Erika Kraemer-Mbula is a Professor of Economics and is currently the Chair holder of the DSI/NRF/Newton Fund Trilateral Chair in Transformative Innovation, the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Sustainable Development, based at the College of Business and Economics (University of Johannesburg) and in partnership with ACTS and SPRU. Her work focuses on alternative development paths for African economies. She specialises in the analysis of innovation systems in connection to equitable development and inclusive development, and has done pioneering work on innovation in the African informal sector. Erika has undertaken a range of advisory assignments with international institutions (such as IDRC, TWAS, UNIDO, UNESCO, UNICEF, among others). Her experience in this area includes the evaluation of strategic innovation-related programmes of international donor organisations, designing and reviewing regional and national STI policies, as well as supporting the implementation of innovation strategies in African countries. In South Africa, she is currently an appointed member of the Advisory Committee of the Centre for Science, Technology, and Innovation Indicators (CeSTII), various Reference Groups at the National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI), and a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Post-Covid socio-economic recovery (for the Department of Science and Innovation). She is also a member of several research networks on innovation and development – such as President of Globelics, advisory board member of Africalics and Steering Committee member of OpenAIR.