BIC Africa is launching a new online capacity-building programme, Fostering University Enterprise: A UK–Africa Knowledge Exchange on Incubation and Innovation, bringing together business incubators from across Sub-Saharan Africa with leading UK university innovation centres.
This online capacity building programme is designed for business incubators from the BIC Africa network (Angola, Ethiopia, Comoros, Madagascar, Somalia), as well as business incubators from other Sub-Saharan African countries.
It aims to facilitate peer learning and exchange with experienced managers from UK University Incubators, all accredited EU|BICS. Through a series of interactive sessions, participants will explore effective models, tools, and practices that support innovation, entrepreneurship, and university-industry collaboration.
The programme consists of four sessions, each lasting 2.5 hours, delivered over four consecutive days – Tuesday, 27th of January to Friday, 30th of January 2026, four UK universities — University of East London (RDCS), Cambridge University (St John’s Innovation Centre), Coventry University, and University of Warwick Science Park – will share their unique approach to fostering entrepreneurship and supporting start-ups via peer learning, skills development, and strategic dialogue in four online programmes.
Agenda and Registration:
| University of East London – RDCS (The Royal Docks Centre for Sustainability) | Tue. 27 January 2026, 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm EAT / 11:00 am to 1:30 pm UTC | Register Here |
| Cambridge University – St John’s Innovation Centre | Wed. 28 January 2026, 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm EAT/ 9:00 am to 11:30 am UTC | Register Here |
| Coventry University | Thu. 29 January 2026, 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm EAT / 9:00 am to 11:30 am UTC | Register Here |
| University of Warwick Science Park | Friday, 30 January 2026, 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm EAT /9:00 am to 11:30 am UTC | Register Here |
Main themes:
- Universities as Innovation Ecosystem Leaders
- Supporting Spinouts & Student Enterprise
- Investment and Mentoring for Start-Ups and Scale-Ups
- Incubation and Acceleration Models
Why attend?
- Participants will connect directly with UK university incubators certified as EU|BICs.
- Participants will gain insights into internationally recognised incubation models with a potential for future collaboration.
- The sessions go beyond theory, offering real-world case studies and proven tools from four UK innovation centres focusing on university-based incubation centres.
- Participants can immediately apply these strategies to strengthen their own incubators and support start-ups more effectively.
- The programme fosters peer-to-peer exchange among UK business incubation managers across Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Participants will have direct networking opportunity to share challenges, solutions, and opportunities during and after the sessions end.
- Attendance is free of charge, and participants who join at least two sessions will receive a digital certificate.
Registration is open to business incubator managers or staff from Sub-Saharan African countries. Attendance is free of charge, and participants who join at least two sessions will receive a digital certificate. All the sessions will take place online on Zoom and all the sessions will be held in English.
The programme is organised by the BIC Africa Project funded by the European Union and implemented by EBN.