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The East London industrial development zone (Elidz) on Monday launched the first regional open innovation solution exchange platform.
The Connect and Solve initiative, in conjunction with the Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability (RIIS), was established to uncover new ideas and leverage scarce resources, while connecting innovators, inventors and solution providers with solution seekers, government and the private sector.
“The main objectives of Connect and Solve are to stimulate economic growth through innovation dealmaking by connecting organisations, academia, government institutes and science and technology communities through the Connect and Solve portal,” Elidz said in a statement.
The new initiative also aimed to eliminate barriers to innovation for small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as act as a platform to promote and showcase regional talents, technologies and inventions.
Further, private organisations, government agencies, and nonprofit organisations can publish “challenges” – well-articulated descriptions of real business needs that require innovative solutions – on the Connect and Solve Open Innovation platform.
“The Connect and Solve platform offers the solution seekers access to what is believed to be the largest innovation database of solution providers in Africa, managed by the RIIS,” the organistion continued.
In line with this, Connect and Solve launched two Open Innovation challenges, seeking design proposals for a manufacturing plant or system and the development of the process to manufacture a three-pipe nested copper product for a medium-sized Eastern Cape-based manufacturing company, as well as proposals pertaining to a technology or capability for the cost-effective conversion of both grey water and seawater into industrial water that could be distributed to industrial users.