South African PhD Partnering Network for Inclusive Growth through Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship - The SASIE Programme and Network

南非政策制定者、非政府组织、民间团体、企业和公共部门机构越来越多地推动社会创业和社会创新，以此作为解决复杂和棘手的贫穷和可持续发展问题的一种方式，作为寻求包容性增长的一部分，特别是对被边缘化和被剥夺公民权的人。在南非各地，以社会为导向的非营利和营利性小企业正在涌现，以解决各乡镇、贫穷农村地区的大量社会、环境和经济问题，并作为南非可持续和公平转型的一部分。规模较大的南非跨国公司也在与社会企业合作，作为其企业社会责任和经济赋权倡议的一部分。南非和世界各地的学术界也相应地提高了兴趣。这包括在维茨创业中心和比勒陀利亚GIBS大学的社会企业家网络等增加社会创业/创新研究活动。这些领域的南非学者，特别是那些刚开始攻读博士学位或刚开始在学术界工作的南非学者，往往会被孤立在全球研究环境中。有必要提供机会，与南非和世界其他地区类似研究领域的其他人接触。分享自己的见解并向他人学习，对于发展优秀、严谨和有用的研究至关重要，这些研究有可能提高正在进行的关于南非社会创业和创新的研究的质量和影响。通过接触尖端方法技术在整个南非发展研究能力，提供了加强数据收集和分析的机会，以产生经验性的严谨工作。在具有国际影响力的高质量媒体上发表文章，对于向全球研究和实践界展示南非这些领域的优秀研究也很重要。通过这个由NRF ESRC资助的“南非通过社会创新和创业实现包容性增长的博士合作网络(SASIE)”，我们将提供SASIE项目，并形成一个SASIE全球学者网络，以交流知识、建立网络和开展合作。其主题将侧重于以企业为基础的发展模式的广泛作用，特别是与社会创新、社会创业和以企业为基础的包容性增长举措有关的所有方面。它是通过南非威特沃特斯兰德大学(WITS)和英国埃塞克斯大学及其社会科学博士培训中心这两个主要机构之间的伙伴关系以及南非大学联盟提供的。这个由Wits、比勒陀利亚和纳尔逊·曼德拉都市大学组成的联合体将吸引10名南非博士生，其中一些名额将提供给来自南非任何一所大学的合格博士生。另外还有10名来自埃塞克斯大学不同学院的博士生。计划在三年计划中开展一系列活动，以促进合作伙伴之间的可持续联系，提高研究能力和培训，并在南非和国际上建立与SASIE研究主题相关的研究社区。简而言之，这些活动包括：--在项目网站上建立一个可供研究人员使用的公开和可搜索的数据库；--为南非的博士生和研究人员提供高级研究方法培训讲习班；--博士讲习班和学术讨论会；--博士实习；--导师访问；--公开研讨会系列，展示SASIE的研究成果；--出席会议的奖学金。

Social entrepreneurship and social innovation are increasingly promoted by South African policy makers, non-governmental organisations, civil groups, businesses and public sector bodies as a way to address complex and intractable poverty and sustainable development issues as part of a quest for inclusive growth, especially for the marginalized and disenfranchised. Across South Africa non-profits and for-profit socially orientated small businesses are emerging to tackle a wealth of social, environmental and economic issues across townships, in poor rural areas and as part of a sustainable and equitable transformation of South Africa. Larger South African multinationals are also working with social enterprises as part of their corporate social responsibility and economic empowerment initiatives.There has been a corresponding rise in interest in academia in South Africa and across the world. This includes increased social entrepreneurship/innovation research activity at the Centre for Entrepreneurship at Wits and the Network for Social Entrepreneurs at GIBS University of Pretoria, amongst others. South African scholars in these fields, especially those at the start of their career undertaking PhDs or just starting in academia, can often be isolated in the global research environment. There is a need to offer opportunities to reach out to others in similar research areas across South Africa and the rest of the world. Sharing their own insights and learning from others is critical to developing excellent, rigorous and useful research that has the potential to improve the quality and impact of the research being undertaken on social entrepreneurship and innovation in South Africa. Developing research capacity across South Africa through exposure to cutting edge methodological techniques offers the opportunity to strengthen the collection and analysis of data to produce empirically rigorous work. Publishing in high quality outlets with an international reach is also important in showcasing the excellent research occurring in these areas in South Africa to the global research and practitioner communities.Through this NRF ESRC funded "South African PhD Partnering Network for Inclusive Growth through Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship (SASIE)" we will deliver the SASIE programme and form a SASIE network of global scholars to exchange knowledge, network and collaborate. Its themes will focus on the broad role of enterprise-based development models and in particular all aspects associated with social innovation, social entrepreneurship and enterprise based inclusive growth initiatives. It is delivered through a partnership between the two lead institutions of the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa (Wits) and the University of Essex in the UK with its Doctoral Training Centre in Social Sciences, and a consortium of South African universities. Ten South African PhD placements students will be drawn from across this consortium of Wits, Pretoria and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, with some places available for eligible PhD students from across any South African university. A further 10 PhD placement students will come from across various Schools at the University of Essex .A series of activities are planned over the three year programme that will facilitate sustainable links between partners, improve research capacity and training, and build a research community in South Africa and internationally linked to the SASIE research themes. In brief these comprise of:- A publicly available and searchable database hosted on the project website available to researchers around the work;- Advanced Research Methods Training Workshops available to PhD students and researchers in South Africa;- PhD workshops and Colloquiums;- PhD placements;- Supervisor visits;- A public seminar series showcasing SASIE research; and- Conference attendance bursaries