The Innovation Hub, in partnership with COFISA (Co-operation Framework on Innovation Systems between Finland & South Africa) has announced the establishment of its Centres of Expertise (CoE) Pilot Programme as a tool to create a regional system of innovation in Gauteng.
This follows a feasibility study by Finland's Turku Science Park in November last year on the development of a CoE Programme in Gauteng...
The announcement included a call for proposals from prospective consortia to promote collaboration between industry, research, academic institutions and government in projects from the aerospace, information and communications technology (ICT), and biotechnology sectors.
The Innovation Hub CoE Pilot Programme is based on a Finnish model of utilising top-level knowledge and expertise as a resource for business operations, job creation and regional development. It is not a funding programme, but rather a funded platform to co-ordinate collaboration, stimulate industry-focused innovation and leverage available public and private sector funding.
The inception phase of the pilot programme, including the call for proposals, has been running since November 2007 and will end in March 2008.
According to Jeanette Morwane of The Innovation Hub, in addition to positioning the initiative in the public domain, this phase has also required intensive consultation with national funding agencies to ensure the Terms of Reference are properly aligned with their requirements - thereby ensuring the successful proposals will receive the necessary funding.
A briefing workshop for the prospective consortia will be held on 20 February 2008. "The purpose of the workshop is to discuss the terms of reference so that consortia understand what is expected of them. We will give them a proposal template and they will also receive presentations from the funding agencies about their various funding instruments," says Morwane. In addition, there will be presentations from large companies in the three targeted sectors on opportunities for collaboration and partnering available within their organisations.
The deadline for the submission of proposals is 7 March 2008 and the successful consortia will be announced on 31 March 2008. Consortia are encouraged to optimise diversity and collaboration in developing projects with innovative solutions for pre-identified industry needs and requirements. Morwane stresses that while proposals are being accepted from across the country, the CoE Pilot Programme is a provincial initiative and, as such, the projects must have impact in Gauteng.
At least one successful consortium will be identified for each sector and will be officially contracted by The Innovation Hub Centres of Expertise to implement the related projects. Morwane goes on to add that while the CoE Pilot Programme will not engage in the actual implementation of projects, it will facilitate the structuring of consortia and assist with nurturing and maintaining the collaborative environment during project implementation.
"We will have a CoE project office and a Programme Coordinator to manage the process on a day-to-day basis. We are also considering bringing in commercialisation experts to assist the consortia in that aspect of their projects," she says.
To view the Call for Proposal, visit The Innovation Hub's Web site at http://www.theinnovationhub.com/pdf/coe_1st.pdf. The final terms of reference for the proposal are available on request from Jeanette Morwane at jmorwane@theinnovationhub.com.
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