Joint TUT-IERI and UNU-MERIT Workshop and Public Lectures: Learning about Innovation and the Use of Indicators

The Institute for Economic Research of Innovation (IERI) of Tshwane University of Technology and the Maastricht Economic Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT) of the United Nations University and Maastricht University are working in partnership to address the need for more relevant and useful empirical competencies in both the public sector and the higher education sector. This workshop brings together a group of scholars doing case studies on innovation activities in South Africa and Mozambique and graduate students supported by IDRC to do empirical work related to innovation as part of their thesis research and a group of international lecturers. The objective is to build capacity and a network of scholars with regards to empirical research on innovation in Africa. The activities consist of morning sessions for the case study teams, graduate students and lecturers. The afternoons are dedicated to pedagocal presentations by the worshop lecturers and discussions involving researchers, policy analysts and administrators with an interest in the subject.

The facilitators for the week include: Professors Martin Bell, Fred Gault, Mike Kahn, Rasigan Maharajh, Mammo Muchie, Mario Scerri and Watu Wamae.

There will also be public lectures on 7-8 September 2010 to raise public awareness about the subject.