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Figure 14 presents whether municipalities have established partnerships with external actors for innovation-related activities in the past three years. A significant majority of senior officials (75%) reported that their municipality has formed partnerships with external stakeholders – such as universities, NGOs, businesses, or international agencies – to support innovation. In contrast, 25% indicated that no such partnerships have been established.
Figure 14. Innovation partnerships
Figure 15 visualises the range of external actors that municipalities have partnered with for innovation-related initiatives over the past three years. The network diagram shows a diverse ecosystem of collaboration, grouped into five key categories: academic and research institutions, international organisations, government and parastatal entities, private sector actors, and other stakeholders such as NGOs and innovation hubs.
The most prominent partners are academic institutions and science councils (e.g. UNISA, TUT, CSIR, University of Pretoria), reflecting the strong role that higher education plays in supporting municipal innovation. Government departments and agencies, particularly the Department of Science and Innovation (DSTI), National Treasury, and SALGA, also appear frequently, indicating the importance of intergovernmental coordination.
Additionally, several municipalities reported partnerships with international development organisations such as GIZ, the World Bank, and bilateral donors. These relationships suggest an openness to global knowledge exchange and financial support. The private sector and local innovation hubs (e.g. the Innovation Hub, Innovate Durban) were also widely cited, highlighting the multisectoral nature of innovation partnerships in local government.
MUNICIPAL INNOVATION MATURITY INDEX (MIMI)
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