Building Sustainable Partnerships and Networks for Research and Innovation
In an increasingly complex and interconnected world, innovation rarely happens in isolation. Collaboration between researchers and innovators is key to solving complex challenges, finding new opportunities, and driving sustainable development.
The International Development Innovation Alliance (IDIA) Strengthening Innovation Ecosystems paper emphasises building a collaborative culture as a key to advancing innovation. Promoting a culture of networking and collaboration enables the sharing of knowledge, expertise, and resources, which amplifies impact and leads to more effective solutions. However, achieving this requires intentional efforts to overcome barriers such as competition, mistrust, and low awareness of roles and responsibilities among ecosystem actors, which often hinder potential partnerships. By bridging these divides, networking and collaboration not only facilitates collective problem-solving but also strengthens the broader innovation ecosystem, making it more resilient and capable of addressing evolving societal needs.
A Research and Innovation (R&I) ecosystem refers to the interconnected institutions, actors, policies, and infrastructure that support the generation and application of knowledge to solve real-world problems. While a research ecosystem focuses on knowledge creation through academic and scientific inquiry, an innovation ecosystem—as defined by IDIA—is “the dynamic and interdependent set of actors, institutions, policies, and enabling conditions that work together to develop and scale innovations for social and economic impact.” The two are increasingly viewed as interdependent, where research provides the evidence base, while innovation ensures its application and impact. R&I ecosystems usually operate with the objective of commercialisation.
In recent times, the international development space has seen growing interest and intention among funders in strengthening networks, partnerships, and convenings as the foundation of efficient R&I ecosystems.
The Research and Innovation Systems for Africa (RISA) Fund, supported by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), as part of the African Technology and Innovation Partnership (ATIP) and the Strengthening Research in Africa (SRIA) programmes, is designed to identify and support linkages between research and innovation systems to improve integration and coordination across six countries in Africa. By leveraging and adapting IDIA’s Ecosystem Strengthening Goals (ESGs), RISA seeks to create more sustainable, inclusive, and effective R&I ecosystems built on cutting-edge research that addresses Africa’s challenges, with strong potential for market viability and sustainable impact.