Inspiring all municipalities to adopt a holistic view of innovation and how to embed innovative solutions in local economic development strategies and practices.

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HSRC helps strengthen innovation capabilities for impactful local economic transformation

The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) is developing a training programme on local innovation for the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI). This capacity building supports innovation champions that DSTI deployed in municipalities as a core part of its Innovation for Local Economic Development (ILED) strategy.

The training rests on 6 modules that complement each other in promoting innovation.

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Preparing Innovation champions for Local Economic Development in Namakwa District Municipality, Northern Cape

The HSRC is rolling out a new phase of Innovation for Local Economic Development (ILED) in the Namakwa district municipality in Northern Cape. This includes capacity development sessions to help innovation champions understand what ILED is and how it works in municipalities. The HSRC team hosted an introductory training for recently recruited innovation champions in the second week of May.

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Initiatives for the Innovation for Local Economic Development (ILED) Center kick off

The Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) has commissioned the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) to establish the Innovation for Local Economic Development (ILED) Centre. In March 2025, a project inception meeting outlined the strategic agenda for the centre for the upcoming year. Following this, the HSRC team began developing a tailored capacity development plan for local economic development (LED) practitioners.

The ILED Centre aims to strengthen LED capacity in municipalities and includes two additional workstreams. One workstream focuses on generating and disseminating knowledge through research, monitoring, and evaluation to infuse innovation into municipal economic development initiatives. The second workstream will act as an advisory hub, enhancing ILED practices and policies through periodic reviews of LED strategic plans. Activities in each workstream will be reviewed annually to maximise collaboration and synergy.

The policy rationale for the ILED Centre is grounded in the National Framework for Local Economic Development (NFLED) 2018–2028, which positions innovation as the driving force behind LED, reshaping how municipalities plan for meaningful impact.

While aspirations for inclusion, improved living standards, and economic sustainability are central to South Africa’s LED policies, these promises have often gone unfulfilled. However, a bold new approach is emerging through the NFLED 2018–2028, placing innovation at the forefront of efforts to combat inequality, unemployment, and poverty at the municipal level. Figure 1 below represents the schematic snapshot of ILED centre strategic workstreams.

Figure 1: Schematic snapshot of ILED Centre strategic workstreams

Ways of sharing information for innovation-driven local economic development – emerging lessons from Karoo districts

Many municipalities want to invest in innovative economic activities but lack guidance on how to target such investments. This information gap affects municipalities unevenly, with resource-poor areas facing greater barriers. Based on HSRC work in the Karoo, Peter Jacobs and Mandy Booys discuss how information about innovation could be shared with municipal stakeholders.

Read the full HSRC Review piece.

Preparing Innovation champions for Local Economic Development in Namakwa District Municipality, Northern Cape

The HSRC is rolling out a new phase of Innovation for Local Economic Development (ILED) in the Namakwa district municipality in Northern Cape. This includes capacity development sessions to help innovation champions understand what ILED is and how it works in municipalities. The HSRC team hosted an introductory training for recently recruited innovation champions in the second week of May.

Read the full news article HERE