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Applications Applications close 11 November 2026. The PhD Challenge runs 19–20 November 2026 at the Nelson Mandela University Science Centre, Gqeberha, during Global Entrepreneurship Week.

19–20 November 2026 · Nelson Mandela University Science Centre, Gqeberha

Now is the time to take your doctoral research Beyond The Thesis.

Research · Enterprise · Impact

The PhD Challenge is a national pitch competition for PhD holders from South African higher education institutions who want to take their doctoral research Beyond The Thesis. Participants pitch their research with the aim of translating specialised knowledge into entrepreneurial opportunities, innovation and enterprise. The Challenge then connects researchers with investors, policymakers, industry leaders and collaborators, helping bridge the gap between academic research and real-world impact.

Apply now See the programme

Up to 20

in-person participants

3 min

to pitch your research

2 days

19–20 November

Free

to apply

Dates

Thursday 19 – Friday 20 November 2026

Venue

Nelson Mandela University Science Centre, Ocean Sciences Campus, University Way, Gqeberha, Eastern Cape

Format

In person and #VirtualPhDChallenge

Held during

Global Entrepreneurship Week

Beyond The Thesis

The Researcherpreneur

A PhD is worth years of your research, expertise and problem-solving. The question the PhD Challenge asks is what happens when that knowledge moves Beyond The Thesis.

At the heart of the PhD Challenge is the Researcherpreneur: a researcher who turns specialised knowledge into something the world can use — a tool, course, framework, consultancy, product or service. Not every PhD becomes a business. But every PhD can become an idea.

Participants explore how their research could contribute across five pathways:

Pathway 01

Entrepreneurship

Building new ideas, solutions and ventures out of what your research proved.

Pathway 02

Enterprise development

Strengthening existing businesses and the markets they operate in.

Pathway 03

Venture development

Turning a research finding into something scalable and investable.

Pathway 04

Incubators & accelerators

Tools, frameworks and diagnostics that support early-stage innovation and growth.

Pathway 05

MSME ecosystems

Interventions that create inclusive, sustainable economic impact at scale.

What could your research become?

Taking doctoral research Beyond The Thesis. From research, to enterprise, to impact. For South Africa.

Why this, why now

Your thesis already did the hard part. Now it needs a room.

A visible national platform to move doctoral research from publication to practice.

Demand outgrew the plan

Originally conceived for 200 PhD holders, the PhD Challenge attracted more than 400 prospective candidates. The event now runs on 19–20 November 2026, catering for 20 in-person participants, with room for more to join online through the #VirtualPhDChallenge.

Research that stops at publication

Doctoral research advances theory and informs policy, but rarely reaches the incubators, accelerators and ecosystem builders who could use it.

A return on years of investment

A PhD represents years of specialised research and significant financial investment. The Challenge builds on that investment by giving PhD holders a structured platform to test their research Beyond The Thesis.

The GrowthWheel® 360 PhD Challenge Canvas

One canvas, every pathway

Participants map each pitch against GrowthWheel®’s four dimensions and twenty focus areas, giving every proposal a core operational foundation.

The framework

GrowthWheel® 360 PhD Challenge Canvas

Built on GrowthWheel®, a business-design framework used by certified advisors in over 70 countries. It does not force every PhD into commercialisation. It makes different pathways visible: enterprise, policy, public-sector implementation, social impact and collaborative innovation.

Business Concept

The idea: is there a clear product, service or solution that could create value?

Organisation

Team and foundation: are the people, partnerships and resources available or identifiable?

Customer Relations

Stakeholders: is there a clear user, customer or beneficiary?

Operations

Resources and delivery: could it be developed, delivered and sustained?

Participants complete the canvas before the event. It is confidential and seen only by the Screening Committee, judges, assigned mentors and the Information Officer.

How it works

Four steps

From canvas to benefits.

1. Map

Selected participants map their research on the PhD Challenge Canvas, built on the GrowthWheel® framework.

2. Pitch

Three minutes to present, in person or online.

3. Judged

Four judges score each pitch and give feedback.

4. Benefits

All participants gain lifetime GrowthWheel® access, a Mentorship Certificate and a year of BIWA Community of Practice membership. Top 5 Finalists receive additional prizes worth R50 000 on top.

Judging

How the pitches are judged

The judging panel has four judges, one nominated by each of BIWA, Nelson Mandela University, GrowthWheel® South Africa and Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropies.

Each pitch is scored out of 50 on four practical criteria and three research criteria, and the judges give each participant feedback on where the research is strong and what to test next. The Top 5 Finalists are announced at the close of Day 2.

Criterion

Scale

What judges consider

Business Concept

0/5

Is there a clear idea, product, service, solution or application that could create value?

Customer Relations

0/5

Is there a clear user, customer or beneficiary who could use, support or benefit from the opportunity?

Organisation

0/5

Are the relevant people, partnerships, capabilities and resources available or identifiable?

Operations

0/5

Could the opportunity be developed, delivered, implemented and sustained?

Research Opportunity

0/10

Does the research address a meaningful opportunity or problem, with clear potential for application, innovation or impact?

Methodological Rigour

0/10

Is the research methodologically sound, with an appropriate design, methods and analysis for the question being addressed?

Evidence Base

0/10

Are the findings and claims supported by credible, relevant and sufficient evidence?

Audience members may score each pitch on the same rubric, anonymously. Audience scores do not count towards the judges’ result.

Programme

The two days

A standalone two-day event at the Nelson Mandela University Science Centre, with the #VirtualPhDChallenge online. Times are SAST.

Pitch format

Three minutes per participant to explain the research and show how it addresses a problem, serves a user or beneficiary, supports an organisation, influences policy, or creates economic and social value.

Accessibility & equity

The #VirtualPhDChallenge for researchers unable to travel.
Travel, accommodation and subsistence covered for in-person participants.
Language interpretation and disability access on request on the registration form.

Day 1 · Thursday 19 November

09:00–09:30

Registration

09:30–09:45

PhD Speed Dating

09:45–10:15

Keynote Address & PhD Challenge Introduction

10:15–11:00

Meet the Partners

11:00–11:15

Tea Break

11:15–12:15

PhD Challenge Pitches

12:15–13:00

Lunch

13:00–14:00

#VirtualPhDChallenge

14:00–14:05

Break

14:05–15:05

PhD Challenge Pitches

15:05–16:00

GrowthWheel® Mentoring

Day 2 · Friday 20 November

09:00–09:15

Build A Research-To-Enterprise Proposition Challenge

09:15–10:00

Researcherpreneur Testimony

10:00–11:00

PhD Challenge Pitches

11:00–11:15

Tea Break

11:15–12:00

PhD Challenge Pitches

12:00–13:00

Lunch

13:00–14:00

GrowthWheel® Mentoring

14:00–15:00

Judges’ Reflections & Open Audience Q&A

15:00–15:30

Judges’ deliberation (closed); open networking

15:30–16:00

Top 5 Finalists Announced, Wrap Up & Closing Remarks

What you prepare

Six things to communicate inside the three-minute pitch:

What the research is
What problem it addresses
Why the problem matters
What is new or valuable
Who could benefit from or use it
What the research could become

Who can apply

Eligibility, screening and selection

Eligibility

The PhD Challenge is open to PhD holders who obtained their doctorate from a South African higher education institution. It does not depend on where you live or work, or whether you are currently affiliated with an institution. The research must be geared towards entrepreneurship, enterprise and venture development, incubators, accelerators or the MSME ecosystem.

Selection

The event identifies up to 20 in-person participants through the pre-screening registration form. #VirtualPhDChallenge participants are registered on the same basis, are scored on the same scorecard and are eligible to be named among the Top 5 Finalists.

Screening Committee

The Screening Committee oversees selection. Members declare any actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest and recuse themselves where one exists. Contact: pitch@phdchallenge.org.za.

Partners & stakeholders

Built collaboratively

BIWA, Nelson Mandela University, GrowthWheel® South Africa and Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropies provide substantive support to the PhD Challenge, and each nominates one judge.

BIWA

Business Incubation Web Association

Key partner. Nominates a judge, is a responsible party for personal information, and is home to the Community of Practice that participants join for a year.

GrowthWheel® South Africa

Framework and mentoring

Provides the GrowthWheel® framework behind the Canvas, mentoring, and lifetime free GrowthWheel® for Entrepreneurs access. Nominates a judge and is a responsible party for personal information.

Nelson Mandela University

Host and research support

Hosts the event at the Nelson Mandela University Science Centre and provides research support. Nominates a judge.

Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropies

Funder

Funds the event. Nominates a judge.

The ecosystem

Who the PhD Challenge connects

The PhD Challenge seeks to build a connected doctoral research ecosystem, linking researchers with the institutions and organisations that can support, fund, commercialise and apply their work.

Universities and academic institutions

Research institutions and professional associations

Government agencies and policymakers, including state-owned enterprises

Incubators, accelerators and industry

Civil society organisations

Funders, investors and philanthropists

Participant benefits

Lifetime free access to GrowthWheel® for Entrepreneurs
GrowthWheel® Mentorship Certificate
One-year BIWA Community of Practice membership
Top 5 Finalists receive additional prizes worth R50 000 on top of these benefits

Apply

Applications close 11 November 2026

Register as a participant: PhD holders from a South African higher education institution complete the pre-screening registration form.

Countdown to 11 November 2026 · Applications close

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Days

–

Hours

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Mins

Apply now

When you will hear back: applications are screened on a rolling basis. You are notified of your outcome by email as soon as your application has been screened, so early applicants hear back first.

Applying is free. Travel, accommodation and subsistence are covered for in-person participants.

Questions? pitch@phdchallenge.org.za

Taking doctoral research Beyond The Thesis

From research to enterprise to impact.

You defended your thesis. Now test its impact.

Questions

What to know before you apply

Answers on cost, recording, your data and your intellectual property, drawn from the PhD Challenge Strategic Operational Framework.

Is there a winner?

No single winner is declared, but the Top 5 Finalists receive additional prizes worth R50 000 on top of the benefits every participant receives: lifetime free GrowthWheel® for Entrepreneurs access, a GrowthWheel® Mentorship Certificate and one-year BIWA Community of Practice membership.

What does it cost to take part?

Applying is free. Travel, accommodation and subsistence are covered for in-person participants, so cost is not a barrier to attendance. Researchers who cannot travel can present through the #VirtualPhDChallenge.

Will my pitch be recorded or livestreamed?

Pitches are livestreamed or recorded only with the participant’s consent. Recording and livestream consent is requested separately on the registration form.

What personal information is collected, and why?

Personal information collected through the pre-screening and application process is limited to what is necessary for eligibility assessment, screening, event administration, judging, communication and programme development.

What is the lawful basis for processing my information?

Processing is based on your consent, obtained at application, and on legitimate interest where necessary to administer the competition, for example internal eligibility verification. Consent is specific to each purpose. Ecosystem sharing and longer retention each require separate, optional consent.

How is accessibility or language information handled?

Accessibility and language requests may reveal health or disability information. They are collected only with explicit consent, used only to provide the requested provision, visible only to the Information Officer, and deleted once the provision has been delivered.

Who can see my application?

The Information Officer has access to all personal information. The Screening Committee sees applications during screening only. Judges see the application content needed to score, but not contact details or accessibility information. GrowthWheel® mentors see only their assigned participants’ canvas and action plan. Everyone with access signs a confidentiality undertaking and a conflict-of-interest declaration.

Is my information shared with anyone else?

Only where necessary for an identified programme purpose. BIWA, Nelson Mandela University, GrowthWheel® South Africa and Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropies receive only what their role requires, under written agreements that prohibit further use, and the funder receives aggregate data by default. Your research profile and contact details are shared with universities, government agencies, incubators, industry, civil society, funders or investors only if you opt in for that category.

How long is my information kept?

Applicants: 12 months from application, then securely deleted or de-identified. Alumni and ecosystem database: only if you opt in, until you withdraw. De-identified cohort data may be kept indefinitely. Retention required by law overrides these periods.

How do I access, correct or delete my information?

Write to the Information Officer at thesis@phdchallenge.org.za to request access to, correction or deletion of your personal information, or to object to its processing. Requests are acknowledged and actioned as soon as reasonably possible in accordance with POPIA. You may withdraw consent at any time and may complain to the Information Regulator.

What happens if there is a data breach?

Any data breach or unauthorised disclosure affecting participant information is assessed and, where required, reported to the Information Regulator and affected data subjects as soon as reasonably possible after discovery, in line with section 22 of POPIA.

Do I hand over any intellectual property by entering?

No. Participation does not transfer, license, waive or diminish your intellectual property rights. The PhD Challenge claims no ownership, licence or right of first refusal over any participant’s IP. Where your research arose from publicly funded R&D at a South African institution, any disclosure or assignment obligations under the IPR Act (2008) and your university’s TTO or NIPMO framework remain between you and your institution. Registering IP via CIPC is your own or your institution’s responsibility.

How much should I disclose when I pitch?

You decide what to disclose. The three-minute pitch is a public-facing summary and does not require methods, data or technical detail that is not yet protected. Further detail with investors or partners is discussed one-to-one, at your discretion; consider NDAs or provisional filings first.

Data protection notice

The responsible parties for personal information processed through the PhD Challenge are BIWA and GrowthWheel® South Africa. The Information Officer is contactable at thesis@phdchallenge.org.za. Registration form data is handled by our registration provider under their own terms. Full detail is in our Privacy Notice.

Contact

Ask us anything

Questions about eligibility, the pitch format, travel support or partnership. To register, use Apply now.

Reach us directly

pitch@phdchallenge.org.za

Enquiries are answered as soon as reasonably possible. Data and POPIA requests: thesis@phdchallenge.org.za.

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Where we are

Nelson Mandela University Science Centre, Ocean Sciences Campus, University Way, Gqeberha, Eastern Cape

19–20 November 2026 · Applications close 11 November 2026

Apply now

19–20 Nov 2026Nelson Mandela University Science Centre

Apply now