Fostering Innovation and Collaboration

During the month of February, we had the pleasure of hosting Dr Gift Mehlana, Acting Executive Director from Midlands State University. His visit focused on several key areas crucial to advancing innovation and entrepreneurship in academia.

His areas of interest included fundraising initiatives aimed at supporting the commercialisation of innovations, as well as how these innovations are harvested from faculties and the support they receive once integrated into the Research Contracts and Innovation at the University of Cape Town (UCT).

He also explored the management and commercialisation of intellectual property (IP), gaining valuable insights into how UCT handles spin-off companies, and the nature of support provided to these ventures.

Additionally, he delved into the processes involved in technology transfer and the importance of building strong relationships with industry partners.

"I am very confident that whatever I learned during this period will be very instrumental in developing and improving the current systems that we have back home [Midlands State University]," Dr Mehlana said.

This exchange of ideas and experiences was not only enriching but also laid the groundwork for future collaboration, fostering a deeper understanding of how universities can better support innovation and entrepreneurship.