At the launch of the EDHE-ABSA Innovation Challenge held at the University’s Student Centre on Wednesday, 25 June 2025, the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Nokuthula Sibiya, announced plans to establish the MUT Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Professor Sibiya stated that the centre would become the nucleus of the University’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. She explained that the centre would offer space, technical support, and guidance for ventures led by students and staff. Professor Sibiya described this support as incubation and mentorship. The centre will also provide training in lean startup models, financial literacy, intellectual property, and go-to-market strategies, as well as facilitate networking and collaboration by “connecting our community with industry mentors, funders, and policymakers,” she added. Additionally, two key services include research and innovation—supporting practice-based research with commercial potential and societal impact—and community engagement, aimed at translating university innovations into community upliftment, especially in Umlazi Township and the wider KwaZulu-Natal region.
Professor Sibiya said that through the centre, they aimed to position MUT as a national leader in practical, impact-driven entrepreneurship, particularly for underrepresented and underserved communities.
To ensure that all students benefit from this vision and that their efforts are strengthened, allowing them to make the desired impact, the University also plans to make entrepreneurship a compulsory module across all academic programmes, a decision Professor Sibiya said was part of the university’s strategic vision. “Whether our students study engineering, science, or management, they will graduate with the tools to innovate, create value, and solve real-world problems. This is about embedding entrepreneurship into the DNA of our institution,” said Professor Sibiya. This vision will be encapsulated in the “Making Entrepreneurship a Core Competency” strapline. “I saw this commitment and intentionality during my recent visit to Sacramento State University in California, USA, where every academic department has to be accountable for how many entrepreneurs they produce.”