Tshwane, 16 April 2020 – The Innovation Hub– the Innovation Agency of the Gauteng Province calls on entrepreneurs and researchers in the ICT, Green, Biotech and Medical and those driving township economies to enter the annual Gauteng Accelerator Program (GAP) Innovation competitions.

The qualifying entrants becomes part of the flagship award ceremony that takes place during the annual Global Entrepreneurship Week event hosted in November 2020 and sees countries from around the world connecting with entrepreneurs, researchers, mentors and stakeholder groups in order to develop a network of synergistic partners and new opportunities.

The GAP Innovation Competition which has been running for nine years seeks innovators, researchers and entrepreneurs that are working on novel ideas that will improve the efficiency of government service delivery, increase the competitiveness of the local economy and enhance the quality of life of ordinary citizens. Categories are in the ICT, Medical, Biosciences, Green Economy and Township Economy. Since inception in 2011, the five categories of GAP have attracted more than 1 200 entries and invested over R 17 million in seed funding and incubation support to over 91 start-ups. To accelerate your innovative venture, entries can be made online here: https://tinyurl.com/t3f58bn, closing date 10 July 2020.

Once selection has been made, candidates will undergo an intensive training during the year-long course of the competition through business workshops hosted and facilitated by leaders in the technology entrepreneurship field which exposes them to strategies; entrepreneurship; business model development; funding channels; pitching workshops; product pricing methods; effective presentation skills; and the composition of effective teams.

An independent panel of judges will select finalists based on business strategy, technology, market, the team, and impact of the technology. The semi-finalists will be selected in June/July2020 based on novelties introduced in one of The Innovation Hub’s priority sectors, namely biosciences, the green economy, smart industries, and township economies.

“We are excited about our 2020 call for new entry, we are looking forward to the innovations that will be submitted this year to improve service delivery in government and the private sector. The winners will be incubated at The Innovation Hub’s specific Business Incubators (Maxum, Climate Innovation centre, BioPark@Gauteng and eKasiLabs facilities) and receive specialist product development support,” said Dr Chamunorwa Togo, General Manager, Bio-economy.

Visit:
www.theinnovationhub.com

For more information, please contact:
Linah Nematandani
Communications and Events Manager
lnematandani@theinnovationhub.com
(+27) 12 844 0030/ (+27) 71 673 9964
Twitter: @InnovHub
Facebook: InnovhubZA

About GGDA
The Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA), is an agency of the Gauteng Department of Economic Development (GDED).GGDA is the implementing arm of the GDED and assists the department in leading, facilitating and managing sustainable job creation and inclusive economic growth and development in the Gauteng City Region.

About The Innovation Hub
The Innovation Hub, a subsidiary of the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA) is the innovation agency of the Gauteng province and is responsible for managing Africa’s first internationally accredited Science and Technology Park of the same name, and is a full member of the International Association of Science Parks (IASP). Strategically located in Tshwane, South Africa's executive capital in the ‘smart’ province of Gauteng, The Innovation Hub implements initiatives identified in the Gauteng Innovation Strategy and Green Economy strategy to advance the economic development and growth of the Province through innovation. The Innovation Hub has created unique spaces, in Tshwane and the rest of the Gauteng province, for high-tech entrepreneurs, world-class businesses, academics, researchers and venture capitalists to meet, network and prosper. For more information visit www.theinnovationhub.com