KeNIA in partnership with NEIL hosted a two-week Entrepreneurial Leadership Training Programme (ELTP) – DVC Edition brought together 11 Deputy Vice Chancellors from universities across Kenya for an engaging and practical learning experience designed to strengthen leadership for innovation and commercialisation within higher education institutions.

The training:
Set the stage for entrepreneurial leadership, focusing on mapping the innovation ecosystem, forming long-term corporate partnerships, and mastering negotiation strategies; highlighting the need for ecosystem thinking, strategic collaboration, and advocacy for supportive national policies that enable entrepreneurial transformation in academia.

Delved into inclusion, innovation funding, and entrepreneurial leadership; exploring how to embed Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) in innovation processes and were challenged to adopt sustainable funding strategies through alumni engagement, steering committees, and industry partnerships.

Focused on sustainability through commercialization, guiding DVCs on how universities can create new revenue streams from research and innovation, and champion collaborations and partnerships as a means for resource mobilisation

Across all sessions, a clear theme emerged — Kenya’s universities must reimagine themselves as innovation-driven institutions that champion inclusivity, strengthen funding structures, and commercialize research for national growth.

Together, KeNIA and NEIL Africa continue to empower higher education leaders to drive this transformation and position universities at the heart of Kenya’s innovation ecosystem.