T3 LIVING LAB
01. The Challenge
T3 Incubation Hub approached us to design and implement a Living Lab-based innovation programme in three of Gqeberha’s most under-resourced areas: Helenvale, New Brighton, and Kwanobuhle. These communities face persistent challenges — including high youth unemployment, limited access to technology and little to no infrastructure supporting local innovation.
The challenge was to build a functioning, community-anchored innovation ecosystem, one that could identify local talent, support the development of practical solutions and provide a clear path from skills to enterprise.
A Living Lab is an open, collaborative environment where people from different backgrounds — including community members, youth, local government, and technical experts work together to co-create, test, and refine real-world solutions to social, economic, or environmental challenges.
02. The Solution
We delivered a full Innovation Support Programme designed to activate township-based innovation from the ground up.
The programme was structured into six key stages:
Outreach & Awareness – Local mobilisation to surface grassroots innovators
Shortlisting & Onboarding – Selecting high-potential participants with community-rooted ideas
Training & Capacity Building – Delivering accessible, hands-on training in cleantech, circular economy, and design thinking
Prototype Development – Supporting participants to build working models using AWS that address local challenges
Business Development Support – Incubation, mentorship, and brand support for early-stage green enterprises
Exit & Commercialisation – Preparing selected innovations for piloting, funding, or market readiness
Additionally, we developed a custom Learning Management System to digitise training content and ensure long-term accessibility. We also procured and set up all required equipment for satellite hubs in the three target communities — enabling ongoing prototyping, learning, and community-led innovation.
Innovation isn’t just about invention — it’s about inclusion. The future belongs to those who build it, together.
03. The Result
773 individuals trained across Gqeberha’s most challenged communities
50 beneficiaries onboarded into the full innovation pipeline
13 working prototypes developed, tackling local issues from waste to water
1 Learning Management System (LMS) developed and deployed
All satellite innovation hubs fully equipped and operationalised in Helenvale, New Brighton, and Kwanobuhle
Phase 2 of the programme is currently underway, building on this foundation to support deeper enterprise development and scale
This work, delivered in partnership with T3 Hub, DSTI, and TIA, is part of a growing movement to build inclusive, community-driven innovation ecosystems that are practical, replicable, and impactful.
