Photo by: Duane Daws
Transnet, which has partnered with the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) Design Institute to establish the Transnet Innovation and Design Research Centre, this week showcased 20 entrepreneurs who invented “life-changing” ideas that would provide solutions to challenges in their communities.
The entrepreneurs, who were chosen from 1 200 candidates, recently completed an innovation accelerator programme designed to advance their ideas into sustainable solutions with commercial viability.
The ideas include a cold chain monitoring service to inform hospitals and manufacturers of the temperature and location of their products; a water testing kit that detects the presence of faecal bacteria; an all-in-one and self-contained school science learning laboratory and a renewable-energy storage system that converts electricity into different storable energy forms, besides others.
Transnet enterprise and supplier development executive manager Mmadiboka Chokoe said innovation and enterprise development were at the core of Transnet’s plans to improve its service offering and contribute to the advancement of the economy.
The accelerator programme involved conceptual design and market research, trademark/product design and testing, pitching advisory and commercialisation planning and the development of prototypes.
SABS Design Institute’s Gavin Mageni highlighted that South Africa was losing “a lot of intellectual property” to Europe and the US as the country does not invest in innovation.
“If South African companies do not invest in local innovators, these innovators will be forced to look for funding elsewhere, resulting in the loss of intellectual property and potential economic growth for the country. We are grateful to Transnet for this initiative.”