IID Seminar: Opportunities in the Innovation Eco-system for Innovators: Ideation to Business Dev

@dsigovza; @ASSAf_Official; @DSBD_SA; @the_dtic; #IID
South Africa, like many developing countries, faces the challenge of unemployment, particularly among young people (Stats SA, 2024). The youth unemployment rate stands at a concerning 45.5% for individuals aged 15-34, compared to the national average of 32.9% in the first quarter of 2024. In response, the Government of the Republic of South Africa has prioritised inclusive growth and job creation as a key objective for the 2024-2029 Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP). While various Government Departments within the innovation ecosystem offer programmes and initiatives aimed at innovators, particularly the youth, there remains an opportunity to increase their awareness of these initiatives, their offerings, and requirements. Engagements with the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) and the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition (the dtic) suggest that there are opportunities to assist innovators with enterprise development offerings, enabling them to transition from being innovators to successful small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs). An analysis of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) Programmes shows that support programmes are primarily concentrated in the Metropolitan areas of KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and the Western Cape. Nonetheless, the visibility of such Programmes in these Provinces is still minimal.
The DSTI, DSBD and the dtic, in partnership with the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), hosted the Innovation for Inclusive Development (IID) seminar on 28 November 2024 at the CSIR International Convention Centre. The seminar aimed to showcase the opportunities and programmes available through the Departments, to support entrepreneurs and SMMEs at various stages of innovation and commercialisation, and to ultimately develop an innovation ecosystem roadmap where innovators, entrepreneurs and SMMEs can easily access the opportunities. The seminar was attended by over 200 participants, including SMMEs, entrepreneurs, the youth and the general public. Municipal officials were encouraged to participate with the aim of expanding the spatial footprint of the innovation programmes offerings within their localities in order to reach the innovators at the grassroots level. The proceedings of the seminar can be accessed on www.assaf.org....
The IID seminar series is a project initiative of the DSTI, designed to provide a platform for open and collective thinking between the science policy and community of practice to generate evidence-based knowledge on Science and Technology (S&T) innovations to advance local economic development and also provide insights to support evidence-based policy and decision making to enhance service delivery.