Innovation and incubation activities at HEIs promote technology-based innovation, research, and entrepreneurship. It serves as a platform for entrepreneurship and startup activities by transforming students’ innovative ideas into commercially viable products, as well as supporting patenting and commercialization.
Innovation and incubation centers are regarded as a one-of-a-kind model of excellence in which innovation is encouraged to be integrated within the public higher education system through an innovative ecosystem that includes the government and private sectors and supports and produces small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
HEIs are encouraged to create an innovation and incubation strategy to outline incubation processes and promote innovation and entrepreneurship. The strategy and activities for innovation and incubation will provide students and faculty with best practices and tools for designing and implementing innovation ideas, conducting research, and supporting startups and entrepreneurship activities.
It is recommended that the following activities be included in the scope of work of innovation and incubation centers, as presented in figure 12:
– Ideation and Design: develop all types of creative and technical designs and ideas, aided by cutting-edge technologies such as augmented or virtual reality applications.
– Programming & Computing: support project ideas with cutting-edge computers to aid in the design and development of projects and applications.
– Fabrication: proof-of-concept and prototypes are created and built. It enables the use of various manufacturing techniques that support the targeted sectors, such as 3D printing with different materials, laser engraving and cutting, waterjet cutting, sewing, and computer numerical control (CNC) machining.
– Intelligence Augmentation: it is used for system integration, automation system development, or advanced robotics application development (terrestrial or aerial).
– Development of new products or services: assistance in bringing a new product or service from concept to market. The process connects the various stages that new products typically go through, beginning with ideation and concept generation and ending with the introduction of the new product to potential markets.
– Office and Lab/Workshop: This will complete the requirements for transforming the project into a true mature start-up, such as prototyping, dedicated working space, website development, and trade licensing.
– Innovation in business activities: support marketing and branding activities by utilizing innovation management activities such as patent and intellectual property to recognize and reserve the rights to innovative ideas.