Meetings and gatherings at IASP Nairobi

If the conference programme wasn’t packed enough, IASP Nairobi also enabled members to have smaller gatherings, making the most of being together at this international event. 

IASP Board meeting

IASP Board members met for a strategic meeting, reviewing the year so far and discussing points to develop with regards to the association and it onwards trajectory. This will be followed up on in the longer IASP Board meeting which will be held in person at the IASP Headquarters in Malaga.

IASP Advisory Council Meeting

Our thinktank met up during the IASP international event in order to discuss some ideas to put forward to the IASP Board, providing some thought pieces and suggestions for the association looking ahead to the next 5-10 years.

IASP African Division 

Having the conference in Kenya, it was a great opportunity to bring together IASP Africa Division members and other colleagues, where as well as hearing updates from IASP CEO Ebba Lund and Africa Division President John Tanui they also got to hear from the Governor of Nairobi, Sakaja Johnson. Comments and discussion was also held on fostering the potential of Africa in the global STP/AOI industry, building on the current innovation activity to support and help each other. 

Women in IASP

New community Coordinator Roz Bird, Norwich Research Park (UK), welcomed a group of female IASP members to discuss ideas and programmes for supporting female entreprenership within the network, and share best practices. The group also has monthly online catch ups. For more details email women@iasp.ws for more details.

IASP Innovation Districts Alliance 

This group of IASP members, coordinated by Josep Pique (representing 22@ Barcelona, Spain) brought together global leaders in innovation districts where they heard updates on current activities since earlier meetings in Glasgow and Luxembourg and discussed ongoing projects for collaboration.  KACST Innovation District (Saudi Arabia) was welcomed as a new member of the group.

WAINOVA 

This alliance of national, regional and international associations of STPs/AOIs, coordinated by the IASP Headquarters gathered representatives present at the Nairobi event to discuss collaboration, this time with a zoom in on the value of national networks to strengthen the STP/AOI industry in a given country. Takeaways were drawn from a workshop on this topic held earlier this year by KACST and IASP, and a paper with contributions from all attendees will soon be available in the IASP knowledge room.

Side event: NACOSTI
The National Commission for Science Technology and Innovation in Kenya held a side event  during IASP Nairobi. It was the the inaugural County Consultative Forum which was  attended by County Focal Persons from 9 Counties in Kenya. It was chaired by the NACOSTI Board Chair Prof. Raphael Munavu and facilitated by Prof. Walter Oyawa, the Director General of the Commission assisted by Dr. David Ngigi, Director Advisories, Standards and Licensing.The Forum aimed to explore and accelerate the integration of Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) at the county level.

Side event: vice chancellors roundtable

This event gathered vice chancellors discussing the catalytic role of academic institutions in advancing innovation through science parks. 

Side event:  collaborations economic advancements through science parks and areas of innovation

At this Roundtable with representatives of ministers, public-private collaborations took center stage in promoting tech innovations. Adam Lane from Huawei Kenya shared how they partnered with Konza Technopolis on tech infrastructure, research, and training. Dr. Kim Doo Young, Senior Advisor EIPP Kenya, highlighted Korea's involvement in Kenya's tech growth. Other insights were shared by Jimmy Moore (The Bridge Tech Global-LLC), Prof. Walter Oyawa and Njoki Karanja (EPRA), emphasizing the vital role of science parks, regulatory frameworks, and energy in innovation.