Introduction
Knowledge is the key resource that forms the institutional basis of the post-industrial economy and society. It should be empasized that it is institutions of higher education that give tangible expression to this argument by acting as catalysts for knowledge and research-driven economic growth as well as well-being enhancement. All this finds embodiment within a new techno-academic paradigm in which the academic knowledge base is center stage as a determinant of industrial change, economic growth and general well-being. Therefore, higher education institutions should not be viewed as a regional or national resource, but rather as a node in an increasingly seamless knowledge base, which has a progressively larger interface with the knowledge-driven global economy.
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to propose a research framework for entrepreneurship and innovation suitable for a developing country enabling it to become both a producer and a consumer of innovative entrepreneurial information packages. The information products are designed to facilitate business development, and sustainable Business practices, packaged to support entrepreneurial ventures in distinct epistemic cultural settings for use by multiple participants in the entrepreneurial system. The proposal is based upon a model applied at Tshwane University of Technology in South Africa.
A proposed R&D Framework
A centralised R&D focus and strategic aim is essential if Institutions of Higher Education want to act as a node in an increasingly seamless knowledge base economy. A typical vision could be to research and develop innovation business venture protocols and prototypes in the fields of business clustering, Business development and management of innovation appropriate for specific regional environments in Southern Africa to be used by entrepreneurs, policy makers, and institutions of learning. The research domain could then be divided into mainstreams, culminating in specific value added outputs. The entrepreneurship and innovation outputs should typically been information products that are considered to be prerequisites for successful and sustainable entrepreneurial ventures and processes as well as for the effective management of innovation.
The second requirement is the formulation and establishment of the R&D parameters, which defines the boundaries or scope of permissible R&D conduct. The parameters can for example easily be defined in terms of three strategic parameters, namely:
1. To firstly conduct research on Business clustering commonalities (networks) in order to enhance the competitive basis of firms in the Southern African market place through a process of sharing information, grouping of resources and outputs, as well as sharing of factors of production; secondly, on business clustering formation and causes for these formations in order to understand opportunities and constraints in specific clusters and lastly, the development business clustering algorithms in order to simulate specific business models and Business environments.
2. Researchers will contribute to the International Business Case Study Centre and to the Centre for New Venture Creation, which will serve as business development learning environments for entrepreneurs, other researchers, students and policy makers. Research will focus on business best practices, successful new venture creation, technological entrepreneurship, growth indicators, research and innovation of key business development benchmarks and entrepreneurial training methodologies. Having these research outputs available, business capabilities will be enhanced with regards to scaleable business venture creation, business incubation, commercialisation of technologies, appropriate business competition and sustainable growth strategies, development of practical business solutions and the effective utilisation of venture support mechanisms within the Southern African context to those that desire to start-up and sustain their own Businesses.
The International Business Case Study Centre and the Centre for New Venture Creation will initially focus on two extremes of
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