Universities, innovation and inclusive development in Africa: towards a research network

STATUS: Current
PROJECT LEADER:De Koning, E (Ms Elmi), Kruss Van Der Heever, GE (Dr Glenda)
OTHER TEAM MEMBERS: Haupt, G.R. (Ms Genevieve), Fraser, TJ (Ms Tania), Gastrow, M (Dr Michael), Visser, MM (Dr Mariette)
DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBLE: Equitable Education and Economies (IED)
RESEARCH OUTPUTS: Universities and innovation in informal settings: evidence from case studies in South Africa, Linking universities and marginalised communities: South African case studies of innovation focused on livelihoods in informal settings, Universities as agents of innovation for inclusive development: case studies of university interaction with marginalized communities in Nigeria, An investigation of university-informal, marginalised community interactions for livelihoods improvements in Botswana, Universities, innovation and inclusive development in Tanzania, Linking knowledge producers and marginalised communities, Understanding the role of public universities in community development in Malawi: unlocking the nature of interactions

Abstract

The proposed research will support the formation and development of a research network on innovation for inclusive development (IID) in Africa. The network will bring together universities from four Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) namely, Botswana, Malawi, South Africa and Tanzania, together with Uganda and Nigeria, to build a research base on the role of the university in innovation, inclusiveness and development in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, which experiences global imperatives under very different, often disadvantageous, conditions. The project combines networking and field building activities with rigorous academic work and an agenda for research uptake and policy advocacy in the area of IID. The core research components of the project will seek to understand: To what extent and how do Sub-Saharan African universities contribute to innovation in ways that are more integrated and inclusive of a wider array of social partners ? communities, public sector or firms - and academic activities? How they do so based on their three core mandates of teaching, research and outreach? What kinds of universities are more likely to interact with social partners? How can we appreciate interactions involving universities in the light of local, national, African and global development imperatives? This project proposes to engage with these key questions as a means to promote a more coherent understanding of the catalyzing role of universities in enabling innovation and creativity in Southern and sub Saharan Africa, and in addressing bottlenecks to innovations oriented towards improved livelihoods and inclusive development.

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