Transforming Institutions into Innovation Powerhouses

<p>NEIL empowers universities to become hubs of innovation and entrepreneurship. Through leadership development and institutional capacity building, we help institutions embed entrepreneurial thinking across teaching, research, and strategy. Our work strengthens innovation culture, improves governance, and enables institutions to generate meaningful socio-economic impact. NEIL transforms academic environments into engines of creativity, problem-solving, and long-term institutional and national development.</p>

The NEIL Approach

We help institutions unlock their full entrepreneurial potential by championing innovation and innovative research, pushing for system transformation and building powerful partnerships. NEIL uses a collaborative approach, uniting leaders from academia, industry, and government to co-create solutions for institutional transformation, with a focus on capacity building and research commercialisation, equipping institutions with tools like TTOaaS, venture building, and student-led innovation programs. Our approach is values-driven and Afrocentric, ensuring innovation is ethical, sustainable, and rooted in Africa's unique identity and context.

Champion InnovationEmpowering institutions to commercialize research and support student startups.

Cultivating entrepreneurial capacity within academic institutions

The main focus for NEIL is to ensure member institutions are constantly making and implementing strategies to ensure clear innovation pathways and research commercialisation. Programs like TTOaaS and Student-led Innovation help institutions turn great research ideas into real-world impact, and nurture the next generation of innovators

Drive Institutional ChangeHelping leaders embed entrepreneurship into policies, programs, and culture.

Redesigning systems for entrepreneurial leadership

We work with visionary leaders to transform their mindset and agitate for transformation structures from a basic research approach focused on research publications, to the development of research commercialisation frameworks and creating an environment for students and faculty to express their innovativeness to solve challenges within the institutions and the communities around them. This is guided by peer learning, the development of strategic frameworks like the Entrepreneurial Institutional Maturity Framework (EIMF), and capacity-building workshops for faculty.

Building Strategic Partnerships Connecting academia, industry, and government to unlock impact and funding.

Bridging ecosystems to unlock innovation potential

NEIL brings together institutional leaders, industries, local and international government bodies and funders who work together to achieve a common goal – growing entrepreneurial institutions. The network champions for cross-industry collaboration to break the silos, and thus, that innovation serves a purpose, like-minded teams work together

Transformative Programs for Institutional Growth

NEIL offers a suite of high-impact programs designed to unlock the full entrepreneurial potential of universities and research institutions. From technology transfer and venture building to student innovation and faculty exchange, our programs strengthen ecosystems and accelerate innovation at every level.

Explore Our Latest Initiatives

Stay up to date with NEIL’s newest projects advancing research commercialization, innovation funding, and ecosystem development. These bold initiatives reflect our continued drive to shape the future of higher education and entrepreneurship across Africa.

Our Member Institutions

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