Establishing an Innovation Ecosystem at an University of Technology Product Development Technical Station - How Do Idea-To-Product Processes Align to the Megatrend: Individualisation & Empowerment?

A discussion of two case studies of differently abled entrepreneurs supported by the ecosystem at a Higher Education Institution (HEI) and government support system in central South Africa, in the province of the Free State for the innovation of highly individualised products that empower both a differently abled workforce and a differently abled consumer. What and how South African innovators design and produce wheelchairs tailored for users’ product need will be discussed in the context of a preferred future for the wheelchair users in each of their unique location and interest-based communities. These two projects were supported from the idea to the product stages at the Product Development Technical Station at the Central University of Technology in the Free State, providing both empowerment to differently abled innovators, their consumers and their communities while also creating specialised job opportunities for differently able persons emphasising individualism.