The Problem of Public Funding of University Innovation in Cameroon

Abstract

This paper explains the low level of public funding of university innovation in Cameroon, despite the dominance of public funding for higher education. Through a diagnosis of the rules and allocation modalities of public funding for Education, it comes out with two main explanations: -?the marginality of university innovation in the agenda of Higher Education, which is itself slow in finding its place at the heart of public policies, and?- the weak capacity of the mechanisms for allocating public funding of higher education to secure and optimally distribute public resources dedicated to university innovation. To overcome these shortcomings, public authorities should adjust their strategy following two major complementary axes. Firstly, place university innovation at the centre of the mandate of Higher Education. Secondly, develop and scrupulously ensure the respect of a legal framework defining effective imperative and incentive measures for an efficient allocation of public resources dedicated to university innovation.