The SharkSafe Barrier, developed by Stellenbosch University (SU) research commercialisation company Innovus, was recognised by the World Economic Forum (WEF) digital platform UpLink as one of the top ocean innovators and was chosen as one of eleven innovations that have the potential to address some of the most important challenges in the marine environment.

The SharkSafe Barrier is an eco-friendly technology that combines magnetic and visual stimuli to deter shark species that are considered dangerous to humans.

The technology also won the prestigious National Science and Technology Forum South32 Lewis Foundation Green Economy award for outstanding contributions to science, engineering, technology and innovation in South Africa in 2020.

The inventors of SharkSafe Barrier are Michael Rutzen, Dr Sara Andreotti, Dr Craig O'Connell and Professor Conrad Matthee. Andreotti and Matthee are from SU's Department of Botany and Zoology.

Since Innovus became involved in the commercialisation of SharkSafe, the project has been spun out as a startup company and had grown tremendously, says Innovus chief director Anita Nel.

"The fact that the Technology Innovation Agency also invested in the company in the past is evidence that SharkSafe is a well-run and innovative company that is attracting the attention of the world," she adds.

UpLink is the WEF's digital platform for scaling innovation and driving progress towards meeting of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). UpLink unveiled its second cohort of ocean innovators on January 22. The platform aims to identify and highlight businesses, such as SharkSafe, with potential to accelerate the UN SDGs.

Over the next few months, Sharksafe will be assisted by UpLink to increase the impact of the technology through mentorship, capacity-building workshops, exposure and visibility, as well as introductions to potential investors. SharkSafe has now formally joined a growing community of UpLink innovators benefiting from the platform.