Innovation Ecosystem in Higher Education Towards Sustainable Development

Abstract

The innovation ecosystem in higher education has attracted much public and scholarly attention. In this sense, universities are now demanded to be part of the innovation ecosystems as they commercialize their outcomes of research, create knowledge-based enterprises, and converge with the captains of industry and commerce. Unfortunately, the innovation ecosystem in higher education towards sustainable development in Africa is under-researched. Hence, this chapter aims to establish the benefits of innovation ecosystems in higher education towards sustainable development focused on Africa. The results from the thematic analysis showed various benefits of innovation ecosystems in higher education towards sustainable development in general and more specifically for Africa, namely encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration, enhancing research and development, producing enterprising graduates, inculcating entrepreneurial culture, promoting economic growth, and enhancing the reputation of the institution.