About

Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain) and Louvain Research Institute in Management and Organizations (LouRIM) are glad to announce the first edition of African Research Initiative Conference (AfRIC) 2022 on 24th, 25th and 26th October 2022. The 2022 AfRIC is organized by LouRIM/ Sustainable Innovative Entrepreneurship Worldwide /Africa Initiative (SIEWA Initiative: A real world Laboratory to Accelerate the Transition with Africa) with the collaboration of International Entrepreneurship Forum (IEF), International Network for SMEs (INSME) and Société Africaine de Management (SAM). AfRIC 2022 is also supported by the African and Malagasy Council for Higher Education (CAMES) through its research thematic programs (PTR Santé; PTR Socio-économie et Marché; PTR Gouvernance et Développement), The Francophone University Agency (AUF), as well as the Project ‘Promotion de la Recherche, l’Innovation et de la Culture Numérique en Afrique Centrale’ (PRICNAC) one of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States - Research & Innovation (OACPS R&I) initiative funded by the European Union. This event is also supported by EIT Climate KIC’s Transitions Hub (CKIC’s Transition Hub), the Innovation for Sustainable Development Network (Inno4sd.net) and Emerald Publishing as well as many journals.

General theme of AfRIC 2022: “Fostering a Sustainable Entrepreneurship Research Ecosystem”

Objectives

The general objective of this three-day virtual conference is to allow discussions about the progress on sustainable innovative entrepreneurship research with Africa through transdisciplinary, interdisciplinary perspectives. The specific objectives are:

• To provide space for knowledge sharing among young scholars interested in topics related to sustainable development, innovation and entrepreneurship for more socio-economic development and wellbeing with Africa.
• To provide opportunities for PhD candidates & early career researchers to present and discuss about their work.
• To provide opportunities for PhD candidates and early career researchers to submit their work to members of the SIEWA Scientific Board, IEF, SAM, CAMES-PTR Santé/ PTR Socio-économie et Marché, and to receive scientific advice as feedback.
• To offer the possibility to prepare and submit full manuscripts for publication in the Special Issues edited by the 1st AfRIC organizing committee.
• To provide space for an extensive network of academics, policy makers, practitioners, and community-based organizations to advance new knowledge by tapping leading edge research connecting real-life problems to the production of scientific knowledge

Conference Format and Activities

The AfRIC 2022 is organized virtually around two main activities during 3 days as follow:

• 2 days PHD BOOTCAMP: Capacity Building for PhDs and early-stage researchers
  • Day 1: ‘Meet the Editors’
  • Day 2: Doctoral Consortium
• One day Strategic Research Workshop with Stakeholders
  • Day 3: Cross-fertilization

About the SIEWA Initiative

SIEWA Initiative is an emerging international consortium-based initiative with already more than 15 universities and research initiatives members and supportive international organizations. Pursuant to the AU-EU High-Level Policy Dialogue on Science, Technology and Innovation, we aim to:

• Make it real through a focus on how researchers gather data to generate actionable information before transferring the subsequent knowledge to relevant stakeholders in the EU and Africa.
• Generate impact by design with a socio-spatial approach to research and its application that considers, respects, and strengthens effective existing ecosystems already on the ground.
• Strengthen people, communities, and institutions through connecting real-life problems to the production of scientific knowledge, bringing together academics and their external counterparts.
• Learn, monitor and scale up through analysing failures and successes for lessons learned and repeating what works while discarding what does not after having grown in our understanding