2.4 Defining “Innovation Ecosystem” and Related Physical Infrastructure

This Strategic Plan for Innovation is underpinned by an “Innovation Ecosystem” consisting of Institutional Entities and physical infrastructure. This Ecosystem provides various “services” that will enhance the University’s ability to support innovation. The Ecosystem also provides an environment that will promote the growth of an “innovation mindset” at Wits.

The ecosystem resulting from this Strategic Plan will include physical facilities. We have classified these facilities based on the dominant nature of the activities carried out using three labels: “hubs”, “incubators” and “accelerators”.

There is much discussion, very little agreement, and some controversy, associated with the definition of these terms we are therefore suggesting our own “Wits definitions” for these terms. We will define a “hub” as a physical space that encourages interaction, co-creation, collaboration, and chance encounters. A hub is about people and ideas connecting and interacting to promote development of solutions to needs. Ideas are shared and refined. Solutions to problems are explored. The nature of the programmes and services provided and the design of the physical space and how it is configured should encourage creative interactions between people and the flow of innovative ideas. A hub can include one or more “incubators”. An “incubator” is a physical space that provides dedicated space, services and programmes in a social environment that supports the refinement of an idea – often into the form of a new product or even further to the point of a startup company. Since the idea brought into the incubator is typically not yet fully formed, some hublike activities are still beneficial. An incubator should therefore be set up to both provide a business-friendly environment within which innovations can be prepared for commercialisation, and encourage interaction, cocreation and collaboration with others engaged with their own incubation activities. “Virtual incubation” is a concept dealing with the nurturing of the innovation journey, and consists of support, programmes, services and infrastructure that are not necessarily co-located / available in the same physical space. This is particularly relevant in a research-intensive environment where there may be highly specialised infrastructure (e.g. laboratories) and other support where it is not cost effective to provide this in an incubator that is a dedicated physical space. Our “Wits” definition for an “accelerator” is a business-friendly physical or virtual “space” with services and programmes that assist in growing a business that already has some traction in selling products/services to those