This is a CTP of initiative: Living Labs - Sfax Smart Living Lab (Tunisia)
This CTP (CTP1) is about the inauguration of the Chair of Innovation of Sfax University in April 2010. This is a critical moment for the development of the living lab approach in Sfax: there was no tradition of cross-sectoral cooperation (academia, industry, users) in Tunisia and the inauguration really kick-started this innovative method of working outside the ‘silos’. The highlight of the inauguration event was a Robotic Competition RoboComp’2010, in which students, researchers and the public were invited to participate in the design of robots. The Chair of Innovation office was established with the aim to create links between the Engineering Faculty of Sfax University and the industry sector and act as ‘technological transfer’ office (TTO).
The inauguration event was held in the National School of Engineers of Sfax. It was attended by at least 200 people, and the Minister of ‘Scientific Research and Higher Education and Innovation’ and was covered by representatives from national television, radio and press.
There were several products developed by the students of the Engineering School in collaboration with industrial sector displayed, such as a solar car, solar boat, solar electric scooter, and a solar panel desalination. These products were presented before the competition started. The following link shows more details about the event: http://robocomp.regim.org/history/2010-2/competition/
The Sfax Chair of Innovation was the first official collaboration and platform for knowledge and experience exchange between academia, industry and the people in Tunisia. Previously contacts with the industry were limited and uncommon. The Sfax Chair of Innovation is the fifth in the Middle East after four already established in Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria. It was initiated by a ‘Tempus’ project funded by the European Union called UNCHAIN (University Chair of Innovation). “Tempus is the European Union’s programme which supports the modernisation of higher education in the Partner Countries of … [different countries worldwide], mainly through university cooperation projects.” (eacea.ec.europa.eu, 2016). The Sfax University welcomed the project and partnered with the TEMPUS project to finance the Chair of Innovation. Since its opening, the Chair of Innovation facilitated that researchers’ and students’ research projects are valorized, well-maintained and presented to visitors and industrials. It has become a structure in the university, open to any visitor and organizing open days, seminars, trainings for visitors.
Adel Alimi explains that the team wanted to promote the societal dimension of collaboration, thus the robotic competition idea emerged. The competition was organized by the ReGIM Lab and the IEEE Robotic and Automation Society (RAS) Tunisia Chapter and lasted for three days. IEEE is “the world's largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity” (ieee.org, 2016). It brought together researchers and robotics specialists, and was open to students, their parents, and interested people. There were four tracks for the competition: Innovation in robotics building, wheeled robots for line following, wheeled robots for obstacle avoidance and biped robots for a walking race. The event was attended by tens of participants.
Through the Chair of Innovation inauguration and the robotic competition conducted by the ReGIM Lab, the concept of a living lab, was manifested in a concreter way in one space and one event. For the first time researchers, industrial partners, users and other society members collaborate or at least meet for innovation in a competition and have a place to collaborate, which is the Chair of Innovation.
This CTP was co-produced by several actors. First, opening a Chair of Innovation was initiated by the ‘Tempus’ project funded by the European Union called UNCHAIN (University Chair of Innovation) which supports “the modernisation of higher education […] mainly through university cooperation projects.” (eacea.ec.europa.eu, 2016). The Tempus project partners contacted Sfax University among other universities in Tunisia to propose opening the Chair of Innovation. Sfax University welcomed the idea and the Engineering School, represented by Adel Alimi at that time expressed their interest to participate in the project in early 2010. The Tempus project provided training to the Engineering School staff and facilitated the establishment of the Chair by providing materials and equipment. The University provided the space and all other infrastructure and facilities needed, and sponsored the Chair with a yearly fund. Initially the space of the Chair existed of laboratories, which were not suitable to host the Chair nor the inauguration event, but the University renovated the space and made it ready and equipped.
The role of Adel Alimi was crucial for the establishing the Chair of Innovation. He was a member of the Tempus project and was working in it for almost two years at that time. And at the same time he was a member of the administrative board of the School of Engineering. He linked between both entities and was behind the initiation of the Chair of Innovation idea. In addition, he was the director of the ReGIM lab, and dedicated the resources of the lab to organize the robotic competition at the inauguration event. The ReGIM Lab members were mainly the organizing committee of the competition; they were responsible for the technical preparations as well the organization arrangements.
The IEEE Robotic and Automation Society (RAS) Tunisia Chapter had a rather indirect, but important role in this CTP. The organizing committee used the IEEE brand and network to promote the event and give it an international label. In addition, the student branch of the IEEE RAS participated in organizing the competition.
The inauguration event wouldn’t have been as impressive without the School of Engineering students and their efforts to develop the innovative products, which were presented to the visitors at the start of the event. Their collaboration with the industrial sector, who partially sponsored the production, led to higher quality innovations providing real solutions and needed applications.
The Ministry had an indirect promotional role in this CTP and after it. The Minister’s visit put the event more in the spotlight and gave it more attention in the media. Further on, the visit encouraged many other industrials to participate in innovation activities with universities after the CTP, such as synergies and collaborations with the ceramic industry, the production of bathroom accessories, which employed specific robots. They supported the idea and followed up with the Tempus project to copy the Chair of Innovation in other Tunisian universities.
Several events and developments were crucial for the CTP to happen.
As Adel Alimi explains, in the 2000s universities started to talk about their 3rd mission, namely besides education and research: innovation and afterwards open innovation, and these ideas became increasingly adopted by different educational, research and support institutions. In this context, the UNCHAIN – University Chair of Innovation Project emerged as an idea of the UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization), aiming to encourage innovations and collaborations between research, the industry and the user. In 2010, the UNIDO had already supported the start of five Chairs of Innovation in the Middle East, with the plan to spread the concept in more countries and universities in the area. This has put Tunisia on the priority list to acquire its first UNCHAIN project.
On the national level there was a general interest for innovations and collaborations between research and industry. This has made the Minister of ‘Scientific Research and Higher Education and Innovation’ support the inauguration of the Chair of Innovation and attend the event in a time when ministers in Tunisia were not highly accessible.
In Sfax University there were since 2009 several ongoing collaboration projects between academia, students and industry taking place in the context of the Tempus project. These projects had already activated the contact between Sfax University and external stakeholders from the industry and society. The developments were important for the CTP to happen as they gave the base for establishing the Chair of Innovation.
Resulting events from this CTP were the continuation of the Unchain projects and collaborations until the end of 2010, just before the Tunisian Revolution in January 2011 (CTP 2). During the months following April 2010, many meetings and visits of technology and industrial partners were conducted, and were introduced to the Chair of Innovation. In fact, the minister’s visit to the inauguration event encouraged many industrials to participate in innovation activities with universities. Synergies and collaborations took place with certain industries such as the ceramic industry, and the bathroom accessories industry which employed specific robots. Memorandum of understanding were signed between several industrial partners and the Chair.
Moreover, as a result of the CTP the Chair of Innovation received a fund of 100,000$ from the US embassy to create an MSc program for Tunisian students in partnership with Rice University (Houston, Texas, US). They realized Sfax is experiencing significant growth in its technological innovation development.
This CTP didn’t involve contestation, neither on the internal level of the Regim Lab nor with external parties. However, the collaboration that followed after the inauguration of the chair was not without challenges as is explained under ‘learning’.
The idea of the Chair of Innovation wasn’t new; it had developed since a long time before in the Sfax University, which is why it was welcomed by the University. In fact, the concept of supporting innovation and collaboration of the different sectors was present in the university. An annual University Expo was conducted each July showcasing hundreds of graduate projects in the exposition park, and was attended by thousands of Tunisians. Adel Alimi estimates that in 2010 around 30,000 persons attended the University Expo. Moreover, there were open days conducted in different university institutes, where people can come and see the innovative ideas and products of students. So the Chair of Innovation idea was not new when it was proposed by the Tempus Project partners. It was welcomed by the whole university, and the Engineering School naturally led the collaboration process.
Adel Alimi was the director of the Engineering School of Sfax University during this period, so he had the authority to make decisions and lead the whole process. Moreover, he was a member of the Tempus project and was working in it for almost two years at that time. This dual role played by Adel Alimi facilitated an easy and smooth collaboration process for the inauguration of the Chair of Innovation. In addition, his position as the director of the ReGIM Lab helped him utilize the lab’s resources for organizing the robotic competition, which was part of the inauguration event. The existence of one common person, who is not only part of the different institutions but one of the decision-makers in them made the teamwork flow smoothly and the decision-making process more central, thus less conflict stimulating.
In addition, the inauguration of the Chair of Innovation was supported by several other stakeholders. First, the Ministry of ‘Scientific Research and Higher Education and Innovation’ was supporting the concept, which was obvious by the Minister’s attendance of the inauguration event. Moreover, there was also financial support provided by the ministry in terms of funding for the UNCHAIN project. Further on, the project was supported by international institutions, namely the World Bank and the EU. In fact, the World Bank funded the Sfax Innovation Chair project with an amount of approximately 300,000 US$, which was used for buying equipment and other necessities. This external support added to the stability of the project and helped reduce any potential contestation from internal or external sides.
The inauguration of the Chair of Innovation in Sfax University was certainly anticipated as a CTP, as it represented the official birth of the Chair, however, not all its impacts were foreseen.
The birth of the Chair of Innovation had impacts on the living lab idea development. Through the inauguration of the Chair of Innovation and the robotic competition, the concept of a living lab, was manifested in a concreter way. For the first time researchers, industrial partners, users and other society members collaborate or at least meet for innovation in a competition and have a place to collaborate, which is the Chair of Innovation.
In addition, acquiring all this funding by the World Bank and also by the Ministry was not expected (see co-production, related events and contestation sections). It was a great accomplishment that the School of Engineering partners with an EU project, namely, ‘Tempus’. The replication of the Chair of Innovation model which happened during the months after the CTP in several universities was also another unforeseen impact of the CTP. In fact, an independent national institution ‘National agency of research promotion and innovation’ which was established in 2010 to promote research, led the replication process of similar models in other Tunisian universities. Another Tempus project was conducted which brought a similar concept: Knowledge Transfer Office (KTO) in other universities and the Minister continued the process in other universities. Afterwards all other universities were asked to implement a similar model. In 2014 ten Technological Transfer Offices (TTOs) were inaugurated as an inspiration by the Sfax University UNCHAIN initiative and currently, almost all universities in Tunisia have a TTO, according to Adel Alimi. This extensive ‘domino effect’ was certainly not expected by Adel Alimi. His aim was to create a model for the Chair of Innovation hoping to disseminate its ideas and make it a more sustainable project.
The CTP proceedings were more anticipated than its impacts. It started when the Tempus project was proceeding and stronger relations were built with the partners as well as with industrial partners, who later helped establish the Chair. The inauguration event itself and the competition have been planned six to seven months in advance and proceeded as Adel and his team expected. The Minister’s visit was planned months ahead; he was invited several months in advance and was followed up with since then, but his participation wasn’t confirmed until the last weeks. This is common for such political figures’ visits in Tunisia during this period. In addition, more participants took part in the competitions than estimated, which encouraged the ReGIM Lab to repeat the competition during the following years.
Several lessons were learned through this CTP.
The inauguration event and afterwards the Chair of Innovation itself helped build trust with the industrial partners Adel’s team was dealing with during the Tempus Project. In fact, it was an interface between the different perspectives where a common language was used. Unlike academics, industrial partners are more concerned about the time and cost of products and inventions. This event facilitated a common ground where collaborations were built to bridge gaps in perceptions. These interactions with the industrial sector taught Adel and his team that there is a different language they need to focus on. He explains “We learned patience. Working with the industrial sector was not as easy as we thought. There were often disappointments for both sides. The relationship between academia and industry wasn’t strong and the language wasn’t common. The creation of this TTO (Technological Transfer Office) enabled us to bridge this gap. We learned to look at the whole thing from a different perspective, from their interests’ side”. They also built a larger network, started new contacts and partnerships with different entities and sectors. This growth of their network opened the door for further collaborations and thus showed the team the importance of such network.
In addition, the CTP taught Adel and his team the importance of showing concrete evidence of the work and innovations done. By showcasing impressive innovations during the inauguration event, a good impression and higher credibility was induced in the visitors’ minds, which increased their potential for support and collaboration. Furthermore, applying for the EU and World Bank to get their support taught Adel and his team how to write and tailor proposals to fit the sponsor’s requirements. They succeeded in acquiring a large fund from the World Bank.
Finally, conducting the robotic competition and experiencing its success showed the ReGIM Lab members the increasing interest of visitors and participants in robotics. As Adel states, “we learned that we need to focus on robotics, we used to conduct more general, broad events, such as biological technologies.” The robotic competition proved to be an interesting and effective way to encourage innovation; that is why the ReGIM Lab decided to organize it on an annual basis.
References
Available at: http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/tempus/ [Accessed 2016].
Available at: http://www.ieee.org/about/index.html [Accessed 2016].
Available at: http://smart-sfax.org [Accessed 2016].
Stay informed. Subscribe for project updates by e-mail.
