Conference Folder:

Strengthening the Science Business Society Dialogue in the SADC region

Science Business Society Dialogue Conference

Table of Contents

1 Introduction

1.1 Conference Objective

1.2 The Southern African Development Community (SADC)

2 Relevant Challenges in Some SADC Member Countries for a

Successful Science Business Dialogue

3 The Concept of Innovation

4 Transfer Channels between Science, Industry,

Government and Society

5 Country Specific Innovation-related Framework Conditions

6 Different Dialogue Formats in a Science Business Dialogue

6.1 Technology Transfer Offices

6.2 Innovation Labs as Interface between Science and Business

7 Some Relevant Initiatives

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1 Introduction

1.1 Conference objective

Whilst Southern Africa boasts many excellent science research centres and has an

outstanding entrepreneurial community, science and the private sector often sit alongside

each other and there are few connections or strategic collaborations. Such

collaborations, however, could make a considerable contribution to developing quality

scientific solutions that can shape and improve the daily lives of all people in the SADC

region.

The purpose of the Science Business Dialogue Conference is:

• To deepen participants’ understanding of different aspects of the Science Business

Dialogue by providing expert input and discussion

• To enable participants to establish new relevant contacts and networks – with

scientists, entrepreneurs and policymakers – within their own field of activity

• To integrate different experiences across the region towards a particular SADC

perspective, also moving forward future initiatives and overcoming regional

challenges

• To present and discuss a variety of successful Science Business Dialogue models, to

serve as inspiration for possible new projects that link science and business

This conference folder provides some information about the Science Business Dialogue

topic and thus an opportunity for participants to reflect on it ahead of the conference.

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*SADC is an inter-governmental organisation headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana

“To promote sustainable and equitable economic growth and socio-economic

development through efficient productive systems, deeper co-operation and integration,

good governance and durable peace and security among fifteen Southern African

Member States.”

• Angola

• Botswana

• Democratic Republic of the Congo

• Lesotho

• Madagascar

• Malawi

• Mauritius

• Mozambique

• Namibia

• Seychelles

• South Africa

• Swaziland

• Tanzania

• Zambia

• Zimbabwe

1 Introduction

1.2 The Southern African Development Community (SADC*)

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Source: https://brainsplus.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/sadcmap.jpg Figure: http://www.amazingvictoriafalls.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/SADC-Region.jpg

SADC Mission

Member States:

• Great distance between society and research - difficult to empower society for using research results.

• Different understanding of the term “innovation” and the role of innovation in (and for) society.

• Different practice of knowledge and technology transfer with respect to e.g. publication of research results, patent registration and commercialisation of scientific results.

• Challenge of transferring technologies and methods from abroad to Southern African countries.

• Different understanding of roles in international projects (sometimes undermining mutual trust).

• Partly insufficient experience of Technology Transfer Offices (TTO) facilitators.

• Lack of sufficiently flexible financing tools, e.g. to pool funds in order to develop a prototype.

• Policy and society focus on “technology push innovation” - almost no “market pull activities”.

• Lack of research and development departments in companies (also multinational companies working in Southern Africa).

1 Introduction2. Relevant Challenges in Some SADC Member Countries* for a Successful Science Business Dialogue

* Botswana, Namibia and South Africa

Source: Prof. Dr Schraudner et al. (2016): Analysis of Knowledge and Technology Transfer between Science, Industry, and the Public in African Industry, Innovation Systems, Results for South Africa, Namibia and Botswana, Fraunhofer Center for Responsible Research and Innovation (CeRRI), Berlin, Germany

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3. The Concept of Innovation

Innovation is the result of a process from translating an idea or invention into a product or

service that creates value or for which customers will pay. In the context of the Science

Business Dialogue Conference, innovation means the use of research results in business

practice.

There is a distinction between technology push innovation and market pull innovation:

• Technology push innovation is pushed from research institution to the market. Research

institution is initiator within innovation process.

• Market pull innovation is initiated by business stakeholders because there exists a certain

need on the market.

The knowledge and technology transfer can be characterised as a structured, typically

multidirectional exchange of scientific findings and results, including those that are

intermediary, between diverse actors within the innovation system, which aims at

producing highly useful innovations that are driven by public needs and are thus likely to be

valued by the public.

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Knowledge and Technology Transfer:

Source: Sinell, Iffländer, Muschner (2016): National specifics in knowledge and technology transfer –

analysing the different best practice approaches of five nations. In press

1 Introduction4 Transfer Channels between Science, Industry, Government and Society

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NATIONAL INNOVATION FRAMEWORK

Source: Fraunhofer Center for Responsible Research and Innovation (CeRRI), Berlin, Germany 2016

1 Introduction

[1] Description: In your country, to what extent do companies invest in research and

development (R&D)? [1 = Do not invest at all in R&D; 7 = Invest heavily in R&D]

[2] Description: In your country, to what extent do people collaborate and share ideas in

between companies and universities/research institutions? [1 = not at all; 7 = to a great

extent]

[3] Description: In your country, to what extent are scientists and engineers available? [1 =

not at all; 7 = widely available]

[4] Description: In your country, to what extent do government purchasing decisions foster

innovation? [1 = not at all; 7 = to a great extent]

*Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo: no information available

5 Country Specific Innovation-related Framework Conditions for a Science Business Dialogue*

Source: World Economic Forum; Global Competitiveness Report 2015-2016; Date of data collection or release: 1st September 2015; www.weforum.org/gcr

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1 Introduction

• Patenting

- Commercial use only for inventor)

• Licensing

- Third person can use invention for commercial use but needs to pay license fees

• Contract research

- Initiated by companies and executed by contract research organisations

• Researcher mobility

- To access state-of-the-art research equipment

- To enhance research collaborations

- To support development of specialised skills

• Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs)

• Innovation Labs (Living Labs, Innovation Hubs, Maker Spaces, Incubator)

• Science Councils

Provides a voice on policy for public benefit

• Research Spin-Offs

Companies that have been established directly by a (public) research institution

Companies that have licensed a technology which has been developed by a

research institution

• Innovation competition, e.g. the Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA)

A jury awards the most innovative product or service solutions with a prize money

• Specific networks, e.g. The Southern Africa Network for Biosciences (SANBio)

Two of these formats (TTOs and Innovation Labs) are explained in more detail in chapters 6.1

and 6.2.

6 Different Dialogue Formats in a Science Business Dialogue

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Traditional formats

New forms of collaboration

6.1 Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs)

In our context, the main goal of technology transfer is to improve economic development

through greater technological innovation.

• Technological innovations with commercial potential developed by universities or

research institutions are forwarded to private sector

• TTOs are integrated in university infrastructure and can be seen as communication

channel to industry

• TTOs facilitate the market implementation of new products and services

1 Introduction

• Manage the intellectual assets of the institution

• Act as service center providing seminars and consulting services as well as funding

possibilities

• Raise awareness of the national legislation on IP

• Define a commercialisation strategy

• Do market research

• Identify marketing and licensee opportunities

• Negotiate, conclude, manage managing license deals

• Do fundraising

Source: University of Pretoria, Technology Transfer Offices retrieved on 11 July 2016 from http://www.up.ac.za/en/-ems-research/article/269553/technology-transfer-officeCape Peninsula University of Technology, Technology Transfer Office retrieved on 11 July 2016 from http://www.cput.ac.za/research/tto University of the Western Cape, Technology Transfer Offices retrieved on 11 July 2016 from https://www.uwc.ac.za/so/bic/tto/pages/default.aspx

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• TTOs build relationships with faculty and the University research and innovation

community and students; industry

• The primary tool for successful Technology Transfer is Intellectual Property (IP)

• The categories of IP are: trade secrets, know-how, inventions, technologies, patents,

copyright, designs and trademarks

Services by TTOs:

University’s motivation for Technology Transfer

• New funding options• Employment opportunities for graduates• Potential income by commercialisation of their invention

Industry’s motivation for Technology Transfer

• Receive new products and services (ideas)• Discover new business channels• Economic growth of company

Society’s motivation for Technology Transfer

• Job creation• Overall growth in the economy• Improvement of quality of life

1 Introduction

Short description: An Innovation Lab is an innovation format which aims to set up a platform

at the interface between different key players (such as industry and science). It is a physical

(sometimes also virtual) workspace or creative laboratory where people with common

interest e.g. in computers, machining, technology, science, digital art or electronic art can

meet and socialise. Labs provide an opportunity to connect business, science and

innovation.

• One important movement behind Innovation Labs is called “Maker Movement”

• The Maker Movement stands for making things with one’s own hands and change

thereby from a consumer to producer role

• Proponents aim at building a “bottom - up - economy” because they invent new things

often with the aid of new technologies and become entrepreneurs in the process

• The Maker Movement is an international community and attracts, amongst others,

engineers, entrepreneurs and artists from all disciplines and age groups

• Innovations Labs provide specialised equipment e.g. 3D-printers and/or a collaborative

working and communication space

• Innovation Labs have various names depending on their strategic focus such as ‘Maker

Space’, ‘Fab Lab’, ‘Hacker Space’, ‘Innovation Hub’, ‘Tech Hub’, ‘Incubator’,

‘Accelerator’ etc.

6.2 Innovation Labs as Interface between Science and Business

It is possible to differentiate between the two main groups of the Innovation Labs as “Maker Space” and “Company Builder”. Nonetheless, the field is multifaceted and there also exist other formats, such as combinations of Maker Space and Company Builder.

Picture: https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4141/4931114031_245a4a5f54_b.jpg retrieved on 27 October 2016

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Company Builder

• Gives advice to build own business in the field of funding, project partner, legal conditions• Promotes start-up ideas• Is often part of a broad network of science parks, incubators, companies, universities and innovation agencies• Can be a private or public institution

Maker Space

• Is a open workshop with high technical equipment for local manufacturing e.g. 3D-printer, 3D-scanner, CNC machine• Brings people from different fields together and provides therefore a so called co-working space• A Maker Space is often part of a universities

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Examples Company Builder

• Bio-Innovation Zimbabwe (BIZ), Harare, Zimbabwe (Link: http://bio-innovation.org/) • Botswana Innovation Hub (BIH), Gaborone, Botswana (Link: http://www.bih.co.bw/) • BongoHive, Lusaka, Zambia (Link: http://bongohive.co.zm/)• Buni Innovation Hub, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (Link: http://buni.or.tz/) • Habaka Innovation Hub, Antananarivo, Madagascar (Link: http://www.habaka.org/) • Innovus, Stellenbosch, South Africa (Link: http://www.innovus.co.za/pages/english/home.php) • Namibia Business Innovation Institute (NBII), Windhoek, Namibia (Link: http://nbii.polytechnic.edu.na/) • The Innovation Hub, Pretoria, South Africa (Link:http://www.theinnovationhub.com/about-us) • Wits Commercial Enterprise (Pty) Ltd, Johannesburg, South Africa• Additional: AfriLabs (Link: http://afrilabs.com/)

Examples Maker Spaces

• Library MakerSpace at the University of Pretoria (Link: http://www.up.ac.za/en/news/post_2062883-south-africas-first-library-makerspace-opens-at-the-university-of-pretoria )• SA FabLab part of the Department of Science & Technology (DST) South Africa (Link: http://www.fablab.co.za/)• MakerSpace Durban (Link: http://themakerspace.co.za/) • Additional: Maker Faire Africa (Link: http://makerfaireafrica.com/)• Fabrication Laboratory Namibia (FabLab) (Link: http://www.fablabnamibia.org)

7 Some Relevant Initiatives

The following chapter illustrates the previously named different dialogue formats with the help of already existing initiatives at the interface between science, business and society in Africa.

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INNOVATION LABS

Country: Botwana

Botswana Innovation Hub (BIH)

· Botswana’s first science and technology park

· To add value to existing companies

· To foster entrepreneurship and technology transfer

· To generate knowledge-based jobs

· To attract innovative companies and institutions to BIH

· By providing an ideal place for business development with the aid of:

· State-of the-art telecommunications infrastructure

· With high capacity international connectivity and secured power

· Professional business services

· Business development services

· Key focus sectors are information communication technology, biotechnology,

mining technology and clean technology

· Being a member of BIH offers certain benefits, e.g. a concessionary 15%

corporate tax rate

· Successful innovation example: Better Shelter (temporary shelter composed of

several basic elements, including a lightweight steel frame, roof and wall panels,

door and windows, floor covering, solar energy system (lamp and telephone

charge) and an anchoring system

Source: http://www.bih.co.bw/ retrieved on 26 July 2016

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Contact :Academy of Science of South AfricaDr Siyavuya BulaniSiyavuya@assaf.org.za

German National Academy of Sciences LeopoldinaMs Bonny BrandenburgerBonny.Brandenburger@leopoldina.org