Collaborating at the forefront of technology innovation

Seen signing the Letter of Intent are Prof Lourens van Staden (left), Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic: Social and Information Sciences responsible for Innovation and Technology Transfer at Tshwane University of Technology and Dr Neville Comins (right), CEO of The Innovation Hub. Looking on are Prof Hugo Dürrheim, TUT Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic responsible for SET and Ms Jill Sawers, Manager of the maxum Business Incubator at The Innovation Hub. Prof Lourens van Staden (left), Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic: Social and Information Sciences and responsible for Innovation and Technology Transfer at the Tshwane University of Technology and Dr Neville Comins (right), CEO of The Innovation Hub, sealing the agreement to collaborate with a firm handshake.

There is a growing acknowledgement that significant technological innovation is required for South Africa to achieve international competitiveness. A strategic decision by the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) to partner with The Innovation Hub right from the onset of the initiative to stimulate such innovation has recently resulted in the signing a Letter of Intent to collaborate in a number of areas. This includes student development, research and innovation projects, technological innovation, business incubation and technology transfer.

The first phase of the infrastructure development for The Innovation Hub is due for completion by the end of 2004, beginning 2005. According to CEO Dr Neville Comins, in his presentation at the signing ceremony: "We are not ambitious in what we can achieve for ourselves. Rather, the Gauteng Provincial Government, The Innovation Hub and the TUT are ambitious in what - as partners - we can achieve for others. We are particularly excited about the entrepreneurship potential that will be developed through this initiative."

Comins congratulated TUT on its achievements in technology and innovation over the past few years, and acknowledged its dream of becoming a University of Technology. "The institution's involvement in an ambitious project such as The Innovation Hub is one way realising that dream", he added. In his opinion, South Africans are not yet experiencing the reality of the concept of an information society. The Innovation Hub affords Tshwane an opportunity to turn the capital into an information hub and the knowledge capital of Africa.

Prof Peter van Eldik, TUT Advisor to the Vice-Chancellor and Prof Lourens van Staden, TUT Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic: Social and Information Sciences, said they were excited to be part of this venture where high-tech entrepreneurs, world-class business and education institutions can work together to improve innovation, and in so doing South Africa's global competitiveness. Prof van Eldik indicated that the University will investigate opportunities to jointly develop programmes and projects geared at bridging the existing innovation chasm. "The collaboration will also give us an opportunity to network with companies and organisations situated at The Innovation Hub for research and development projects," he said.

"The Innovation Hub will furthermore enable TUT students to participate in internships, experiential learning and incubation opportunities," according to Prof van Staden. He added that The Innovation Hub provided an ideal opportunity for the University to establish itself as a leader in technology and innovation in Tshwane as well as the region.

The enabling environment provided by The Innovation Hub, specifically in Information and Communications Technology, will also enable the University to establish networks with businesses involved in the initiative, enter into mutually beneficial partnerships, conduct joint research, enroll in joint projects and optimally utilise other role-players. "It is important to involve students in the project, since they are the future leaders who will have to take ownership of such innovations," he went on. He also referred to the importance of cluster mapping of technologies in order to embed both TUT and The Innovation Hub's expertise in the African region.

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