Hub has key role in nurturing innovation

The uniqueness of The Innovation Hub can be found in its vibrant community of contributing role players and an invigorating, value-adding environment where knowledge workers are clustered to identify synergies and collaborate.

In any dynamic and competitive economy, innovation forms the foundation of accelerated growth and development. In the Hub's latest Annual Report, Gauteng MEC for Economic Development, Paul Mashatile, refers to the Hub's key role, as one of the original Blue IQ projects, in nurturing commercial and technological innovation.

According to Mashatile, the Hub's unique Science Park environment is responding to the business growth and development needs of a complete value chain that includes major international players as well as SMMEs. And similar to Science Parks worldwide, The Innovation Hub has become a transition zone for investors to gain local knowledge and expertise and tap into local innovation.

In addition to boosting innovation, the Hub has created links between high-tech companies and Gauteng's R&D resources and helped emerging high-tech entrepreneurs find their feet in the SMME sector, supporting the creation of jobs and the formation of broad-based black economic empowerment companies.

Notable initiatives include the Maxum Business Incubator, which has achieved a business success rate of 80% amongst start-up companies. The first seven Maxum graduates reported a combined annual turnover of over R43 million and all succeeded in commercialising innovative new products in local, regional and international markets.

Maxum is also a founding member of the South African Business and Technology Incubation Association (SABTIA) and one of the first to offer both incubation and pre-incubation programmes to entrepreneurs and start-ups in the high-tech sector.

One of the challenges for the incubator is to increase the uptake of qualifying entrepreneurs, specifically from previously disadvantaged backgrounds into its pre-incubation programme. Initiatives in this regard include participating in activities at tertiary education campuses to create awareness about the benefits of incubation and attract potential entrepreneurs as programme participants.

Other significant 'firsts' include the CoachLab™ academic-industry leadership and business skills development programme, through which post-graduate students are linked to the high-tech business sector to participate in real-time industry projects, and the INNOV8 community, a high-tech business cluster with a membership of more than 5 000.

Tactically, the clustering is fulfilling a need to connect people, explore synergies and leverage business development opportunities. In this regard, its relationship with Finland's Technopolis Oulu Science Park has resulted in exposure to cluster environments in Finland and liaison locally with the Finnish Embassy and the Department of Science and Technology to enlist Finnish expertise in developing national systems of innovation. The aim is to help grow the knowledge economy in the Tshwane region.

As a relatively young initiative, the cross-boundary impact of The Innovation Hub is already evident, according to Chairman Nomhle Canca, also CEO of Blue IQ. Contributions locally include participation in the Tshwane Metro's economic and industrial development programmes and Smart City project, as well as strategic involvement in the Global Hub broadband network project with increasing involvement by Hub tenants to pilot new activities.

It is also creating contacts with embryo developments of Science Parks in Africa to assist in the creation of an African Innovation Network. In addition, its full membership of the International Association of Science Parks (IASP) helped to secure its bid to host the IASP annual World Conference for the first time in Africa in 2008.

"The essence of our differentiation from other business parks, and our competitive advantage", said Comins, "lies in the ability to combine professionally managed real estate, available at competitive market rates, with value-added business support services as a unique offering that is specific to Science Parks worldwide."

Entrepreneurs at work

During the year reported on in the Annual Report, the innovators and entrepreneurs at tenant companies have continued to launch exciting new products and services. Examples included the novel electricity vending solution that landed Expertron two SPII (Support Programme for Industrial Innovation) awards, and a first-of-its-kind Tourism Booking Portal for Gauteng Tourism Authority from Luuk ICT, a software development company specialising in web, mobile and online GIS technologies.

Sylvean Biotech, a participant in the Maxum Business Incubator, submitted a position paper on the legal implications of stem-cell research to the Department of Health in Pretoria with policy recommendations on criteria and regulatory structures for such research in this country. And electronic engineering solutions provider, Periseo, developed the Smart Vehicle Harness (SVH), an intelligent in-vehicle network for the bus industry.

"I am convinced that The Innovation Hub has an important role in linking South Africa's innovative ability to the global innovation network and in supporting our drive to become a globally competitive city region", said Mashatile.

For information on the many innovative developments at the Hub, download a copy of the 2006 Annual Report.

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