The first research partnerships building workshop under the African Network for the Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence Building Systems (AfricaLics) was held at Hotel Cardoso, Maputo, Mozambique from 2-3 December 2013.

The purpose of this workshop was to bring together researchers from the innovation and development community and provide a space for creative thinking concerning new research projects or research dissemination projects in this area in Africa.

The workshop was a follow up to an initial meeting of academics studying innovation and development held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in December 2012 where there was agreement that research was lacking in a number of subject areas which are essential to the development of African economies and livelihoods.

The Maputo workshop was held as a means to start a programme of work that would reduce the research gaps in some, if not all, of the above subject areas. The workshop used a series of group work activities to bring out research ideas and potential activities that could be carried out by a group of researchers within and around each thematic research area.