© Copyright Innovation Fund INNOVATION IN SOUTH AFRICA AND THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITIES 26 October 2006 McLean Sibanda Senior Patent Attorney – Innovation Fund
© Copyright Innovation Fund " The profitable implementation of ideas." - Broken Bulbs (2005) "Implementing new ideas that create value." " The intersection of invention and insight, leading to the creation of social and economic value." - U.S. National Innovation Initiative (2004) "The development of new ideas and their economic application as new products or processes." - U.K Dept. Trade and Industry WHAT IS INNOVATION?
© Copyright Innovation Fund Idea (IP) Realised Idea -Economic & Social Opportunity CONTEXTUALISING INNOVATION
© Copyright Innovation Fund CHALLENGES OF INNOVATION In the whiskey business, a “[whiskey] manufacturer must wait for a long period of time from distillation until introducing properly-aged whiskey into the market”. Katsuya Tamai – The University Office of Technology Transfer: Japan, Streamlining International Intellectual Property No 5
© Copyright Innovation Fund CHALLENGES OF INNOVATION in South Africa Inward patenting Different views in respect of roles of universities Low level of understanding of IP Management Low patenting rate Publish or Perish! ….. Patent or Perish! …….. Patent and then Publish …. WIN / WIN!! Entrepreneurial skills Changing of the guard in the innovation cycle; i.e. Research … Idea … Proof of Concept … Market ….
© Copyright Innovation Fund ROLES OF UNIVERSITIES 1.Teaching and preparing students for a career 2.Research to generate new knowledge 3.Making new knowledge available to society to stimulate further knowledge generation to benefit society
© Copyright Innovation Fund
Stats. Courtesy of WIPO
© Copyright Innovation Fund
A map of the 2050 patents granted at the USPTO and EPO, in the period 1991 to September 2005, showing distribution by named applicants, claiming priority from South African patent application
© Copyright Innovation Fund INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY HAS TO BE RELEVANT AND ALIGNED WITH NATIONAL PRIORITIES Development of Local and National Industries Focus on Innovation
© Copyright Innovation Fund University Ideas … Economic Impact – Stanford Recombinant DNA Cloning Technology (total royalties US$255 million) Fluorescent Conjugates for Analysis of Molecules (total Royalties US$38.9million) Functional Antigen-Binding Proteins (total Royalties US$30.2million) Fibre Optic Amplifier (total Royalties US$23.4million) FM Sound Synthesis (total Royalties US$22.9million) Google Emory University Should Use $525M Deal To Ensure HIV/AIDS Treatment Access for People in Developing World
© Copyright Innovation Fund HOW DO YOU UNLOCK THE POTECTIAL OF IDEAS AT HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS?
© Copyright Innovation Fund SOUTH AFRICA’S NATIONAL R&D STRATEGY ‘At present, there is little appreciation of intellectual property as an instrument of wealth creation in South Africa’ Dedicated fund to finance the securing of intellectual property rights resulting from publicly financed research and development, when this is in the national interest Creation of a proper framework and enabling legislation for the management of intellectual property arising from publicly financed research
© Copyright Innovation Fund POLICY FRAMEWORK - Approach 1.Consistent approach required to ensure protection of intellectual property developed with public financing 2.Framework and legislation benchmarked against good practice globally and contextualised for national and regional efficacy 3.Key functions identified and responsibilities allocated Recognition that for commercialisation activities to succeed need to focus on (a) IP OWNERSHIP AND PROTECTION (b) CREATION OF IP PORTFOLIOS (c) COMMERCIALISATION: Licences & start-ups
© Copyright Innovation Fund IP POLICY FRAMEWORK - OUTLINE - IP OWNERSHIP AND PROTECTION BENEFIT SHARING ARRANGEMENTS AGENCY FUNCTION CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT COMMERCIALISATION
© Copyright Innovation Fund INVESTING IN INNOVATION
© Copyright Innovation Fund THE IS AN INITIATIVE OF THE MANAGED BY THE
© Copyright Innovation Fund Incubator, Investment RESEARCH “Proof of Concept” PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT [TAP and MITECH] DEVELOPMENT COMMERCIALISATION Near Market Opportunity NIC Platforms, risky technology [MiTech] I IPMO [Patent Support Funds] [Patent Incentive Fund] [IP Support Services] FUNDING INSTRUMENTS IIFCO [Commercialisation] [Seed Fund – Equity and Loan Investments]
© Copyright Innovation Fund IF ROLE IN THE INNOVATION CHALLENGE Creativity Research Publications HR Development Sharing Infrastructure KNOWLEDGE The market – where goods and services change hands GAP! TAPMiTech R&D FUNDING directed at the market SEED FUND Bridging the gap INNOVATION FUND
© Copyright Innovation Fund SUMMARY OF IF INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO Diverse portfolio of R900m of technological projects to date in >170 different projects as follows: Research & Development Projects ……….: 123 National Innovation Competition …………: 2 Patent Support and Incentive Funds …….: 35 Sponsorship of Conferences ……………….: 3 Funding of Technology Transfer Offices…: 3 Seed Fund Investments ……………………..: 6
© Copyright Innovation Fund INKOMAZI CHEMICALS (PTY) LTD METASHARP PHOTOVOLTAIC TECHNOLOGY