A culture of socially relevant innovation could prove decisive
ALMOST two decades into the 21st century, global crises such as armed conflict, food insecurity, climate change, disease, terrorism, unemployment and growing poverty and inequality continue unabated.
Although challenges may seem daunting, we dare not become despondent. More than ever, we need to intensify our search for lasting solutions.
One way to achieve this is through innovation, that is, thinking and doing things differently. One could argue that humanity’s survival depends on creative thinking.
Addressing the challenges we face will require more than just new products. While technological innovation is vital, it is not enough to solve all societal problems. We should also focus on social innovation.
We have to look at how social innovations, such as carnivals and festivals, could help address rising unemployment, poverty and disease, especially in developing countries.
In her 2011 book, Innovation Design: Creating Value for People, Organisations, and Society, Elke den Ouden makes a similar point. She argues that tackling societal challenges requires a deeper level of innovation than just inventing products that sell well.
According to Den Ouden, social innovation is important because it enhances people’s capacity to work together in finding sustainable solutions to societal problems.
Unfortunately, many societal challenges persist because we do not venture beyond our existing problem-solving paradigms. Our creative juices only start to flow when we find our- selves in a desperate situation.
We lack creative thinking and the ability to ask questions about the way in which the use, size and form of technologies could be enhanced to solve some of the problems we face.
When we start to think deeper and also change our behaviour, we are more likely to find solutions that we never thought existed.
World Creativity and Innovation Day on April 21 encouraged people to think deeper and generate ideas that could help create a brighter future.
Since critical thinking is often the beginning of innovation, universities could do well to heed the message. As places of knowledge production and innovation, universities play a key role in solving societal problems. In a recent speech at the Cape Town Chamber of Commerce, the new rector and vice-chancellor of Stellenbosch University (SU), Prof Wim de Villiers, alluded to this when he said that society expects universities to fulfil this role.
He added that the university environment offered an excellent breeding ground for innovation because it puts for- ward critical questions.
In this regard, SU was playing its part. Through Innovus – a company that mediated SU’s industry interaction and promoted innovation – 59 PCT patents (Patent Cooperation Treaty) were registered from 2009 to 2014 – the most in the country, even more than CSIR.
LaunchLab functioned as a business accelerator, boosting entrepreneurship on the campus through network opportunities, mentorship and affordable rental rates for start-ups.
The work being done clearly indicated that SU was commit- ted to creating more products, commercialising intellectual property, and enhancing its impact on society.
Central to these endeavours was the need for the university to be socially relevant, and to focus on unlocking new knowledge for the express purpose of the betterment of our society.
Although our problems are serious, solutions might be just around the corner. A culture of innovation could prove decisive.
Professor Eugene Cloete is the Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation at Stellenbosch University.