President Motlanthe signs TIA Bill to boost telecommunications innovation in SA

TELECOMMUNICATIONS innovation in South Africa got a timely boost this week, when President Kgalema Motlanthe signed the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) Bill.

The bill forms part of the Department of Science and Technology’s (DST’s) 10-year innovation plan, and is expected to boost the DST’s mandate to stimulate innovation in the country.

Jointly driven by various other government departments, the TIA’s primary role is to facilitate and provide venture capital, to fund research ranging from the basic to the advanced, through the establishment of an innovation agency.

The Bill has been hailed as a the best method of closing the gap between universities, whose main role is research, and the market.
An important component of the TIA concept is government’s policy on intellectual property, derived from publicly financed research and development.

Small and medium enterprises will not feel the benefits of the Bill immediately, though, as only once all practical and operational issues have been considered will the agency come into full operation.

ITNewsAfrica.com, Johannesburg