College of Business and Economics | Annual Report 2022 54 Dsi/Nrf/Newton Fund Trilateral Chair in Transformative (Trcit) Innovation, the 4IR and Sustainable Development Prof Erika Kramer-Mabula Chair: DSI/NRF/NEWTON Fund Trilateral Chair in Transformative Innovation (TRCIT) Innovation, the 4IR and Sustainable Development College of Business and Economics OVERVIEW Our dedication to research and capacity building is driven by a desire to advance scientific knowledge on the continent and to have a positive impact at ground level. This commitment to “real world” impact is taking the Trilateral Chair into even more inter- and transdisciplinary spaces, expanding our research methods, and broadening our collaborations with non-academic stakeholders, including government, private sector, and multilateral organisations. In 2022, our footprint became more visible, and as the world opened, we maximised the value of face-to-face interactions at our new offices at the JBS Park in Johannesburg and worldwide. The active participation of our students, partners and collaborators has made 2022 our most interactive and impactful year so far. The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) fund the Chair through the NRF, as well as the British Council via the Newton Fund and is a collaborative effort with the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) in Nairobi and the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex in the UK. POLICY AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND ACTIVITIES The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) generally guide the Chair’s activities, but they contribute directly to three, namely SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy; SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure; and SDG 13: Climate action. It also addresses South Africa’s National Development Plan, especially its persistent socioeconomic challenges. Government is the primary beneficiary of the Chair’s work, particularly in policy development across a spectrum of critical areas such as innovation, energy transitions, 4IR strategy, and inclusion of marginalised communities. The industry also benefits from its research in the areas of trends in frontier technology, innovation in the informal economy and climate innovation entrepreneurship. A third stakeholder includes international development organisations such as the UNDP, UNCTAD and the Science Granting Councils Initiative in Africa. The Trilateral Chair aims to produce impactful research that results in findings and recommendations that can be applied to real-world decisions. We ensure the relevance of our work through various channels: • Our students and researchers orient their research questions towards real-world policy issues. It can also result from research commissioned responding to a specific policy need (e.g., developing a policy strategy document). • Co-creation as a research approach. It involves the active participation of stakeholders, including policymakers, in the design and implementation of research activities. • Capacity building of policy stakeholders. To develop training materials, tailored events and facilitated workshops for policymakers. • Communication and effective dissemination through workshops, public lectures, and frequent engagements with multiple stakeholders. This helps ensure that our research is familiar to its potential users and that we are in tune with current policy debates and needs.
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