At the same time, the diffusion of research output through both formal and informal networks (from lab to market) will help drive innovation and growth. Funds should be available to universities and innovation hubs to access and fund the spin-off projects with the best market potential. In addition, governments should support increased regional or pan-African technology transfers. To further promote their regional expansion, entrepreneurs should have facilitated access to harmonised Intellectual Property (IP) protection regimes such as the African Regional IP organisation (ARIPO) or the IP office for francophone central and West African countries (OAPI). Support for African innovators could take the form of subsidies or fast track processes on patents or trademarks. AfriLabs’s leading role in the African innovation ecosystem uniquely positions it to stimulate the policy conversation on the aforementioned themes. We will build on lessons from the COVID-19 crisis to actively engage multiple stakeholders in using innovation and technology to foster domestic production and partner with academia and pan African institutions as a way of prompting the legislation needed to address potential biases in the growing usage of technology.Afrilabs will lead the advocacy for a sustainable collaboration between higher education institutions, private sector and innovation hubs, Intellectual Property rights stakeholders and their link to research commercialisation.
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