🧪 Bridging the gap between research and entrepreneurial innovation: Key takeaways from SPARK's #Science2Business Workshop
🎊 At the beginning of October, we hosted a #Science2Business Co-Design Workshop during the Blue Economy Summit in Mombasa, bringing together researchers and entrepreneurs to explore how we can better align scientific research with market needs.
💡 During the workshop, we worked collaboratively to identify barriers that hinder research from being effectively commercialised. Through activities like empathy mapping and a value proposition canvas, we uncovered critical insights into the disconnect between these two sectors.
🔑 Key outcomes from the workshop:
𝟭. 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝘆: The lack of structured platforms for scientists and business professionals to collaborate was a recurring theme. The session highlighted the need for enhanced cross-sector collaboration to bridge these worlds.
𝟮. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Researchers shared their concerns about the complexity of navigating intellectual property (IP) and the risk associated with scaling their work. Entrepreneurs emphasised the need for quicker, more actionable insights to drive business decisions.
𝟯. 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀: A strong emphasis was placed on the need for gender-inclusive approaches in both research and commercialisation processes. Participants highlighted the importance of ensuring #women are actively involved in #entrepreneurship and #innovation, particularly in blue economy sectors, where their contributions can drive more #equitable and sustainable outcomes.
𝟰. 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀: Both groups recognised the immense potential of climate-tech and blue economy innovations to drive sustainable development, especially when research is aligned with market demands.
𝟱. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: The participants co-designed frameworks that could help guide the #commercialisation of research, including improved IP policies, government-backed resources, and mentorship programmes for emerging blue-tech entrepreneurs.
👩🔬 Our session was a great step forward in fostering deeper collaboration between science and business to drive sustainable, scalable solutions. Thank you to all the participants for their valuable contributions and enthusiasm!
🙌 The SPARK Team will be attending this year’s AfriLabs Gathering in Cape Town from 6–8 November 2024. If you are an innovator, researcher, or entrepreneur, we would love to connect with you as we continue driving the frontiers of innovation forward. Drop a comment or DM us if you would like to schedule a meeting with us.
OceanHub Africa IUCN Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) OFFICIAL Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
#Science2Business #SPARKAfrica
