The newly launched University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) Innovation Centre (WIC) will coordinate the work of academic and innovation programmes, bring industry into the university ecosystem and act to take innovation to society to achieve beneficial impacts.

“Wits is a research-intensive university and a highly innovative space, but what is lacking is coordination. This is what the WIC is intended to do. The WIC will help to ensure research has a beneficial impact on the real world,” Wits research and innovation deputy vice-chancellor Professor Lynn Morris said at the launch of the centre on April 17.

The WIC was also the centrepiece of Wits' innovation strategy and Wits vice-chancellor and principal Professor Zeblon Vilakazi had made innovation one of the strategic priorities of the university, she added.

Morris thanked Wits director of innovation and Wits Joburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE) director Professor Barry Dwolatsky for being the driving force behind the WIC and for proposing the concept.

“Wits is an innovative university. It produces a large body of excellent research and garners more industry funding than any other university in Africa. It has a digital incubator programme, hosts one of 13 IBM laboratories and has commercial and health consortia, as well as the Donald Gordon Medical Centre academic hospital, which is a rich source of innovation in healthcare.

“Why do we need the WIC? Wits has a strategic advantage of being located in the industrial epicentre of South Africa. We have the right ingredients, but we are lacking the focus and intentionality necessary for driving innovation,” Morris said.

The WIC would enable and support innovation and promote an innovation mindset. It would serve as a centre for promotion, advocacy and best practice, she added.

INNOVATION PRACTICE
The launch included a conversation between WIC director and Angela and David Fine Chair in Innovation Dr Adam Pantanowitz and South African-born serial inventor and entrepreneur Dr David Fine.

Fine spoke about the practice of innovation and the practices of innovators. He noted that few innovations came from experts; rather, such innovations tended to come from newcomers to a field.

He suggested that those aiming to be innovators gain sufficient knowledge of a problem or discipline to understand it, and then develop ideas for solving challenges.

These potential solutions must then be developed, tested and carefully documented, and any potential solutions must be replicable to be able to challenge the reigning wisdom of how a challenge can be addressed.

In the field of analytical chemistry, Fine developed a method to detect traces of nitrosamines in foods, body fluids and in factories.

“When I developed this, I thought of an idea in total naïvity to heat the samples and measure the levels of nitric oxide. It worked, but it took two years to gain acceptance.

“The key question is why the experts did not get to the solution. The answer is that, to a beginner's mind, there are many opportunities, but to an expert's, there are few,” he said.

Fine proposed that innovators could develop solutions while still new to a field or problem and then read further to become experts and innovators.

However, he emphasised that innovators must use good scientific methods and be able to prove every step.

“While making the leap and then coming back to fill in the gaps is acceptable, any solution must be reproducible and be proven independently by colleagues. The innovator can then comfortably deal with any criticisms that arise,” he said.

Further, Fine highlighted the benefit he gained from switching between disciplines which presented him with new problems, and emphasised the importance of diverse, cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary views and teams.

“Each very different professional stimulates others, once they have enough knowledge of the other's field to understand. Once you have understanding and respect, progress can be very rapid,” he noted.

Fine, who is now retired, has donated R50-million to Wits, his alma mater, to establish the WIC.

Meanwhile, Wits dean of science Professor Nithaya Chetty, who supported the WIC early in the two-year process, emphasised that innovators wanted to be inspired by problems.

However, he added that the research of the university must not be diluted, as it provided the best basis from which to drive innovative plans and programmes.

“Quality science requires quality research. With its strong research endeavours, Wits can grow innovation and develop more collaboration, with practitioners working in multidisciplinary teams to solve common problems.

“We want to be inspired to develop new ideas and thoughts. We want to be inspired by the problems.”

Dwolatsky said South Africa and Africa had many problems and that there was much scope for innovation.

Further, the WIC would be a place for internal Wits staff and students and external partner companies, organisations and civil society to go to secure support for innovation. It would be a hub for training and partnerships, said Morris.

It also presents another opportunity for Wits to engage with industry through industrial solutions laboratories. Wits has signed JSE-listed telecommunications company Telkom for its first industry solutions lab.

“Through our Solutions Labs, the Wits Innovation Centre will provide a powerful platform to address industry, community, and societal problems with an entrepreneurial mindset. By involving multiple faculties, disciplines, entrepreneurs, students, and industry partners, we will foster a collaborative environment that promotes cross-pollination of ideas and a diversity of perspectives,” said WIC senior programme manager Letlotlo Phohole.

“This will not only enhance the quality and breadth of innovations but also create a community that encourages experimentation and risk-taking, and instils an entrepreneurial mindset that values agility, resilience and adaptability,” he added.

Further, the Solutions Labs may draw inspiration from a variety of design processes and concepts.

“This will allow us to explore multiple avenues of problem-solving and leverage the strengths of each approach to create innovative solutions with real-world impact. This multidisciplinary approach will enable us to tackle complex challenges and create solutions that challenge the status quo, disrupt industries, and make a positive impact on society, with a focus on commercialization opportunities for SMEs and industry partners,” said Phohole.

The WIC presented an opportunity to leverage Wits' research to solve real-world problems and expose its staff and students to different ways of thinking and, thus, different ways of thinking about and solving problems, Morris said.

“We must use our knowledge for the advancement of our community, city, country, continent and the globe to produce both tangible and intangible outputs for the benefit of society, for good.

“It is, therefore, important that we create an environment that is conducive for innovation to take place and where there is a strong correlation between innovation and a willingness to take risks. For universities to develop and grow an innovative mindset, it is essential that risk-taking is supported and encouraged,” Morris noted.