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企业家精神和社会创新，将其作为解决复杂而棘手的贫困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，特别是为边缘化和被剥夺权利的群体。在整个南非，非营利和以社会为导向的营利性小企业正在兴起，以解决乡镇、贫困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。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。在南非和世界各地，人们对学术界的兴趣也相应上升。这包括增加了Wits创业中心和GIBS比勒陀利亚大学社会企业家网络的社会创业/创新研究活动等。这些领域的南非学者，特别是那些刚刚开始他们的职业生涯——攻读博士学位或刚刚开始在学术界工作的学者，往往会在全球研究环境中被孤立。有必要为南非和世界其他地区从事类似研究领域的其他人提供接触机会。分享自己的见解并向他人学习，对于开展优秀、严谨和有用的研究至关重要，这些研究有可能提高南非社会创业和创新研究的质量和影响。通过接触尖端的方法技术来发展南非的研究能力，为加强数据的收集和分析提供了机会，从而产生经验上严谨的工作。在具有国际影响力的高质量渠道上出版，对于向全球研究和从业者社区展示南非这些领域的优秀研究也很重要。通过NRF ESRC资助的“通过社会创新和创业实现包容性增长的南非博士合作网络（SASIE）”，我们将提供SASIE计划，并形成一个由全球学者组成的SASIE网络，以交流知识，建立网络和合作。会议的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、社会企业家精神和以企业为基础的包容性增长倡议有关的所有方面。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（University of Essex）及其社会科学博士培训中心以及南非大学联盟的合作伙伴关系提供的。将从Wits、比勒陀利亚和纳尔逊·曼德拉城市大学（Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University）组成的联盟中抽取10名南非博士实习学生，并为来自任何南非大学的符合条件的博士生提供一些名额。另外10名博士研究生将来自埃塞克斯大学的各个学院。在这个为期三年的项目中计划了一系列活动，这些活动将促进合作伙伴之间的可持续联系，改进研究能力和培训，并在南非建立一个与SASIE研究主题在国际上联系起来的研究界。简而言之，这些包括：-一个公开可用和可搜索的数据库，托管在项目网站上，供研究人员使用；-向南非的博士生和研究人员提供高级研究方法培训讲习班；-博士讲习班和讨论会；-博士学位；-主管拜访；-一系列公开讨论会，展示SASIE的研究成果；和-会议出席奖学金

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