The Da Vinci Institute for Technology Management was launched last night with the promise to become a mover and shaker in the broader South African technology field.
With support from the likes of Eskom and a ringing endorsement from Ben Ngubane, minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, the institute is to offer a range of education products and consulting services.
The institute describes itself as an "international centre of excellence in innovation and technology management" which is to operate through a network of associates. These include Eskom and the universities of the North in SA and Warwick in the UK. The group says talks are underway with a number of additional associates.
A structure for the institute has not yet been finalised, but it could take the form of a trust owned by Adcorp.
The universities are to provide training through Da Vinci, with the Knovation at Adcorp company acting as broker. Other plans include creating a think tank to bring together government and business on technology issues and conducting pure research. It will also take over the management of the annual Technology Top 100 awards.
While the technology in question will feature information technology, it will not be limited to IT, says Elsbeth Dixon, head of the institute. "We are defining technology very broadly and will also include processes. We are looking down to the manufacturing level, we`ll be looking at the financial sector and also at things like education."
Although not present at the launch, Ngubane expressed his support for the institute in a prepared keynote address.
"The institute signifies the coming of age of a new era in the very fundamentals of business processes and will, I believe, have a profound impact on the relationship between the business and scientific communities," it reads. "With all of the challenges and the very exciting prospects which face our country, the launch of the Da Vinci Institute is both timeous and most appropriate."
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