





Chief Guest Dr. Mary Teopista (Center), Amb. Francis Butagira, Registrar General Ms. Mercy K. Kainobwisho and URSB board members pose for a photo at the URSB ISO Certification External Stakeholders celebration
Hon. Nobert Mao congratulates the Registrar General, Ms. Mercy K. Kainobwisho, and Board member, Ms. Lydia A. Sekkabira on the ISO 9001:2015 certification milestone
Mr. Hamidu Tumuhimbise, a senior Registration Officer, attends to a client during the UEB claimants exercise at the Uganda Business Facilitation Center, Kololo
A delegation from PACRA led by the Deputy Registrar Mr. Chewe Peter Chilufya (Center) visited URSB for a 3 days benchmarking visit on the Intellectual Property Registry on how systems operate, the digital improvements implemented and how these reforms contribute to reduced turnaround time
A delegation from UNOC visits URSB to benchmark on the Digital Transformation Journey.
Director General WIPO Mr. Daren Tang, Minister of Justice Hon. Nobert Mao, The Registrar General Ms. Mercy K. Kainobwisho, URSB Board members a delegation from WIPO pause for a photo at the Uganda Business Facilitation Center during the DG’s mission to Uganda

URSB PARTICIPATES IN KEY DISCUSSIONS TO MODERNISE UGANDA’S SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY LEGAL FRAMEWORK
The Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) on 11th and 12th December 2025 joined key stakeholders in preliminary discussions aimed at guiding the amendment of the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST) Act of 1990 (Cap.211, as updated).
The engagement followed H.E. the President’s Directive of 29th January 2022, which expanded UNCST’s mandate to cover the entire Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) ecosystem.

The proposed amendment seeks to respond to Uganda’s evolving STI landscape, now anchored in the 1995 Constitution, Vision 2040 and the National Development Plans, which recognise STI as a catalyst for socio-economic transformation.
During the Technical Working Group sessions, participants underscored the need for a future-focused legal regime that strengthens national security, closes existing gaps in the Act and accelerates innovation-led industrialisation, while aligning with regional, continental and global obligations. Of particular relevance to URSB were discussions on intellectual property. Section 4 of the UNCST Act assigns the Council a mandate over intellectual property and the operation of a national patent office.
Stakeholders recommended close collaboration with URSB, which currently hosts the National Patent Office, to avoid duplication of roles. Proposed reforms include enhanced coordination of technology transfer, innovation incubation, commercialisation pathways and the introduction of a National Repository for Innovation and Research. Consultations are ongoing to determine whether the Act will be amended or repealed as part of efforts to modernise STI governance in Uganda.