Innovation Ecosystems Laboratory

The Innovation Ecosystems Laboratory (IEL) examines different sectors seeking to understand how a range of technical, economic, social and political factors affect science, technology and innovation ecosystems in local, regional, national, and global contexts. Our empirically rich and conceptually sound explorations help us contribute towards deeper understandings of how these ecosystems can best be configured, transformed, re-imagined, re-shaped, supported and sustained.

The Laboratory is the platform for an ongoing collaboration between researchers from UCL Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy, the University of Rwanda (UR), and Rwanda Polytechnic (RP), and other collaborating universities, most notably the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in South Africa.  

News

• STEaPP Blog - Science funding for crisis response and long-term resilience
• STEaPP Blog - Science-as-unusual in a post-COVID-19 pandemic world?
• STEaPP Blog - COVID-19: how much do local science system capabilities matter in Africa?
• University of Rwanda News - UR and UCL complete an assessment of the influence of the Science Granting Councils Initiative on science systems in Sub-Saharan Africa

Project conferences and seminars

UCL STEaPP Seminar. February 2024. ‘Political Economy Analysis of Science Granting Councils in Sub-Saharan Africa (PEA-3 Project) Work-in-Progress. A West Africa and Global Perspective’. Mugwagwa, J., Washbourne, C. L., Twiringiyimana, R., & Albero, F. G. (presenting)

UR Seminar. October 2023. ‘Political Economy Analysis of Science Granting Councils in Sub-Saharan Africa (PEA-3 Project) Work-in-Progress. An Eastern Africa Perspective’. Kagwesage, A. M., & Yongabo, P. (presenting)

UJ Seminar. February 2023. ‘Political Economy Analysis of Science Granting Councils in Sub-Saharan Africa (PEA-3 Project) Work-in-Progress. A Southern Perspective’. Yeo, W., Chipango, E., & Onyango, L. (presenting)

World Science Forum. December 2022. Conference: ‘Social and economic relevance, influence and responsibilities of science.’ As part of the IEL’s involvement in the Political Economy Analysis (Phase three) of the Science Granting Councils Initiative in sub-Saharan Africa.

Development Studies Association Conference. July 2022. Panel: ‘Urban-centric innovation ecosystems and sustainable development: Views from COVID-19 & beyond’

NCST Training Workshops, supported by UCL’s Global Engagement Teaching Funds. February 2022 and May 2022. Workshop: ‘Capacity strengthening for science system actors: Workshop with Rwandan stakeholders’.

1st Rwanda STI Conference. March-April 2022. ‘COVID-19 and science systems in Africa: an opportunity to build forward better’.  Yongabo, P., Kagwesage, A. M., Mugwagwa, J., Washbourne, C. L., Twiringiyimana, R., & Garcia, F.A. (Award-wining presentation)

University of Rwanda – UCL Seminar. September 2021. ‘UCL-UR Collaboration on Science Systems and Development in Africa – Work-in-Progress Seminar’ Mugwagwa, J., Washbourne, C. L., Kagwesage, A. M., & Twiringiyimana, R. (presenting)

Development Studies Association Conference 2021. July 2021. Panel: ‘Science as (un)usual: COVID-19, science, innovation and societal recovery in Sub-Saharan Africa.’ Mugwagwa, J., Washbourne, C. L., Kagwesage, A. M., & Twiringiyimana, R. (presenting)  

UCL STEaPP Lunch and Learn. April 2020. ‘STECS Final Report’ Mugwagwa, J., Washbourne, C. L., Kagwesage, A. M., & Twiringiyimana, R. (presenting)

SGCI Phase one Close Out workshop, Dakar, Senegal. February 2020. ‘Preliminary Findings of Science Granting Councils Initiative in sub-Saharan Africa Training Effectiveness Case Studies Project’ 

SGCI Forum 2019, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. November 2019. ‘Science Granting Councils Initiative in sub-Saharan Africa Training Effectiveness Case Studies Project’ Mugwagwa, J., Washbourne, C. L., Kagwesage, A. M., & Twiringiyimana, R. (presenting)

Team

Lead Institution
UCL
 
UCL PI
Prof Julius Mugwagwa

UCL Team
Dr Carla Washbourne, Professor Joanna Chataway, Dr Bipashyee Ghosh, Dr Margaret Siyawamwaya, Weijia Ding, Remy Twiringiyimana, Han Jiang

Academic collaborators
Professor Anne Marie Kagwesage, Co-PI, University of Rwanda.

Dr Parfait Yongabo, Rwanda Polytechnic

Fernando Fernando Garcia Albero, UCL STEaPP MPA Alumni, Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI).

Katrina Barker, UCL STEaPP MPA Alumni and Innovation Advisor. 

Key publications

Mugwagwa, J., Washbourne, C-L., Kagwesage, A.M., Twiringiyimana, R. (2023). STECS Plus: An analysis of contributions to COVID-19 responses by science granting councils in selected African countries. University College London, Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (UCL-STEaPP), United Kingdom

Washbourne, C. L., Twiringiyimana, R., Kagwesage, A. M., & Mugwagwa, J. (2021). African Innovation Ecosystems Study (AIESyS) Output 1: Synthesis by country of innovation ecosystem facilitation initiatives. UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office [PDF] 

Mugwagwa, J., Kagwesage, A. M., Twiringiyimana, R. & Washbourne, C. L. (2021). African Innovation Ecosystems Study (AIESyS) Output 2: report containing recommendations for ways to support innovation ecosystem facilitation, addressing gaps, challenges and blockages building on existing strengths. UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office [PDF]

Mugwagwa, J., Washbourne, C. L., Kagwesage, A. M., & Twiringiyimana, R. (2021). STECS Plus: An analysis of contributions to COVID-19 responses by science granting councils in selected African countries. University College London [PDF]

Mugwagwa, J., Washbourne, C. L., Kagwesage, A. M., & Twiringiyimana, R. (2020). Case studies on the effectiveness of capacity strengthening activities of the science granting councils initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa. Final Technical Report / Rapport Technique Final. University College London