Fostering water innovation in Africa through virtual incubation: Insights from the Dutch VIA Water programme

In different parts of the world, a variety of initiatives are being implemented to promote water innovation. This paper explores the role of virtual incubators in fostering water-related innovations in Africa, using the case of VIA Water, a Dutch programme that promotes water innovation in African cities. Virtual incubators operate and provide their services primarily online. The results of this study confirm the additionality and disruptive nature of virtual incubators. In virtue of the gaps they are likely to fill in the innovation systems for water, these incubators can be an effective policy instrument for fostering water-related innovations in Africa. However, given their limitation to perform some functions in local innovation systems, virtual water incubators should be used along with other support mechanisms. The paper concludes that, to realise their full potential, water innovation support programmes must be locally embedded and target at least three levels: the micro, mezzo and macro levels. Only then can they attract full recognition and significantly influence the performance of water innovation systems.