3rd HMH-Africa Week, Heraklion May 18-22

Africa Week @ HMU continues its thematic journey in 2026, building on the discussions and partnerships initiated during AW1 (2024) and AW2 (2025). This year’s focus, “Innovation Under Constraints: How Lab to Market Succeeds (and Fails) in the Global South,” shifts attention from ideation to translation — examining how research outcomes, prototypes, and innovative ideas perform when exposed to real market conditions.

The event brings together universities, innovation hubs, spin-offs, SMEs, and practitioners from Africa, the Mediterranean, and the wider Global South to reflect on both successful and unsuccessful innovation trajectories. Emphasis is placed on structural constraints, the role of universities as enablers of responsible innovation, and failure as a source of knowledge. Through thematic panels, parallel sessions, and structured networking activities, Africa Week @ HMU aims to strengthen international cooperation and identify realistic pathways for collaboration under the Erasmus+ KA171 framework.

👉 Detailed programme, participation formats, and registration information will be available soon on the dedicated Africa Week page.