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ADA Winter School 2026

presents

3. Entrepreneurial Thinking for Doctoral Researchers: Positioning Innovation for Funding

Course Description

This course introduces the concept of value and shows how novel technological solutions (i.e., innovations) affect customers, the innovating firms itself as well as the broader society. This holistic perspective allows innovators to identify and integrate promising value creation mechanisms and maximize the positive potential of their innovation, ultimately contributing to the sustainable development agenda.   

 

Course Outcomes:

By the end of this course, participants will have developed:

  • An awareness of the reciprocal relationship between technologies and society
  • An understanding of value creation mechanisms that support sustainable development
  • The ability to engage in informed discussions around funding principles
  • An understanding of different funding modalities and the ability to align research ideas with appropriate funding choices
  • An appreciation of the differentiation of newer funding modalities, including their implications for funding pitches and alignment with social enterprise funding
Presenters:
Prof Sebastian Gurtner
(Bern University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland)
Dr Charmaine Williamson
(University of South Africa, South Africa)
Mrs Ravini Moodley
(Innovus, Stellenbosch University, South Africa)
29 June – 1 July 2026
3-day course
Online

 



Standard Rate R5450

Application Deadline: 3 June 2026 

Payment Deadline: 10 June 2026


Late Joiner Rate R5900

Application Deadline: 15 June 2026 

Payment Deadline: 21 June 2026

Target Audience

This course is designed for postgraduate students and researchers including students with ambitions to innovate or start-up a company. The course is relevant across all disciplines.

Course Materials

All course materials will be uploaded onto the MS Teams online platform. Worksheets, exercises/tasks and class notes will be provided on this platform and/or distributed during the classes.​

What to Bring

Laptop, stable internet connection and notepads.​ Course material will be provided electronically.​

Delegate Requirements

Participants should have ambitions to innovate within a company and/or found a start-up. Ideally, you bring an innovation project to work on.

Workshop Format

The workshop will be highly interactive in nature. Participants will be expected to participate actively in the learning process and share ideas and workshop activities with others.

 

The ADA reserves the right to cancel any course should the minimum required number of participants not be reached. In such cases, all fees already paid will be fully refunded, or where possible, delegates will be offered the option to transfer to an alternative course.

Cancellations and Refunds

The final date to withdraw from the ADA Winter School is 29 May 2026. Participants who withdraw on or before this date will be eligible for a 50% refund. After 29 May 2026, no refunds will be issued, unless a replacement participant can be found to take their place.

The ADA also reserves the right to cancel a course where necessary.