The EDHE’s Student Indaba unpacks research commercialisation

When 26 universities converged for the recent Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Student Indaba, the spotlight turned to a singular, high-stakes question: How do we bridge the chasm between academic research and commercial reality?

TUT’s Deputy Director for Innovation and Technology Transfer Office, Dr Kim Lamont-Mbawuli. An industry panel discussion expertly moderated by TUT’s Deputy Director for Innovation and Technology Transfer Office, Dr Kim Lamont-Mbawuli, tackled the question head-on, mapping out where academia, funding agencies, science parks, and corporate giants must lock arms.

Dr Hamilton Mphidi of the University of Johannesburg stressed the critical need to overhaul institutional incentives that traditionally favour academic publishing over commercial spin-outs, advocating for early intellectual property disclosures and embedding commercial minds early on.

Tebeho Seseng from the Technology Innovation Agency unpacked the realities of catalytic funding and ecosystem partnerships, emphasising how strategic stakeholder engagement bridges the gap between academic research and viable market deployment.

Prof Paul Kioni Ndirangu from Origin Research and Innovation Labs Africa made a compelling virtual case for physical science parks and shared deep-tech infrastructure, arguing that industry “challenge owners” must dictate research and development problems up front.

Ntombi Radebe-Tsotetsi of The Innovation Hub highlighted how pilot infrastructure, circular bioeconomy value chains, and institutional guarantees help clean-tech innovations survive the perilous journey from lab bench to corporate off-taker.

Octavius Phukubye of the Mr Price Foundation addressed the capital stack puzzle, outlining how founders can navigate blended finance and build sustainable livelihood ecosystems without slipping back into vulnerability.

In closing Dr Lamont-Mbawuli emphasised that commercialisation isn’t a solo mission, but an interconnected ecosystem sport.

Panellists at the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education Student Indaba.