The ICET (International Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology) project, funded by the DAAD "Welcome to Africa" program, builds on a large number of successful collaborations between the Carl von Ossitzky University Oldenburg (CvOU) and the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) Port Elisabeth. The future of research and teaching is seen in the ICET, but also in the academic community, in the linking of different departments and the resulting interdisciplinarity. An interdisciplinary project in Port Elizabeth (the ICET) therefore aims to unite particularly successful institutions of both universities under one roof and to initiate interdisciplinary projects in research and research-oriented teaching. The central focus of the ICET is research into technologies and the resulting business start-ups that lead to an improvement in the living situation in the townships of South Africa. The social aspects of a technology-oriented start-up are particularly emphasized in this approach. It is essential for the ICET to be able to increase the educational opportunities in townships and enhance energy security through the use of intelligent control methods.

The topic "social technology & entrepreneurship" forms the umbrella of the ICET and thus of the cooperation between the CvOU and the NMMU. This cooperation covers three areas - research, teaching and operational start-up support. The focus is on joint research by members of both institutions, which is not only fed by original research activities but also by research activities within the other two areas. The Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship as well as the Department of Very Large Business Applications (CvOU Oldenburg) and the Business School or Faculty of Science (NMMU) are supporting this project. The Chair of Education Management (CvOU) and the Chair of Information Systems (Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences) support ICET in the relevant research areas. In addition, ICET involves other institutions and persons depending on the topic.