DUT HOST PROTOTYPING AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP FOR DUT-NKA’THUTO RESEARCH AND INNOVATION PROGRAMME

The Durban University of Technology (DUT) hosted a Prototyping and Development workshop as a part of the DUT-Nka’Thuto Research and Innovation Programme on the 15th of April 2023.

The hybrid workshop was hosted online and at the prestigious MICTSETA 4IR Centre of Excellence, Ritson Campus, which is home to some of the most brilliant innovations to come out of DUT and is recognised as a breeding ground for ingenuity within the Faculty of Accounting and Informatics.

The workshop sought to determine how best to facilitate the development and prototyping of the products and services that had been conceptualised by school learners within the Research and Innovation Programme. The programme has yielded a multitude of ground-breaking and viable ideas from learners from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The DUT-Nka’Thuto Research and Innovation Programme seeks to create a platform to teach research and methodology skills to high school learners. The programme is an ideas tank for the township and rural communities that encourages the youth to actively design and create products and services that solve the problems that exist within their communities. These innovations often address challenges that also occur on a broader societal level, such as water scarcity, sanitation, and transport, to name a few.

The programme takes place in the form of a series of workshops, field trips competitions and expositions. Last year, the collaboration operated in the small rural community of Bergville, located at the base of the Drakensberg mountains. It was offered to 5 high schools in the area, namely, Amangwane High School, Ntathakusa Secondary School, Tabhane Secondary School, Thokoza High School, and Tshanibezwe Secondary School. It creates a critical entry point into the arenas of science and innovation for learners, who would often not receive the tools and skills to otherwise enter these areas.

Speaking on the captivating and nurturing young minds, Ms Thulile Ndlovu (co-founder of Nka’Thuto) says, “We need to activate these young minds so that they understand research at the most basic level. We hope to create a mindset from job-seeking to job-creation.”

The workshop featured some of the most prominent leaders of innovation and business development from DUT and Nka’Thuto, such as representatives from the Centre of Social Entrepreneurship, Enactus, the Faculty of Accounting and Informatics and special guest, Professor Keo Motaung, Interim Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research, Innovation and Engagement at DUT.

Prof. Motaung has been a long-time supporter and contributor to the programme, and spoke of her connection to it, “I have always been fond of this project, even in the beginning when people did not understand it. It offers so many great contributions to not only our society but to the economy as well. We have a responsibility to share this project and make people understand it.”

During the workshop, Nka’Thuto Prototyping Officer, Mr Thami Stein, presented a list of learner ideas with the most potential to be transformed from ideas to actual products or services. The products and services from these projects aimed to address a wide array of societal issues, such as waste management, gender-based violence, and renewable energy.

There was an overwhelming sense of awe and inspiration, as the colleagues marvelled at the sheer creativity and inventiveness of the learner’s ideas. It was unanimously agreed that DUT could and should provide whatever assistance possible to continue to prototype and develop these ideas into products for patent or business cases, whilst building the capacity and skills of the learners.

DUT prides itself on being a university that is at the forefront of creating innovations that provide creative and future-orientated solutions to the problems of society. Projects such as the Research and Innovation Programme allow the institution to nurture ideas and an innovation-focused frame of mind from an early age.

During the course of the workshop, the Nka’Thuto team were given an opportunity to visit spaces within the Faculty of Accounting and Informatics that could serve to enrich the programme further and enhance the development of the learner. Mr Ebrahim Asmal, Senior Information Technology Lecturer, took the group on an eye-opening tour of the Luban Workshop.

As the workshop drew to a close, the next steps of the partnership were determined. The immediate prototyping of selected learners’ ideas will commence, the programme will also look to involve more staff from within the institution who can serve to grow and enhance the programme. DUT will also provide mentors and young professionals who will guide learners as they develop their project ideas.

Providing the closing remarks, Engagement Practitioner, Ms Phumzile Xulu stated, “What we are learning from this programme is that the earlier you start in engaging the mind with these skills the better. It also encourages us as an institution to create environments that foster innovation and thinking out of the box. How many ideas have we developed using the support, facilities, and equipment that exist in our various innovation spaces at DUT? I am confident that we will continue to support this reservoir of ideas and find ways to work together using our different skills and expertise to help develop them into innovative products and services that will not only make a difference in society but contribute to economic development.”

Picture: Staff from DUT and Nka’Thuto at the Prototyping and Product Development Workshop

Tracy Khuzwayo

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