Research model to invigorate entrepreneurship within the University
Research model to invigorate entrepreneurship within the University
Dr. Teboho Pitso of the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Qhawekazi Memani
As part of developing a model for invigorating innovation and entrepreneurship within the university, Dr. Teboho Pitso of the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, undertook a three-month research collaboration from March till May 2018 with five Scandinavian universities – Lund University, Malmo University, World Maritime University, Stockholm University and Copenhagen University.
The focus of the study was on Innovation Hubs, Centres for Entrepreneurship and niche-focused innovation such as an Engineering Innovation Hub. It also sought to develop the value chain of entrepreneurship from ideas’ generation through to Intellectual Property commercialisation and to position VUT as the leader in innovation and entrepreneurship. It also aimed to strengthen relationships between VUT and international universities.
“We have exchanged powerful ideas which resulted in the Integrated Model for Invigorating Innovation and Entrepreneurship within higher education. This model will be presented in the Department of Higher Education Lekgotla to be held in Cape Town from 27-29 June 2018 and is currently under review at the Southern African Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management,’’ Dr. Pitso said.
The Integrated Model for VUT will connect faculties, the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship as well as the Technology and Science Park activities in ways that will turn VUT into a leading institution in innovation and entrepreneurship. This will ensure stronger international partnerships in creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Dr. Pitso will also be sharing and presenting the model to all the Scandinavian universities that were involved in the project.
While overseas Dr. Pitso was also exposed to robotics and the debates on what the 5.0 society will look like in the next five to 25 years from now including the reality of the fully-fledged robot called Sophia.
“The 5.0 society builds from cloud technologies and brings to reality new artificial intelligence capabilities which relate to automation and digitisation never imagined before. I am writing a chapter on human-machine collaboration on creativity. Human-machine collaboration on generating creative ideas was not possible a few years back, but is now increasingly becoming a reality. The chapter will appear in the Australian Intech Openbook called Super-creativity: Toward human, machine and Human-machine collaborations,” he said.