Chancellor at the ceremony. However, Dr. Mwangwela emphasized that innovation is meant to bring tangible benefits that address a particular challenge. “Innovations are not supposed to be on shelves. They are supposed to be used by the people.” She therefore wish and hope that the technologies and innovations that have emanated from this program reach and benefit targeted clienteles through the various technology dissemination channels including the agricultural extension system under the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development. Dr. Mwangwela thanked Michigan State University for supporting the project financially and materially. “We do not take this for Granted and we look forward to working with you together in the near future.” She said. And in his speech, Head for Global Centre for Food Systems Innovation, Prof. Eric Crawford, said ISP has been one of the most successful programmes. “I am very proud of the work of all those people who were involved in the Innovative Scholars Programme,” said Prof. Crawford. Apart from the training, other activities of the ISP included workshops on design thinking, stakeholder and community engagement, communicating science and a trip to Kenya for the scholars to learn from an African university that has an advanced innovation system, and this will make LUANAR faculty and leaders to be innovative and achieve the institution’s goal of being a world class university. Written by Isaac Songola