Project overall aim and specific objectives
AHEAD project aims to enhance the management, governance, teaching, research and evaluation capacities of partner higher education institutions from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in view of enabling them to implement the knowledge triangle and better integrate their research, education and innovation functions in support of innovation for sustainable development and inclusive growth.
The specific objectives include:
- To enable higher education institutions (HEIs) from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to review and reform their institutional structures and agendas, build the vital human capital and strengthen the managerial expertise needed to lead and manage knowledge flows and innovation partnerships with a variety of stakeholders in the field of sustainable development, entrepreneurship and inclusive growth;
- To contribute to the knowledge and teaching base of the partner HEIs form Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in the field of innovation management and inclusive innovation, as well as to build their capacities for entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship education;
- To create inclusive stakeholder-oriented university-led support structures and communication platforms with diverse partners in the innovation system in view of nurturing local entrepreneurship and inclusive development in the participating partner countries.
The project seeks to help the Kenyan, Tanzanian and Ugandan Partner Universities achieve improvement in the following aspects:
- Aligning teaching and research with community engagement, knowledge transfer, innovation and entrepreneurship support in local economies
- Aligning research activities with socio-economic challenges and key national development goals
- Taking leadership of open innovation and knowledge exchange in both low-tech and high-tech sectors, in particular by following a multidisciplinary approach, involving a variety of stakeholders and building the necessary human capital and managerial skills
- Building human capacities, support structures and expertise to promote grassroots innovation, entrepreneurship at the local level, and inclusive innovation
- Integrating themselves into their external environment and contributing to local economic growth