The Project
The iN4iN LATAM Chapter project plans to create a network (chapter) between Leipzig University and three Latin American partner universities. The network will host three units: The first unit will focus on capacity building for innovation management at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). With the second unit research activities and international exchange of master and PhD students will be strengthened. The third unit will support HEIs in creating and implementing strategies for the promotion of University Business Linkages (UBL).
The Innovation Management module designed for the two partner universities (Universidad de Rosario / Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia) including the student-company project will be integrated here as well (Project Outcome 1).
As part of the master’s degree, students participate in a research course, in which the two most promising (innovative) ideas are selected for a one-month research stay in one of the Latin American partner countries. Furthermore, during the PhD programs of the partner university in Colombia and Peru (Costa Rica does not have a PhD program yet), PhD students will be given the opportunity for a research visit in one of the partner countries conducting their research activities on the university-specific SDG topic. The results will in turn be incorporated into the master’s and diploma programs (Project Outcome 2).
Another aim to accomplish during the project period is to establish a Diploma Course in Innovation Management to qualify more students as well as practitioners to take up professional activities fostering local innovation systems in the three partner countries. Topics with special relevance to sustainability (e.g., process innovation) are an integral part of the course (Project Outcome 3).
In the area of higher education management, iN4iN LATAM Chapter supports the strategy development and the implementation of University Business Linkages activities, which should form an integrative part of the transfer strategy of a HEI. The partner universities will establish new processes and structures for knowledge and technology transfer towards the business sector strengthening the role of the HEI as a motor for local economic development (Project Outcome 4).
SDG Focus
We dedicate our project to tackling SDG 9, with a particular focus on SDG target 9.5 by enhancing scientific research and encouraging innovation with training for both students and entrepreneurs.
Furthermore, we address target 9.b “Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries”. In Innovation Management Leipzig University will act as the expert and mentor for the partner universities.
Additionally, every partner university focuses on a different SDG while implementing their teaching and research activities – depending on the respective expertise.
La Universidad del Rosario (Colombia) will address SDG Goal 11: “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable”. SDG 11 is related to the lack of opportunities within cities and communities in urban areas. In this regard, even though industries or companies are doing very well in a city, most of the time this prosperity is not transferred to the local communities surrounding these factories. For this reason, at Universidad Rosario studies are conducted to analyze the possibilities to mitigate the appearance of slums and reduce the ones that exist in the biggest cities in Colombia. Particularly, this project helps to foster an innovation ecosystem by building capabilities within master’s students; yet, the trainees in our project must be able to design initiatives that include the more vulnerable communities within a city and support the implementation of SDG 11. Urban population can have many problems, but fostering innovative ideas will provide sustainable solutions for those societal pains that can be sources of new types of sustainable businesses.
La Universidad Técnica Nacional will focus on SDG 12 “Responsible production and consumption”. Nowadays, companies are concerned about satisfying their clients’ demands, on many occasions, without caring about the productive processes, this undue practice contributes to the bad planning of the processes and the resources needed, causing an irrational use of them, becoming waste at the end. Therefore, UTN can make an impact on SDG 12, promoting innovation in good practices for the efficient use of resources through studies of sustainable production with the support of this project, such as innovating production processes, improvements in distribution and infrastructure that do not pollute the environment, creating green jobs, using renewable energy, avoiding products with excessive packaging or choosing fresh products instead of processed in others. This necessarily entails the implementation of innovation models at the business level that aim to substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse of resources in production processes and therefore, the integral sustainability in the ecosystem that comprises the government, universities, the business sector and civil society. At the end of this project, we visualize academic projects derived from the training process proposed in the field of innovation, which contribute to the development goal of achieving a substantial reduction of waste in production processes by the year 2030.
UPCH (Perú) focuses its expertise on SDG 3 “Good Health and Well-being”.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, we are facing the strengthening of health systems. In this sense, UPCH has been working, for years and even long before the pandemic, on research and development of different aspects related to AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases, as well as waterborne diseases and other communicable diseases (SDG target 3.3). In the management approach of these technologies through the implementation of different transfer and commercialization tools, they will be able to generate a greater impact of these results for the benefit of the populations.
The SEPT Competence Center (SEPT means Small Enterprise Promotion and Training at Leipzig University created in 2008 out of a project the network “intelligence for innovation – iN4iN”. It includes member institutions, partner universities, and private business development organizations in the area of promotion and development of innovation and entrepreneurship capacities. So far, we have mainly established partnerships in the African and Asian regions through various project activities. We coordinate the Network for Entrepreneurship in Africa (Africa-German Entrepreneurship Academy: www.ageacademy.de) and have established so-called chapters (cooperation association with iN4iN) in Ghana and Rwanda. Since we want to strengthen our collaborations in Latin America, we now have a stronger focus on this region to implement joint projects and to create an iN4iN LATAM Chapter.
With these activities, the project focuses mainly on the role of HEIs in contributing to SDG 9 – Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation. We place particular focus on target 9.5 by enhancing scientific research and encouraging innovation with training for both students and entrepreneurs. Furthermore, we address target 9.b “Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries”. Leipzig University (SEPT Competence Center) as an expert in the field of innovation management will have a mentoring role for the partner universities. Knowledge in innovation will be used to support ecological, social, and economic transitions and tackle social/economic challenges. Each partner university from Latin America will use this innovation knowledge to address an additional SDG throughout their activities. Therefore, SDG 9 is to be seen as an umbrella, under which three more SDGs (SDG 3 – Peru, SDG 11 – Colombia, SDG 12 – Costa Rica) will be considered.
Project outcomes and outputs
Output 1: New modules in Innovation Management with practical reference to SDGs are designed for two master programs, in Colombia and Peru.
Output 2: Teaching methodology and materials for the master modules are developed and transferred to the respective lecturers.
Output 3: Company Consultancy Projects, being part of the Innovation Management module, are established.
Output 4:Master modules are implemented in two partner universities (15 students each) with the support of Leipzig University.
Output 5: A new master’s program in Entrepreneurship and Innovation is designed at Universidad Técnica Nacional.
Output 1: Concept of student research visits is developed.
Output 2: Research stays of 12 students (Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru) is achieved.
Output 3: Concept for PhD research visits is established.
Output 4: Research stays of 2 PhD students is achieved.
Output 5: Research results of PhD students are integrated in the master.
Output 1: Training methodology and materials for Diploma Courses in Innovation Management are developed in all four universities..
Output 2: At least 2 trainers per university get trained to implement the Diploma Courses.
Output 3: Diploma courses in Innovation Management are implemented in all four universities with all together 60 participants.
Output 1: Each university has developed an adapted model for a UBL initiative.
Output 2: The UBL initiative is integrated in a Transfer Strategy of each university.
Output 3: Each university has implemented 1 – 2 UBL activities with the participation of students, lecturers, and representatives from the business sector.
Output 4: Three conferences on UBL development are implemented with participants from at least 30 universities.