UNIICo-Create

Project number: 101179301
Duration: 36months
Activity: ERASMUS-EDU-2024-CBHE-STRAND-3

The UNIICo-Create project supports the transformation of universities in the SADC region into entrepreneurial hubs that drive innovation, co-creation, and job creation. By strengthening collaboration between universities, industry, and civil society, the project contributes to broader economic development across the region.

At its core, the project promotes the co-creation of curricula, institutional capacity, systems, processes, and policy, all aimed at building entrepreneurial universities equipped to respond to regional challenges and opportunities.

Training and supporting academic leaders in four SADC countries to co-create curricula with industry and community partners, fostering a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation across institutions.
Piloting the establishment of Co-Creation Units (CCUs) within university Technology Transfer Offices to enable collaboration between students, staff, and industry partners.
Developing a regional ecosystem of change agents who can influence and inform policy on university-industry cooperation, curriculum design, and joint qualifications to support the growth of entrepreneurial universities in the SADC region.

SARUA plays a key role in project coordination, policy development, capacity building, and long-term sustainability planning, helping to ensure the project’s lasting impact across the SADC higher education landscape.

Snapshot of Workplan for UNIICo-Create

UNIVERSITY-INDUSTRY-MINISTRY ENTERPRENUESHIP CO-CREATION JOURNEY

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WP1

Project Management & M&E

Install Project Management Team

Install Steering Committee

Develop Project Management Guidelines and Operational Plan

Constitute UNI Co-create consortium

Nominate Higher Education Reform Experts at all SADC partner universities

Install Project Implementation Teams, Training, Quality and Communities of Practice (CoPs)

Develop and Implement M&E Plan

SO:1,2,3

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WP2

Embedding university-industry collaboration in the institutional systems & processes

Conduct study visit for best practice learning design principles for an Entrepreneurial University

Develop SOPs for co-creation units

Establish co-creation units at each SADC university

Install equipment for innovation & enterprise development

Install University-Industry Advisory Boards at each SADC university

SO:1,2,3

WP3

Interactive, hybrid regional training program on university-industry co-creation

Establish regional CoPs

Train participants on co-creation unit operation

Train participants in curriculum co-creation

Host Virtual Cafe for dialogue-inspired learning

Train participants in higher education policy design

Develop online toolkit for establishing and operating university-industry co-creation units

SO:1,2,3

WP4

Embedding innovation & entrepreneurship in co-created curricula at the regional scale

Conduct study visit on Entrepreneurship education

Universities and industry co-create joint study module

Joint study module subjected to expert review

Joint study module piloted at each SADC university

Conduct feasibility study on potential for entrepreneurship joint qualifications and team teaching within SADC

SO:1,2,3

WP5

Enhancing regulatory & national/regional support for curriculum co-creation, joint qualifications & team teaching

Install working groups for developing policy briefs on enhancing the delivery of joint entrepreneurship and fostering industry-university collaboration in the SADC

Conduct intra-African Training Assistance Missions for ministries and policy partners: capacitation for policy brief implementation

SO:1,2,3

WP6

Ecosystem building, dissemination & sustainability

Hold SADC university-industry collaboration conference

Develop and implement Visibility and dissemination plan

Set-up and maintain project website

Develop Sustainability Plan

SO:1,2,3

SO1: To train and support academic leaders to co-create curricula with industry and societal partners, across 4 SADC countries, to develop a university-wide culture of entrepreneurship and innovation.
SO2: To pilot in 4 SADC countries the embedding of co-creation units within university Technology Transfer Offices that facilitate co-creation between students, staff and industry partners for the purposes of building entrepreneurial universities.
SO4:To create an ecosystem of agents of change in SADC countries, that can systematically shape/inform policies related to university-industry cooperation, curriculum design and joint qualifications that will help build Entrepreneurial Universities.

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SARUA’s role in the UNIICo-Create project

SARUA contributes to the UNIICo-Create project through a range of activities and deliverables across multiple work packages. These include:

Work Package 1: Management and quality monitoring

SARUA is a lead beneficiary along with THENSA and OBREAL.

Task 1.1 – SARUA is part of the project management team (PMT), responsible for technical management and reporting.
Task 1.3 – SARUA will develop project management guidelines and an operational plan.
Task 1.6 – Involvement in nominating higher education reform experts (HEREs) for SADC partner universities.
Task 1.7 – SARUA is part of the project implementation teams (training team and quality team).
Task 1.8 – SARUA, along with OBREAL and UM, will develop and implement the Monitoring Evaluation (M & E) Plan.

Work Package 2: Embedding university–industry collaboration

Task 2.6 – SARUA will help SADC universities set up university-industry advisory boards through virtual meetings.

Work Package 3: Designing and delivering an interactive, hybrid regional training programme

Task 3.1 – SARUA will support the establishment of regional communities of practice (CoPs) focusing on teaching, entrepreneurship and policy.
Task 3.3 – SARUA participates in the curriculum co-creation workshop.
Task 3.5 – SARUA will be involved in co-developing curriculum content for pilot modules.

Work Package 4: Integrating innovation and entrepreneurship into curricula

Task 4.2 – SARUA and NUL, supported by THENSA, will guide SADC universities in developing a joint study module.
Task 4.4 – SARUA is involved in piloting the module at SADC universities.

Work Package 5: Enhancing regulatory and national/SADC support

SARUA will participate in working groups focused on enhancing entrepreneurship qualifications and Industry-university collaboration.
Task 5.3 – SARUA contributes to drafting policy briefs for SADC.

Work Package 6: Ecosystem development, dissemination and sustainability

Task 6.1 – SARUA is involved in organising the SADC University-Industry Collaboration Conference.
Task 6.5 – SARUA will help develop the sustainability plan.