Entrepreneurship skills in biosciences boosted by new programme

Johannesburg, 16 Mar 2012

Gauteng MEC for Economic Development Qedani Mahlangu launched the Gauteng Accelerator Programme (GAP) in Biosciences at The Innovation Hub, in Pretoria, today.

The Innovation Hub is a subsidiary of Blue IQ Investment Holdings, which is an agency of the Gauteng Department of Economic Development.

The GAP-Biosciences Programme is the first programme to focus on building entrepreneurial skills in the biosciences innovation sector in Gauteng.

Mahlangu says the aim of the programme is to ensure that biosciences researchers and postgraduates have the vital business skills to accelerate the establishment of viable start-up companies in Gauteng. “We are focused on building a knowledge economy in this province, so the importance of R&D and commercialisation cannot be underestimated,” she said.

The GAP Biosciences initiative forms the foundation of the Biosciences Park at The Innovation Hub, which Premier Mokonyane referred to last month in her State of the Province address. “I am excited by the collaboration with the Departments of Science & Technology and Agriculture & Rural Development, whose contributions to this project are helping to achieve our vision of a Bioeconomy strategy,” continued Mahlangu.

The GAP Biosciences programme is a partnership with Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and has been modelled on successful programmes the university has implemented. The year-long programme kicks off today with a workshop in Business Basics.

Delegates will hear from Professor Dennis Liotta, a skilled researcher and veteran of the drug discovery and development process, who is the inventor of record for several clinically important agents, including FTC (Emtriva, Emtricitabine), 3TC (Epivir, Lamivudine), Reverset (DPC 817, D-D4FC), Racivir ((+/-)-FTC), Elvucitabine (L-D4FC) and MSX-122, used by most HIV patients in the USA. Prof Liotta has approximately 70 issued US patents.

Blue IQ CEO Amanda Nair explained that the second segment of GAP-Biosciences is preceded by a selection of six to eight semi-finalist teams who participate in an intensive five-month programme, including a week-long Executive Education course presented by Emory University's Goizueta Business School, and working with local and international mentors to develop business plans.

The winning team will be selected in December 2012. “They will receive a R400 000 cash prize, free incubation for a year at The Innovation Hub, continued mentorship, and business support for a year,” said Nair.

The Innovation Hub CEO McLean Sibanda says The Innovation Hub is the perfect home for GAP Biosciences. “We have created a unique space for hi-tech entrepreneurs, world-class businesses, academics, researchers and venture capitalists to meet, network and prosper. As Africa's first internationally accredited Science and Technology Park, The Innovation Hub is a knowledge-intensive business cluster that is ideally situated in Pretoria. We are very proud of our relationship with Emory University, which will help us to bridge the gap that exists between ideas and the market,” he says.

Last month, The Innovation Hub launched the Moringa Project, a pilot plantation of Moringa Trees with the potential to supply the biodiesel, food, feedstock, pharmaceutical, water purification and animal feed markets. It also celebrated 10 years of the Coachlab programme, a postgraduate leadership programme in the fields of ICT and engineering.

Blue IQ

Blue IQ Investment Holdings is an implementation agency of the Gauteng Provincial Government through the Department of Economic Development. Launched in 2003, Blue IQ facilitates strategic economic infrastructure for the province, to position Gauteng as the gateway into Africa and the economic powerhouse of the continent, while addressing poverty alleviation, imperatives of the green economy and sustainable job creation.

Blue IQ identifies projects that are innovative, unique, smart and a catalyst for further development and job creation. These projects are developed to the point where they become self- sustainable and can be handed over to other partners. The agency was responsible for flagship projects such as the Gautrain, Newtown and the Nelson Mandela Bridge, the Cradle of Humankind, Constitution Hill, the Automotive Industry Development Centre and the Supplier Park Development Company.

For more information, visit www.blueiq.co.za or contact Mr Stephen Watson, Group Executive: Marketing, Communications & Events, 011-689 1600.

The Innovation Hub

The Innovation Hub (TIH), a Blue IQ subsidiary, is Africa's first internationally accredited Science Park and a full member of the International Association of Science Parks (IASP). The leading knowledge-intensive business cluster in South Africa, TIH is strategically located in Tshwane, - South Africa's executive capital - in the 'smart' Province of Gauteng. TIH implements the 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 a unique space for hi-tech entrepreneurs, world-class businesses, academics, researchers and venture capitalists to meet, network and prosper.

For more information, please visit www.theinnovationhub.co.za.

Emory University

Emory University, located in Atlanta, Georgia, is a top-ranked teaching and research institution with the largest and most comprehensive healthcare system in Georgia. Emory houses two outstanding liberal arts colleges and graduate and professional schools in the arts and sciences, business, law, medicine, nursing, public health, and theology. Through collaboration among its schools and units as well as with affiliated institutions such as The Carter Center, the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Emory is committed to creating positive transformation in the world.

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