The Gauteng Innovation Competition, launched mid-December, is looking for innovative solutions to improve local government service delivery in the province. The competition, with prize money of R1 million, invites entries in the two themes of mobile and green technology.
Implemented through The Innovation Hub, in Tshwane, a subsidiary of Blue IQ, the competition is an initiative of the Gauteng Department of Economic Development (DED), of which Blue IQ is an agency. The province has long recognised innovation as a key driver of social and economic development, and this competition will support government's initiatives. An open competition format has proven to be a much more effective platform for encouraging and acquiring innovation.
McLean Sibanda, CEO of the Innovation Hub, explains that the advantages of a competition of this nature is not only the access to new ideas, knowledge and innovative solutions that the municipalities can use to address service delivery, but also the opportunities for inventive people and entrepreneurs to find commercialisation of their clever ideas.
“The competition format supports the mandate of local government and also provides a much-needed boost for fledgling enterprises,” says Ben Zaaiman, CEO of mLab Southern Africa, which is an implementation partner providing domain expertise for the mobile theme of the competition. He says it can be very difficult for innovative startups to find the resources to commercialise their solutions.
“Innovators need to have the freedom to build their products and their businesses without worrying - for a while at least - about how they will put bread on the table,” says Zaaiman. “This is why the bulk of the prize money will be given out as a seed grant.”
The competition aims to assist in bringing local government and the innovators to the same table. The goal is to find a first pilot customer for the solutions within local government, and if the solutions prove successful, there may be interest from other provinces as well.
“The two themes of mobile and green technology support the provincial ICT and Green economy strategies. They were chosen to respond to priority growth sectors identified in the Gauteng Employment Growth and Development Strategy (GEGDS) within the province, and also a means of furthering one of the objectives of the Gauteng Innovation Strategy to improve public service delivery,” says McLean.
Mobile phones have penetrated peoples' lives faster than any other information technology, and with nearly 100% of South African households having access to a mobile phone, this provides a unique channel for reaching citizens and making government services more accessible, effective and efficient for all concerned.
The need to move towards a more environmentally-sustainable economic structure has been recognised both at national and provincial level, as laid out in the Green Strategic Programme for Gauteng, approved by the Gauteng Executive Committee in August 2011.
“Local government is not only the primary provider of water and energy resources in the province, it is also a substantial user,” says McLean. “We need to find better ways to manage these resources.”
The competition is open for entries from individuals, teams or businesses, and the proposed solutions can be at any stage, from concept to the early stages of commercial feasibility.
Entries need to display substantial levels of innovation, which can be in the technologies, their applications, or the novelty of the business models implementing the solution.
The competition opened on 15 December 2011, and the closing date for accepting entries will be 29 February 2012. Visit http://www.gautenginnovation.co.za for more information.
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The Innovation Hub
The Innovation Hub - Africa's first internationally accredited Science and Technology Park and a full member of the International Association of Science Parks (IASP) - is the leading knowledge-intensive business cluster in South Africa.
Strategically located in Pretoria, Gauteng - South Africa's executive capital and 'smart' province - The Innovation Hub's intelligent community has become a regional centre of innovation and knowledge creation, linked to the fast moving world of global interconnectivity.
The Innovation Hub has created a unique space for high-tech entrepreneurs, world-class businesses, academics, researchers and venture capitalists to meet, network and prosper. Its value-adding business support services contribute to the growth and globalisation of technology-rich enterprises in an environment that promotes innovation and enhances competitiveness for knowledge-based businesses.
For more information, visit http://www.theinnovationhub.com.
MLab
The MLab SA focuses on invigorating and supporting the growth of mobile applications throughout southern Africa by providing services and support to mobile developers, innovators and entrepreneurs. The objective is to facilitation demand-driven innovation by entrepreneurs and innovators so that breakthrough, low-cost, high-value mobile applications and sustainable businesses can be developed.
For more information, visit http://www.mlab.co.za or contact Ben Zaaiman, CEO mLab southern Africa, Phone: (+27) 83 448 4336, E-mail: ben@mlab.co.za; www.mlab.co.za.
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 Stephen Watson, Group Executive: Marketing, Communications & Events, 082 767 3853 or stephenw@blueiq.co.za.
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