This project seeks to empirically test an alternative approach of studying knowledge and technology transfer between academia and non-academic institutions in the Global South and the Global North. Globally, the relationship between higher-education institutions (HEI) / research institutions and external stakeholders of knowledge transfer and innovation is predominantly examined in light of conventional paradigms that are drawn from and adapted to the context of developed countries. While these concepts offer useful analytical frameworks to understand the dynamics of contemporary societies and knowledge production systems, they do not capture in full these dynamics in developing countries, particularly in Sub-Sahara Africa. Even in developed countries, i.e., in contexts where these concepts originate from and which they intend to describe, their validity is questioned. Drawing on theories on processes of knowledge transfer and translation, this project suggests an alternative approach to make visible patterns of knowledge transfer between academic and non-academic partners in developing countries, with a particular focus on Africa. The aim and challenge of the project is to empirically test this framework with a comparative outlook, i.e., with as much cross-country and cross-continental evidence as possible, specifically empirical data from Mozambique and from Germany.
Prof. Nelson Casimiro Zavale
Eduardo Mondlane University (Mozambique) | Education, Higher Education and Science Studies
E-mail: nelson.zavale@college-uaruhr.de
Nelson Casimiro Zavale is currently Associate Professor at Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM) in Maputo, Mozambique, and an affiliate of the African Academy of Sciences. Previously, he was a senior research fellow at RWTH Aachen University, Germany (2022–2024), a Fulbright visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, USA (2021–2022), a Humboldt Research Fellow at the International Center for Higher Education Research INCHER, University of Kassel, Germany (2018–2021) and a Swiss Government Excellence postdoctoral fellow (2015–2016) at the University of Basel, Switzerland. He has also held different management positions at UEM, among others as Deputy Dean for Research and Extension.
Nelson Casimiro Zavale’s research focuses on questioning existing assumptions in Africa (and the Global South) about the contribution of higher education, science, technology and innovation to socio-economic development. His work appeared in several peer-reviewed journals, including Higher Education, Scientometrics, Science and Public Policy, International Journal of Educational Development, and Quality in Higher Education. His latest book University Societal Engagement in African Contexts: Benefits, Drivers and Constraints was published by Routledge in 2025.
Prof. Uwe Wilkesmann
TU Dortmund University, Centre for Higher Education (zhb) | Organisation Studies and Management of Continuing Education
E-mail: uwe.wilkesmann@tu-dortmund.de
Prof. Uwe Wilkesmann
TU Dortmund University, Centre for Higher Education (zhb) | Organisation Studies and Management of Continuing Education
E-mail: uwe.wilkesmann@tu-dortmund.de
Uwe Wilkesmann is Director of the Centre for Higher Education (zhb) at TU Dortmund University and professor for Organisation Studies and Management of Continuing Education. He teaches as a co-opted professor at the Department of Social Sciences. His research focusses on higher education, knowledge-intensive organisations, and organisational sociology.
Research profile (TU Dortmund University): https://ow.zhb.tu-dortmund.de/en/research/profile.
Website
https://ow.zhb.tu-dortmund.de/en/professorship/team/prof-dr-uwe-wilkesmann