Peers Around the World: Where innovation meets local industry

In this month’s edition of our Peers Around the World series, where we hear from leaders in innovation from across our global network, we spoke with Ludwe Macingwane,  IASP African Division President and Head of East London IDZ Science & Technology Park. She shared insights on the evolution of IDZ and her experience with innovation and partnerships.    

You’ve been leading the East London IDZ Science & Technology Park for several years now. The park is often called a catalyst for industrial innovation. How has the park changed since you took on this role, and what impact has it had in supporting entrepreneurs and businesses in the area?    

When I stepped into this role, the park already had solid foundations, but it was still finding its identity. Over the years, the biggest shift has been moving from being a place with buildings to becoming a place with a solid innovation system ready to take the innovation agenda forward. 

Structurally, we’ve expanded and diversified the Park and its offering, growing beyond traditional manufacturing to include services that respond to advanced 4IR-driven enablers and creating ongoing opportunities for collaboration and cross-pollination that simply didn’t exist before. 

But the more meaningful change has been cultural: we’ve deliberately positioned the STP as an enabler, not just a landlord, actively supporting entrepreneurs and creating spaces where startups, established firms, researchers, and public institutions can actually engage with one another: for entrepreneurs, the STP has become a place where ideas can move faster. We have seen small, early-stage businesses formalise, scale, and in some cases enter global value chains, without having to leave East London to do it. That’s something I’m particularly proud of.  

Since I took over, the park has added an automotive and manufacturing incubator facility, a Digital Hub which offers a myriad of skills to the youth in the whole of Eastern Cape and support technoproneurs to develop smart city products. We have also expanded on the development of prototypes to ensure that we commercialise some of this and support the whole value chain towards manufacturing. Our Lab facilities have evolved from a testing a facility to becoming a hive of activity allowing opportunities for researchers to partner for industry-related projects. 

The impact on the broader region has also been tangible. The STP has contributed to job creation, skills development, and supplier development, while also strengthening East London’s reputation as a credible destination for industrial and technological investment. Most importantly, it has helped shift the narrative - from one of constraint and decline to one of innovation and possibility. 

There is still a lot to do. But if there’s one thing that has changed most since I took on this role, it’s confidence. Confidence from entrepreneurs to take risks, from partners to engage with us, and from the city and the region itself to see innovation as something that can and does happen right here and has the potential to impact positively on the livelihoods of many people.  

You’ve led major initiatives like the Automotive & Manufacturing incubator and ICT programmes, while also securing significant funding and engaging industry leaders such as Mercedes-Benz. What were the biggest challenges in turning these concepts into reality and building these partnerships? What lessons can other science parks learn from your experience?   

Bringing those initiatives to life was far less about having good ideas and far more about doing the hard, often invisible work of alignment and trust-building. 

One of the biggest challenges was credibility. Companies are not moved by vision statements alone; they want to see execution capability, governance discipline, and long-term commitment. Another major challenge was alignment across very different stakeholders. Government funders, corporates, entrepreneurs, and academia all speak different “languages” and work on different time horizons. There were moments where progress slowed simply because alignment hadn’t yet been earned. 

Funding, while critical and hard, was not the hardest part. It was sequencing the funding. Infrastructure, skills development, equipment, and operational sustainability all have to come together in the right order. Get that wrong and even well-funded initiatives can stall.  

From an industry-partnership perspective, the lesson was clear: partnerships are built on shared value, not goodwill. The conversation shifted once we demonstrated how incubation could strengthen local supplier pipelines, reduce risk in enterprise development, and support long-term competitiveness. Once that link was clear, the relationship becomes strategic rather than transactional. 

There are a few lessons other science and technology parks might find useful: don’t start with infrastructure, start with demand; invest in people and governance as much as in physical assets; be patient but persistent, trust with industry and funders is cumulative and it’s built through delivery, not announcements. 

And finally, stay rooted in your local context. Our success came from understanding the realities of entrepreneurs in the Eastern Cape and connecting them deliberately to global industry standards. Science parks work best when they act as translators between the local and the global. That role, while demanding, is where the real impact lies.  

The automotive industry is going through a rapid transformation with electric vehicles and green technologies. How is the East London IDZ positioning itself to support this shift, and what opportunities does it create for local innovators and suppliers? 

The East London Industrial Development Zone (ELIDZ), through its STP, is strategically positioning itself to support the automotive industry’s transition towards electric vehicles (EVs) and green technologies by prioritising skills development, innovation support, and local supplier development.  

Through its Skills Development programme, hawse have hosted specialised initiatives such as the Professional Certificate Workshop in Electric Vehicle Fundamentals, aimed at upskilling professionals, entrepreneurs, and technicians. By building technical capacity in these emerging areas, we are enabling the local workforce to participate meaningfully in the growing EV economy.  

In addition, we support innovation through its Prototype Development Programme, which allows innovative SMMEs across various IDZ sectors, to access support for developing functional prototypes.  

A notable outcome of this initiative is the development of an electric bike prototype by Mr. Mzingisi Mangqukela, founder of Style E-Mobility, and a beneficiary of the STP’s prototype development support. This innovation highlights the potential of locally developed green mobility solutions and the effectiveness of the park in supporting cutting-edge automotive innovation. 

Overall, ELIDZ’s focus on EV-related skills development and prototype support creates significant opportunities for local innovators and suppliers to integrate into emerging green automotive value chains, develop new products, and contribute to the future of sustainable transport.  

You recently launched initiatives like the Eastern Cape Innovation Challenge, which bring together partners from government, academia, and industry to collaborate on new ideas and solutions. What inspired you to create this challenge? What kinds of solutions or breakthroughs are you hoping to see emerge from this challenge in the next few years?

The ELIDZ Eastern Cape Innovation Challenge was inspired by the STP’s mandate to accelerate economic development in the Eastern Cape, coupled with the growing need to support SMMEs, youth entrepreneurs, and innovators in accessing opportunities to develop technology-driven solutions to regional challenges.  

The challenge formed part of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Week, which served as a platform to highlight and strengthen regional innovation and entrepreneurship efforts, while also promoting the development and application of advanced technologies ensuring that innovation is translated into tangible economic impact. 

Recognising that the future of entrepreneurship and sustainable economic development lies in the growth of SMMEs, youth entrepreneurs, and innovators, the STP designed a strategic programme aimed at unlocking their potential and enabling them to respond to pressing societal and economic challenges through technology-driven solutions. 

From this Challenge, we are hoping to see solutions and breakthroughs that translate into sustainable business growth, job creation, and long-term economic impact for the Eastern Cape.  

It is intended to stimulate economic development and industrial growth by encouraging innovators to develop market-ready, technology-driven solutions that respond to real industry and societal challenges. Through this process, STP seeks to strengthen innovation-led economic activity and support the province’s broader development objectives. Furthermore, by facilitating access to infrastructure, networks, and markets, it is designed to position participating enterprises for global relevance while retaining economic value within the region. 

Overall, the Innovation Challenge is expected to serve as a catalyst for building a strong pipeline of scalable, industrially relevant enterprises.  

African innovation ecosystems are entering a very exciting phase, with science parks playing a key role in driving industrial growth and socio-economic progress. What is your vision for African science parks over the next decade? How can they find the right balance between attracting global investment and creating inclusive opportunities for local communities?  

African innovation ecosystems are growing fast, and science parks can play an important role in shaping economic and social development.  

In the next decade, their focus should not only be in hosting companies, but in supporting research, sharing knowledge, developing skills and turning ideas into useful products and services, offering opportunities for soft landing platforms in other locations through innovation ecosystems. By focusing on areas such as renewable energy, health, agriculture, digital production and the circular economy, science parks should help African countries build stronger and more diverse economies. 

An important part of this vision is linking science parks closely to national and regional innovation systems. Strong connections with universities and technical training institutions can help science parks develop skilled workers and support the move from education into jobs and entrepreneurship. Working closely with local businesses and public institutions can also ensure that research and innovation respond to real social needs, such as food security, public health, climate challenges and infrastructure (needs that are prevalent on the continent). In this way, science parks can produce knowledge and technologies that are useful locally but also valuable at the global level. 

Science parks should be able to find the right balance between attracting global investment and supporting local development. Foreign companies and investors can bring money, new technologies and access to global markets, but these benefits do not always reach local people. To avoid this, science parks need clear policies that connect foreign investment to local value creation. 

And finally, science parks should create opportunities for local startups, small and medium-sized businesses, and groups that are often left out, especially young people and women. Shared laboratories, incubators and affordable workspaces can make it easier for local entrepreneurs to participate. Strong links between science parks and nearby communities can ensure that parks support wider development rather than benefiting only a small group.  

As Regional Division President for IASP, you’re in a unique position to connect Africa’s innovation hubs with the global network. How does this position influence your vision for science parks in Africa, and what opportunities do you see for fostering collaboration between African innovation hubs and international peers?  

Holding the IASP Regional Division President role has really sharpened my sense of both possibility and responsibility when it comes to science parks in Africa. From a vision perspective, it has reinforced the idea that African science parks should not try to replicate Silicon Valley or Europe’s mature models. Our context is different—and that’s a strength, not a weakness.  

Many African parks sit at the intersection of industrialisation, skills development, and social impact. That gives us a unique mandate: to be platforms that translate innovation into jobs, suppliers, and real economic participation, not just patents or startups for their own sake. 

Being part of the IASP global network also gives a clear line of sight into what works elsewhere, and just as importantly, what does not travel well. And through our international network, collaboration can be genuinely transformative.  

Being part of the IASP global network also gives a clear line of sight into what works elsewhere, and just as importantly, what does not travel well.  

Many international science parks are looking for resilient, cost-competitive and diversified innovation and supplier ecosystems: African hubs, particularly those close to manufacturing, agri-processing, energy and digital services, can plug into these value chains if the right bridges are built, and IASP provides a neutral, trusted platform to make those connections credible. Structured talent and knowledge exchange through secondments, joint research projects and shared incubation curricula allows this expertise to flow both ways. And the sometimes underestimated South-South collaboration can help Through IASP, African science parks can deliberately take advantage of the South-South collaboration, connecting with counterparts in Latin America and Asia that have navigated similar development trajectories. 

IASP provides the platform, the responsibility lies with us to use it strategically. That means collaborating with intent, leading where our context offers distinct advantages, and shaping global innovation conversations rather than simply joining them. 

This role has reinforced my conviction that African science parks must speak with a more confident, collective voice. Through regional coordination, shared benchmarking methodologies, and joint initiatives, we can position Africa not as an “emerging participant” in the global innovation system, but as a credible co-creator within it.