Murimbika’s vision for Higher Education is to transform universities into innovation catalysts
At the October Higher Education Conference of Universities South Africa (USAf), Dr McEdward Murimbika, Director at the University of the Witwatersrand’s (WITS) Centre for Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation, and senior faculty at the WITS Business School, laid out his vision for how universities can evolve from traditional research-focused institutions into engines of innovation and entrepreneurship. His presentation provided a roadmap for universities to serve their communities and economies better.
Addressing the topic: The Entrepreneurial University and Formalising Relationships with Six External Partners, Dr Murimbika said the university’s future lies in redefining its traditional role. Historically, universities have functioned as centres for intellectual discovery, producing research that contributed to academic and societal knowledge. However, as the world faces increasing economic, environmental, and social challenges, he argues that universities must expand their remit to become hubs of knowledge exchange that actively engage with society. This transformation goes beyond producing research; institutions must ensure their knowledge leads to tangible societal impact.
The knowledge exchange imperative
Dr Murimbika (left) kicked off by reflecting on the core mission of universities over the past century. He said the traditional university has stood as a fortress of intellectualism, where knowledge is produced and disseminated. However, he asserted that, as the dynamics of needs within society change, so does this role. Universities must now become hubs of knowledge exchange, not just knowledge creation.
“The question is, what are we going to do for the next hundred years? And naturally, when one does a quick survey of a university environment, you find faculties, schools, centres, units, and divisions that all operate in silos,” he said. But today, universities are challenged to adopt a third task, which means moving beyond high-impact research and education to a model that transfers knowledge to society and the economy.
According to him, knowledge transfer should involve much more than knowledge production or even the granting of patents. Instead, efforts should be channeled toward finding practical ways of converting academic discoveries to innovation. “We can have piles and piles of inventions, but until those inventions have gone into the hands of end-users and entrepreneurs, we cannot talk about innovation,” he posited.
A moonshot mindset on transformation
Dr Murimbika asked the audience to consider whether universities should opt for outdated models of change or embrace cutting-edge approaches to transformation. He referenced the restructuring at the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) as an example of how institutions can rethink their strategies to meet future challenges.
He explained how the university moved beyond its traditional role of academic research generator towards a more holistic approach that includes innovation and entrepreneurship. “The first step was to restructure the university leadership,” he said. “The vice-chancellor’s office, which used to focus solely on research, was reconfigured to become the office of research and innovation. It’s no longer just about high-impact research but about asking what happens with that research.”
This restructuring, Dr. Murimbika noted, was part of a greater strategy in tune with the university’s framework of Vision 2030. A key theme of this strategy has been catalysing innovation and entrepreneurship, ensuring that research conducted within the institution would find application in real-world problems. “We are now focused on converting the knowledge we generate into innovations that can impact society,” he said.
Addressing the entrepreneurship gap
According to him, South Africa represents an interesting paradox regarding entrepreneurship. “South Africa ranks as one of the highest countries regarding entrepreneurial intent, but we are among the lowest regarding action. The entrepreneurial gap is evident,” he stated.
He blamed this on many factors, including fragmented support ecosystems and lack of access to continuous learning and development. According to him, universities should close this gap by providing the infrastructure, resources, and networks necessary to implement entrepreneurial intent.
WITS has chosen to address this by developing innovation hubs and centres of entrepreneurship targeted at assisting students and staff in acquiring entrepreneurial skills. According to Dr. Murimbika, one of the very important decisions taken by the university was to mandate its Dean of Student Affairs to oversee these various initiatives. He said, “We gave the Dean of Student Affairs the capacity to create entrepreneurial hubs where students, regardless of their programme of study, can engage in entrepreneurship.” He added the strength of this strategy lies in the Dean of Student Affairs’ access and reach to all students, whereas faculty deans only access students in their respective disciplines.
Partnering for success
This entrepreneurship guru also touched on the university’s role in partnering with external stakeholders to foster an innovative ecosystem. He mentioned WITS’ collaborations with institutions like IBM and Anglo-American helped it develop digital precincts and entrepreneurship centres with resources and opportunities for its students and entrepreneurs.
Of particular note is how the university has partnered with one Sector Education and Training Authority, which seeks to address the gaps in knowledge and capacity many entrepreneurs face after leaving formal education. “We’ve identified that entrepreneurship is not something you can just set up and walk away from,” Dr Murimbika stated. “Many incubators focus on how many people come in, but not on how many successful businesses come out. Entrepreneurship takes much more than just starting a business.”
This partnership with the Services SETA will involve creating an Institute of Entrepreneurship, providing continuous learning opportunities for graduates and entrepreneurs to ensure they can sustainably grow their ventures. The goal is to create a support system that helps entrepreneurs start businesses and scale them to the point where they can contribute meaningfully to the economy.
Rebuilding Johannesburg through innovation
Dr Murimbika went on to talk about reclaiming Johannesburg by tapping into resources to transform the city’s infrastructure. In partnership with Anglo-American, WITS acquired some of its old headquarters in the Johannesburg CBD to establish a Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. It’s part of a bigger project called “Jozi My Jozi,” reclaiming marginal buildings and turning them into high-functioning spaces for innovation and development.
“We believe that a university can revitalise a city like Johannesburg,” Dr. Murimbika said. “Rather than building walls and isolating ourselves, we must engage with the city to ensure that our knowledge and resources contribute to the city’s transformation.”
In conclusion, Dr Murimbika’s points on knowledge exchange, innovation, entrepreneurship, and strategic partnerships within the context of the conference theme of The Future of the University, offered a practical and visionary roadmap for how institutions of higher learning can re-position themselves for the future.
Dr Murimbika has three decades’ experience as both an entrepreneur, business development advisory practitioner and scholar in the fields of entrepreneurship and new venture creation, and strategic management. He is a multi-disciplinary scholar and strategic entrepreneurship and management professional with experience in the fields of exponential & emerging technologies convergence; global entrepreneurship; entrepreneurial leadership; and business applied research. He is a distinguished academic with dual doctorates in Management and Archaeology as well as multiple master’s degrees and multi-disciplinary postgraduate qualifications in palaeopathology, entrepreneurship and higher education, among others.
Mduduzi Mbiza is a commissioned writer for Universities South Africa.
