By SA Innovation Summit
They say necessity is the mother of invention, but invention drives the economy. In 2020, the SA Innovation Summit has collaborated with the Department of Trade, Industry & Competition to bring the Inventors Garage competition. The Inventors Garage competition is a tribute to the spirit of innovation and the work of dedicated inventors whose pioneering inventions provide answers to some of the biggest challenges of our times. The competition affords innovators, inventors and unique creative thinkers a platform to showcase their talents at the annual SA Innovation Summit – a major public gathering on the South African calendar – it showcases, connects, capacitates, and originates the best start-up talent from Africa to the world. It has done so for 13 years and made possible billions of Rands worth of deals for African Entrepreneurs.
A highlight of the Summit, the Inventors Garage is an opportunity for entrepreneurs with a working prototype or product from proven concept to pre-commercialisation to gain access to funding or incubation, market exposure and business support.
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Finalists of the competition will be awarded an opportunity to exhibit their invention, prototype or design at Virtual365, which is the virtual event of the SA Innovation Summit; the first ever digital SA Innovation Summit to be held from 30 September to 01 October.
“The dtic is excited about hosting the inventors’ garage competition this year and profile the inventions of young South Africans as well as the outputs of our technology incentive programme” says Deputy Minister Nomalungelo Gina. During the summit, we will increase awareness of innovation and new digital technologies especially to the existing black industrialists and grassroots innovators through collaboration with different economic actors, adds Gina.
Chief Director of Innovation and Technology at the Department of Trade and Industry, Ms Nonkululeko Shinga says that the dtic will also be will launching a Grassroots Innovators Programme called the Kgwebo Innovation Promotion Programme (KIPP) during the Summit 2020.
“We have partnered with the Industrial Development Corporation on the KIPP and implementation of the programme throughout the country will happen in line with the rural and township economic revitalization focus of government. Support for grassroots innovators who wish to apply will be provided during the launch. The Kgwebo Investment Innovation Promotion Programme will have two sub-schemes. Firstly, the Small Medium Enterprise Growth Scheme which is looking at enterprises already in existence and are looking to scale and penetrate new markets. Secondly, the Grassroots Innovation Funding Scheme (GIFS), where focus will be on grassroots innovators that are at startup phase or trading in a small scale.
Book your tickets at Quicket or go to https://innovationsummit.co.za for more information.
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