2023 Events

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DateName of the event

18/01/2023

 

Presentation by three visiting students from the Centre for Frugal Innovation (Netherlands) on Organic Waste Potential around the Victoria Yards (Johannesburg). The students presented their findings from their 3-month research visit to the Chair as part of their minor in Frugal Innovation.

 

24/01/2023Presented by Prof. Jeremy de Beer, on “Regulation for Innovation: Conceptualising a Development Research Agenda for Inclusive and Sustainable Economies in Lower-income Countries”.
06/02/2023

An introduction to TIP

Workshop to introduce TIP concepts and discuss potential TIP experiments with City of Johannesburg and GDARDE.

07/02/2023Designing a Transformative Theory of Change workshop held with members of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) and the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) of South Africa
17/02/2023Presented by Dr Larry Onyago, Dr Ellen Chipango and Ms. Wondia Yeo on the “Political Economy of Science Granting Councils: Implications for SGCI”.
01/03/2023Members of the Trilateral Research Chair collaborated to deliver a half-day workshop for those participating in an Evi-Pol meeting (funded through the Science Granting Councils Initiative, SGCI) in Accra (Ghana) in March. Rob Byrne gave an introductory lecture on the history and opportunities provided by taking a Transformative Innovation Policy (TIP) approach to policymaking, and participants engaged in a Q&A session. This was followed by a presentation (and Q&A) from Dr Gordon Akon-Yamga on his experience working with the TIP approach in Ghana. Erika Kraemer-Mbula then introduced inputs from the South African policy experiment experience (Living Catchments project reported elsewhere in this award), which were provided in the form of recorded testimony. Finally, Ann Kingiri facilitated an open discussion on using TIP as an action philosophy
18/04/2023Finalisation of a transformative Theorery of Chage with members of DTIC and DSI

10/05/2023

 

Dr Dennis Boahene Osei discussed his paper “Impact Investing in Ghana: A Multiple Case Study”.

 

3-4/05/2023

 

A kick off workshop was held to initiate discussions with 17 science granting councils across Africa on the support they required in the area of monitoring, evaluation and learning to enable more informed decision making, as part of the EviPol II project led by the Chair.

 

31/05/2023

 

Mr Gerard Ralphs presented his work in progress on ‘Autoethnography as methodology for innovation systems mapping at household level: A South African arts-based case study’.

 

12-13/06/2023

 

Digital Transformations Training programme. The Chair collaborated with Research and Innovation Systems for Africa, UK Aid, and the University of Nairobi to deliver a one-day training program targeting policymakers, decision-makers, and funders about the significance and utility of Emerging Digital Technologies (EDT) and X-DATA. This initiative aimed to deepen awareness and encourage the integration of these technologies in achieving national sustainable development goals. The program was expected to significantly impact the participants’ comprehension of EDT and X-Data, while also informing them about the pivotal role these technologies can play in shaping future policy and funding decisions.

 

20/07/2023

The Trilateral Chair, in collaboration with the UNDP Accelerator Lab in South Africa, launched its report ‘Making the Invisible Visible: Informal Innovation in South Africa’. This project hinged on UNDP Africa’s Strategic Offer (2022-2025) with its vision to build on the power and ingenuity of Africa’s communities to innovate toward their futures. The research team comprised Utrecht University, the University of Johannesburg, and the MIT Sloan School of Management, which led a survey on informal innovation and entrepreneurship in South Africa

 

25/07/2023Prof. Alejandra Boni and Dr Diana Velasco engaged with our PhD students and postdoctoral researchers on transformative policy. They also gave them a training module on participatory action research and experimental policy engagement.
14/08/2023Training workshop on African innovation, entrepreneurship, and energy transition.  To equip students with core literature and research on just and energy transitions, and new entrepreneurship models.

16/08/2023

 

Dr Shawn Cunningham presented his paper “Experience from Using Innovation and Transformative Frameworks to Support Change”.

31/08- 01/09/2023

 

The Chair in collaboration with SADC Secretariat and the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) in South Africa, is holding a multistakeholder event that brings together key experts and policy makers , primarily from relevant government organisations, to share insights on the first output of this project, namely (1) a mapping exercise of innovation systems and innovation agencies in Africa, and discuss the findings (2) validation of the STI Protocol Implementation Report and review process of the protocol.

01/09-01/12/2023

 

The Chair welcomed the 2023 Cohort of five AFRICALICS Visiting Fellows for a transformative study visit spanning three months. The study visit was part of the one-year fellowship programme, which ran from February 2023 and had a range of online sessions, including mentoring sessions, online courses, writing sessions, and paper presentation seminars. One of the key events during the three-month study visit was a one-week workshop with the PhD supervisors, held from 18-22 September 2023.

06/09/2023

 

Ms Ann Numi presented her work in progress on ‘Unpacking the Agricultural Biotechnology

Technological Innovation System (ABTIS); System build-up & overview’.

 

28-29/09/2023Workshop on Transformative Innovation Policy (TIP) organised by the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) at the Kenya School of Monetary Studies (KSMS), Nairobi.
11-14/10/2023The Chair was a co-organising partner of the International Globelics Conference, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. The conference theme was Innovation-Driven Knowledge-Economies and Transformation in the Global South, and it marked the 20th anniversary of the first Globelics international conference held in Rio de Janeiro in 2003. The main aim of the Network was to focus on Learning, Innovation and Competence-building Systems (LICS) to understand the nexus between innovation and development. This 20th anniversary reflected on the network’s achievements and future research agenda. The conference was attended and endorsed by high-level government officials, which attracted substantial media attention.

26/10/2023

 

Presentation of work in progress by Mr Mbeo Ogeya on “Political Economy of the Evolution of Electricity Sector in Kenya”.

 

08/11/2023

 

Ms Fabiana Ferreira presented her work in progress on ‘Industrial policy for the green hydrogen economy: The cases of Brazil, Chile, China and South Africa’.

 

12/11/2023

 

The Chair launched a regular “Publication Clinic” to enhance publication skills of our students and emerging scholars, navigating the publication process, fostering collaboration, and promoting ethical publishing. Constructive feedback was provided to the authors, and valuable suggestions were made to enhance the quality of the presented manuscript.

 

27/11 – 08/12/2023

 

UJ-TRCTI hosted the 2-week 16th GLOBELICS International PhD Academy in partnership with the GLOBELICS Network, the UNESCO Chair in African Integration and Innovation (Institute for Economic Research on Innovation, Tshwane University of Technology), and the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD. A total of 23 students participated in the academy: 13 international PhD students were selected to participate in the academy from countries including Brazil, India, Switzerland, Kenya, USA, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, and South Africa).

01/12/2023

 

Policy Hackathon on Co-creation of Policy Solutions for Transformative Innovation.

The Chair collaborated with the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat to organise a policy hackathon. The objective was to harness the collective intelligence, expertise, and creativity of policymakers, academics, and member state representatives from the SADC region to develop innovative policy solutions for the effective implementation of the SADC STI Protocol.

04-06/12/2023

SADC Transformative Innovation Policy Training

The Chair collaborated with the Transformative Innovation Policy Consortium (TIPC) to provide training to policymakers in the SADC Region on Transformative Innovation Policy theories and concepts.

12/12/2023

 

 

 

In December 2023, the Chair, led by Prof. Rebecca Hanlin, hosted a showcase event at Johannesburg Business School to exhibit the emerging digital technology-based applications developed by their mini-grantees supported by the UK government through the RISA fund.