New agency to drive innovation
27 November 2008
South Africa will soon have a Technology Innovation Agency, which will stimulate the development of technology-based products and services by both the public and private sectors.
This follows the signing of the Technology Innovation Agency Bill into law by President Kgalema Motlanthe in Pretoria last week.
According to the Department of Science and Technology, the agency will help the government to "bridge the gap between the country's local knowledge base and the productive economy".
The agency will aim to stimulate innovation and inventions in order to improve the country's economic growth as well as enhance the quality of life of all South Africans "by developing and exploiting technological innovations, and creating and enabling environment wherein these could be commercialised," the department said.
The Technology Innovation Agency will also take responsibility for the Biotechnology Regional Innovation Centres, as well as the implementation of the country's Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Strategy.
It will incorporate the Innovation Fund, and Tshumisano, the department's implementation agency, which provides financial and technical support to technology stations based at various universities around the country.
SAinfo reporter
Would you like to use this article in your publication
or on your website?
See: Using SAinfo material
