At the beginning of October 2022 the Director of the TUM SEED Center, Prof. Dr. Frank-Martin Belz, visited the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) to engage in academic exchange. On the first day, he was welcomed by Dr. Colin Stanley, the Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation, and Partnerships. The meeting took place on the top floor of the High Tech Transfer Plaza Select (HTTPS), which represents a state-of-the-art technologically inspired ecosystem for the university community, industries, development partners, and entrepreneurs, ranging from mobile technologies to sustainable energies.
After the meeting with the NUST management, who emphasized the importance of academic exchange on an international level and community engagement on a local level (see “Visit the Living Lab in Kharoxas/Namibia), Prof. Dr. Frank-Martin Belz gave a talk on “Sustainable Entrepreneurship in the Energy Sector” for the faculty of engineering and the built environment. He was invited by his host Prof. James Katende, chair of renewable energy systems at NUST and Director of SEED Namibia. The discussion revolved around the business model for mini-grids, equipped with solar power, batteries, and smart meters, in the rural areas of the Global South, more specifically Africa. The recent study by the Africa Mini-Grid Developer Association (AMDA) provides empirical evidence in this respect and highlights the opportunities as well as the challenges in this upcoming sector, which is estimated at 220 billion US$ investment by the World Bank.
In the following days, Prof. Frank-Martin Belz had further, in-depth conversations with Prof. Asa Romeo Asa and his colleagues from the management department to explore opportunities for research and teaching at the intersection of sustainable energies and entrepreneurship in the Global South. One of the highlights was the talk for the Faculty of Management Sciences on “How to Publish in Leading International Journals”, which was well attended and received. Prof. Dr. Frank-Martin Belz emphasized partnerships on eye level: While local researchers from NUST may provide access to unique and yet challenging environments (e.g. the living lab in Kharoxas or the suburban areas of Windhoek, where informal entrepreneurship prevails), and collect empirical data in close collaboration, TUM scholars may help to analyze and prepare the data for an international audience. The ultimate aim of this type of academic exchange, funded by DAAD, is joint publications in leading international management journals, more specifically entrepreneurship (e.g. Journal of Business Venturing).
On October 14, 2022, Prof. Dr. Frank-Martin Belz attended the first international research conference on “Green Hydrogen for a Green Economy”, which was organized by NUST in collaboration with the University of Namibia. Due to high solar radiation, vast land resources, and access to international harbors, Namibia is well-positioned to become a global champion in “green” hydrogen, which is produced with wind and solar power. The European Union and the German government endorse this endeavor at the intersection of sustainable energies, entrepreneurship, and development in the Global South. In the next couple of years, Namibia will set up a number of large wind and solar plants to produce green hydrogen. It is an interesting example of industry emergence and new venture creation in the context of sustainable development, which calls for further investigation.