Lagos-based innovation centre, Co-creation Hub, has kicked off a programme aimed at accelerating African Universities’ contribution to knowledge application for a better society.
The programme, called African Universities Innovation Accelerator (AUIA), is a strategic development programme that will enhance the impact of academic research in Africa by building the capacity of African Universities to identify, map and link their research expertise and interest to societal and industry needs.
According to CcHub, “Despite the proliferation of universities across the African continent, research and knowledge from these institutions barely influence how business is done and how governments make decisions. While faculty and students embark on academic studies and publish thesis at all levels, few of these are influenced by the realities and needs of the society and even fewer make it back into the society and industry as knowledge that improves practice.”
“AUIA exists to provide a foundation for the needs of industry and society to inform the knowledge generated in our universities and to provide an easy stream for the result of academic research to filter back into industry and society.”
The accelerator is a three-phase programme aimed at accelerating African Universities’ contribution to knowledge application for a better society. The first phase is a two-day workshop on “ The Business Case for Academic Research in a Changing World: The African Perspective”.
On the 8th and 9th of February, 2018, Co-Creation Hub and the Ogun State Government hosted the first AUIA workshop in Abeokuta, Ogun state. In attendance were over 50 Vice-Chancellors & Rectors from all Ogun State tertiary institutions as well as the Honourable Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology; Mrs. Modupe Mujota and staff of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Ogun State.
Please find the video from the first workshop below
In the coming months, CcHub will provide participating universities with hands-on support in mapping their research expertise and interests with the goal of matching them to opportunities for funding and collaboration.
