| IntroductionKnowledge is the key resource that | | | | development benchmarks and entrepreneurial |
| forms the institutional basis of the post-industrial | | | | training methodologies. Having these research |
| economy and society. It should be empasized that | | | | outputs available, business capabilities will be |
| it is institutions of higher education that give | | | | enhanced with regards to scaleable business |
| tangible expression to this argument by acting as | | | | venture creation, business incubation, |
| catalysts for knowledge and research-driven | | | | commercialisation of technologies, appropriate |
| economic growth as well as well-being | | | | business competition and sustainable growth |
| enhancement. All this finds embodiment within a | | | | strategies, development of practical business |
| new techno-academic paradigm in which the | | | | solutions and the effective utilisation of venture |
| academic knowledge base is center stage as a | | | | support mechanisms within the Southern African |
| determinant of industrial change, economic growth | | | | context to those that desire to start-up and |
| and general well-being. Therefore, higher education | | | | sustain their own businesses.The International |
| institutions should not be viewed as a regional or | | | | Business Case Study Centre and the Centre for |
| national resource, but rather as a node in an | | | | New Venture Creation will initially focus on two |
| increasingly seamless knowledge base, which has | | | | extremes of business creation ventures, |
| a progressively larger interface with the | | | | namely:· Those business ventures that can |
| knowledge-driven global economy.PurposeThe aim | | | | be classified as high growth ventures, |
| of this paper is to propose a research framework | | | | characterised by radical innovations and disruptive |
| for entrepreneurship and innovation suitable for a | | | | technologies.· Those business ventures than |
| developing country enabling it to become both a | | | | can be classified as low growth ventures in the |
| producer and a consumer of innovative | | | | survivalist economy.3. Research on the |
| entrepreneurial information packages. The | | | | management of innovation. Innovation is |
| information products are designed to facilitate | | | | considered to be one of the main drivers of |
| business development, and sustainable business | | | | economic growth and prosperity in the knowledge |
| practices, packaged to support entrepreneurial | | | | economy. Understanding and managing innovation |
| ventures in distinct epistemic cultural settings for | | | | processes and structures in general and |
| use by multiple participants in the entrepreneurial | | | | particularly in Southern Africa have the potential |
| system. The proposal is based upon a model | | | | for huge benefits for actors, local clusters, and |
| applied at Tshwane University of Technology in | | | | the national system of innovation. Research in this |
| South Africa.A proposed R&D FrameworkA | | | | area should promote knowledge in the fields of |
| centralised R&D focus and strategic aim is | | | | technopreneurship and technology management |
| essential if Institutions of Higher Education want to | | | | and transfer as well as intellectual property.The |
| act as a node in an increasingly seamless | | | | last requirement is to investigate the |
| knowledge base economy. A typical vision could | | | | interrelationships between the set research |
| be to research and develop innovation business | | | | parameters on Entrepreneurship and Innovation. |
| venture protocols and prototypes in the fields of | | | | Although the two concepts are highly related to |
| business clustering, business development and | | | | one another the interplay between the concepts |
| management of innovation appropriate for specific | | | | are seldom investigated.ConclusionIt is envisaged |
| regional environments in Southern Africa to be | | | | that the outputs of the research and |
| used by entrepreneurs, policy makers, and | | | | development will extend the boundaries of |
| institutions of learning. The research domain could | | | | business and technology innovations by making |
| then be divided into mainstreams, culminating in | | | | information and knowledge useful. The created |
| specific value added outputs. The entrepreneurship | | | | business ventures protocols and information |
| and innovation outputs should typically been | | | | packages as well as the management of |
| information products that are considered to be | | | | innovation, aim at designing and modelling |
| prerequisites for successful and sustainable | | | | entrepreneurial support tools for the transfer and |
| entrepreneurial ventures and processes as well as | | | | distribution of business venture information. The |
| for the effective management of innovation.The | | | | developed packages will create an enabling |
| second requirement is the formulation and | | | | environment and an efficient information support |
| establishment of the R&D parameters, which | | | | services to entrepreneurs, policy makers and |
| defines the boundaries or scope of permissible | | | | learning institutions in Southern Africa. |
| R&D conduct. The parameters can for example | | | | Furthermore, they will provide valuable information |
| easily be defined in terms of three strategic | | | | to promote, develop and participate in intensive |
| parameters, namely:1. To firstly conduct research | | | | knowledge and technology based business |
| on business clustering commonalities (networks) in | | | | incubators. Establishing business links between |
| order to enhance the competitive basis of firms in | | | | business clustering, business development and the |
| the Southern African market place through a | | | | management of innovation offers a great |
| process of sharing information, grouping of | | | | opportunity for high quality research as business |
| resources and outputs, as well as sharing of | | | | information, product transfer and distribution, |
| factors of production; secondly, on business | | | | business development, and management of |
| clustering formation and causes for these | | | | innovation - although closely related - are |
| formations in order to understand opportunities | | | | traditionally kept apart. The outcomes of the |
| and constraints in specific clusters and lastly, the | | | | research will contribute to discover underlying |
| development business clustering algorithms in | | | | patterns within related business ventures and |
| order to simulate specific business models and | | | | innovations, as well as within similar business |
| business environments.2. Researchers will | | | | environments. Data provided will not only support |
| contribute to the International Business Case | | | | better management of innovation and business |
| Study Centre and to the Centre for New Venture | | | | development ventures, but it will also enable new |
| Creation, which will serve as business | | | | and established entrepreneurs to speed up and |
| development learning environments for | | | | improve business decision-making.Jan Grundling is |
| entrepreneurs, other researchers, students and | | | | Head of the Centre for Entrepreneurship at |
| policy makers. Research will focus on business | | | | Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa. |
| best practices, successful new venture creation, | | | | He has published extensively in Journals and |
| technological entrepreneurship, growth indicators, | | | | presented various papers ar national and |
| research and innovation of key business | | | | international conferences. |