Transformative Innovation Policy Africa Exploratory Hub

This project will enable three countries in sub-Saharan Africa to undertake research and inform policymaking in science, technology, and innovation (STI) in their respective countries. These short pilot projects will map out the current state of STI with a lens of “transformative change” that has been successfully applied by the Transformative Innovation Policy Consortium (TIPC) in recent years in high and upper-middle-income countries.

The TIPC is a group of policymakers and funding agencies working together to give substance to a new framing for STI policy that aims to contribute to addressing global societal challenges, as encapsulated in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. These include climate change, inequality, employment, and pathways to economic growth and development.

Case studies will be developed by in-country researchers using the TIPC methodology to help identify specific recommendations for STI policy. The three selected countries will also have an opportunity to engage in the global conversation around innovation policy with the entire consortium, and to explore opportunities for continued participation beyond the pilot phase. This project will directly benefit the work of the Science Granting Councils Initiative in providing new research and policymaking avenues for STI in sub-Saharan Africa.

The project will build on TIPC’s successes in the past two years in reconceptualizing innovation for sustainable development, and in exploring new ways for research funders around the world to have a greater impact in this area. The TIPC approach includes policy experimentation, capacity-building, and research, which all inform local implementation projects and sustain a global research network. This network in turn aims to fundamentally change how we approach science and innovation policies, from their inception to their evaluation.