The article illustrates how the South Africa-Netherlands Research Programme on Alternatives in Development (SANPAD), a doctoral research preparation programme for candidates on the African continent, evolved from an aid programme to an exemplary model of innovation, namely SANTRUST, an ownership-driven partnership within the framework of internationalization. This model of innovation includes a programme with a novel approach to focus on redress in South Africa, particularly for Black women researchers. The research design for this inquiry used an intrinsic case study, with interviews, observations and document analysis as data collection strategies. The case study revealed how SANTRUST, the innovation model, which is now the fully-fledged South-owned programme, sustained the SANPAD aid programme. The key finding revealed that SANTRUST in its relationship with research universities has matured into an example of sustainable national and international cooperation within a knowledge network paradigm. (Contains 1 figure and 1 graph.)