Bridging the innovation chasm: Measuring awareness of entrepreneurship and innovation policies and platforms at the universities of technology in South Africa

Abstract

Bridging the innovation chasm requires different solutions, one of which is awareness. In the university context, it is important to measure the awareness of the university community in respect of entrepreneurship and innovation policies and/or platforms. Against this backdrop, this paper contributes to the discussion on the entrepreneurial and innovation chasm by reporting on the task of measuring awareness of entrepreneurship and innovation policies and/or platforms that could promote the establishment and development of university-sponsored student business ventures at the universities of technology in South Africa. To measure awareness, structured interview questions were used to collect data from students using face-to-face interviews, and with staff members, using telephonic interviews (with questions sent prior to the interviews). Answers were coded and analyzed through Microsoft Excel. The findings showed that most students and some staff members were not aware of the policies and platforms for promoting the establishment and development of university-sponsored student business ventures. To bridge the innovation chasm, universities of technology should strengthen awareness of entrepreneurship and innovation policies and platforms through visibility and accessibility.