Change the world

#SEW2022
07/10/2022

The Nelson Mandela University Innovation Office, in collaboration with the Nelson Mandela University Student Governance and Development Office, hosted a talk on the 2nd of September to celebrate Student Entrepreneurship Week 2022 (#SEW2022) under the  theme “#MoveToMarket.” Student Entrepreneurship Week looks to equip students with entrepreneurship as a potential career option.

5th Annual BioAfrica Convention 2022
World IP Day 2022
04/07/2022

The Nelson Mandela University Innovation Office hosted a webinar on the 26th of April to celebrate World Intellectual Property Day. The 2022 theme was “IP and Youth: Innovating for a Better Future” which aimed at providing young inventors, creators and entrepreneurs with the tools to understand IP rights to achieve their goals, create jobs, tackle local and global challenges and national development.

World Creativity and Innovation Week (#WICW2022) takes place every year during the week of 15-21 April. The theme for the #WCIW2022 was to get people around the world to creatively showcase the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

Every year on 26 April we celebrate World Intellectual Property day, to learn about the role that intellectual property plays in encouraging innovation and creativity. The theme for 2021 was “IP & SME’s: Taking your ideas to market”. 

In celebration of #SEW2019, the Nelson Mandela University Innovation Office, in collaboration with Enactus and iHub, hosted a lunch hour information and awareness session on 2 August.

The Nelson Mandela University Innovation Office team celebrated Mandela Day by donating much needed supplies to Love Story, a Port Elizabeth based relief organization; as well as volunteering at the BOATS Powered by Tangibl™ Mandela Day Tournament.

The Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) is running an Entrepreneurship Inter-varsity competition which encourages and supports student entrepreneurship across the 26 public universities in South Africa. Student entrepreneurs were invited to submit their innovative ideas and business plans for this unique opportunity. The purpose of the competition is to identify the top student entrepreneurs at each university, showcase their ideas and create a platform for investment opportunities.

The Nelson Mandela University Innovation Office hosted lunch hour talks on the 25th and 26th of April, in celebration of World IP Day. This year the World IP Day theme was “Reach for Gold” which aimed to create awareness around Intellectual Property (IP) in sport.

Newsletter 2018/19
15/03/2019

Read all about it!

Click on the image below to read the Innovation Office's annual newsletter, celebrating some of the Office's 2018/2019 projects and initiatives. 

Thank you for your continued engagement and support. 

Warm regards, 

The Innovation Office Team 

The educational mobile coding application (app) TANKS™ has been invited to participate at Mobile Learning Week in Paris in March this year. The UNESCO event, held annually since 2011, brings experts together from around the world to share how affordable and powerful advanced technology can accelerate learning.

In celebration of #SEW2018, the Nelson Mandela University Innovation Office, in collaboration with Enactus and Propella Business Incubator hosted a lunch hour information and awareness session on 31 August.

In celebration of Mandela Day, the Nelson Mandela University Innovation Office, in collaboration with Buzz Projects PE and Uhambizo Consult (Pty) Ltd, paid a visit to the SOS Children’s Village Centre in Schauderville. The Children’s Village provides an alternative setting for children who have been orphaned or whose parents are no longer able to take care of them.

Nelson Mandela University Computing Sciences Associate Professor, Jean Greyling, attended the BUIS Tage conference in Oldenburg, Germany on 24 and 25 May.  He presented a collaborative and exploratory paper on how TANKS and the Artombo art project are able to work together to get children to learn innovatively. A board game called BOATS was rolled out which makes use of Artombo marine artwork to educate players about the detriment of plastic in the ocean, while introducing them to coding. The primary focus of the game is innovative education and social awareness. 

Dear Nelson Mandela University staff,

Please join me in welcoming Dr Nqobile Gumede as the new Director: Innovation Office. She commenced duties on Monday, 2 July 2018.

The Nelson Mandela University Innovation Office hosted a certificate ceremony on 4 June 2018  -  in collaboration with Konica Minolta South Africa - to congratulate the teams who participated in the Konica Minolta International University Contest.

As an extended celebration of World IP Day, the Nelson Mandela University Innovation Office, in collaboration with Von Seidels Intellectual Property Attorneys, held informative sessions on 15 and 16 May.

In celebration of this year’s World Intellectual Property (IP) Day, the Nelson Mandela University Innovation Office hosted a lunch hour presentation on the 9th of May to raise awareness of the role that IP plays in innovation.

A mobile application developed by postgraduate student Byron Batteson to teach pupils basic computer programming principles at primary school level was featured in The Herald on 21 November 2017.

The Konica Minolta International University Contest gives a unique opportunity to engage in an innovative international cooperation project between the worlds of academia and business.

Propella Business Incubator Music, Arts and Design incubatee Ingrid Frauenstein weaved worlds of adventure for young and old – all while learning to navigate the world of digital business through her brand, Popsiebelle. Read the full article that appeared in The Herald on 2 October 2017, below:

Nelson Mandela University innovator and graduate, Laduma Ngxokolo, has been selected by whisky-maker Chivas Regal as one of its newest brand partners.

Nelson Mandela University innovator and graduate, Laduma Ngxokolo, has been commissioned by the New York City's Museum of Modern Art to create a unique jersey for their latest exhibition, due to open for the public next month. 

The Nelson Mandela University Innovation Office attended Innovation Bridge, a Technology Matchmaking and Showcasing Event, an initiative of the Department of Science and Technology, on 15 September 2017 at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand.

Nelson Mandela University B.A Honours in Psychology student, Zintle Sigwabe, was recently invited to attend the South African Innovation Summit to showcase her innovation “Liqhame Liqaqambe Ikamva”, a therapy hub which offers skills development and counselling for the community, from 6 to 8 September 2017 in Cape Town.

The Innovation Office, through funding received by EMISHA, recently acquired a computer numerical control (CNC) system which is being housed at the Propella Business Incubator to allow access for incubatees and Nelson Mandela University innovators in the advanced manufacturing sector.

Nelson Mandela University innovator and graduate, Laduma Ngxokolo, has partnered with global skincare brand, Nivea for their Invisible Black & White Deodorant campaign to target consumers who love fashion and embrace it as an expression of their lifestyle.

Nelson Mandela University had the privilege of hosting the official launch of National Science Week (NSW) themed –“Advancing Science Tourism” at its Missionvale Campus on 4 and 5 August 2017.

Nelson Mandela Bay innovators will benefit from computer numerical control (CNC) technology funded by an international collaboration project between various South African and European universities.

Nelson Mandela University innovator, Laduma Ngxokolo, was recently featured in Destiny magazine for his latest innovation, Mna Nam.

In celebration of Entrepreneurship as a Career for Student Entrepreneurship Week (#SEW2017), Enactus, the Innovation Office and the Propella Business Incubator hosted a lunch hour information and awareness session on 3 August at Goldfields South on Nelson Mandela University’s South Campus.

In celebration of Official Mandela Day, the Innovation Office raised R5000 from combined personal donations to purchase winter food parcels for 23 families in need within the Greenbushes community. Clothing was also collected and distributed to neighbouring farm labourers whose families lost everything in the recent devastating Thornhill fires. 
A big thank you goes out to everyone who submitted their disclosure to us during our recent World Intellectual Property Day - Improving Lives competition.

Congratulations to Jaci Barnett, Director of the Innovation Office, who was appointed as the President of the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA) at the annual conference Gala Dinner held in Windhoek last week. 

Innovation Office’s Ms Naazlene Patel won the DST-SARIMA* Award for Early Career Excellence in Innovation Management at the SARIMA gala dinner last week.

The Innovation Office Newsletter, Summer 2016/2017 edition, is now out. The newsletter is a brief summary of the activities of the Innovation Office at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.  We are now in our tenth year and have profiled some of our achievements over the last (nearly) ten years.  Starting from nothing and building gradually has been a wonderful journey with some fantastic researchers and great professional and support staff.  We hope you enjoy reading about some of the innovation projects at NMMU, some of our outreach activities and the work we do to build the technology transfer profession.

A group of NMMU students are participating in the “Transform the Smartphone Challenge”, hosted by Motorola, Indiegogo, Verizon and Lenovo. As part of the challenge, they’ve designed a Moto Mod™, which is a modular electronics device that attaches onto Motorola’s new smartphone, the Moto Z, as an accessory to give the smartphone extra functionality. 

Girls for STEM, a pilot programme run by the NMMU Innovation Office and Propella Business Incubator, recently organised an excursion to the Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm for the participants. An article on the trip was published in the PE Express on 23 November 2016.

QSystems innovator Heinrich Williams received R150 000 seed fund and business support from the SAB Foundation Social Innovation Awards in recognition of his invention, QBell - an alternative nurse-call button. The Herald published an article on his accomplishment on 2 November 2016.

The latest Innovation Conversation that appeared in The Herald on 27 September 2016 and discusses the establishment of the Propella Business Incubator.

Congratulations to Qbell innovator Heinrich Williams who was selected from more than 600 entries as one of the 20 top-scoring applicants to progress to the next phase of the SAB Foundation Social Innovation Awards 2016!

MaXhosa by Laduma is a range of knitwear created by Laduma Ngxokolo who completed his BTech at the NMMU in 2010. The NMMU assisted Laduma to manufacture his knitwear and start his business. He won a number of awards at local and international design exhibitions, and his knitwear is currently sold in Cape Town and London as well as being used in various local advertisements. Laduma’s vision is to create sustainable jobs and attract investment to the Eastern Cape and South Africa.
 
We acknowledge the National Intellectual Property Management Office for their contributions in protecting the Intellectual Property of Laduma Ngxokolo during his journey at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.
Laduma Ngxokolo, innovator of the Xhosa inspired knitwear brand Maxhosa by Laduma, was recently featured in the August edition of Sawubona with his shawl which was voted the Most Beautiful object in South Africa.

NMMU’s Innovation Office won the DST-SARIMA* Award for Organisational Excellence in Innovation Management at the SARIMA gala dinner last week.  Presented by the Deputy Director General of DST, Mr Mmboneni Muofhe, the award recognises an Innovation Management Office in Southern Africa that has made a significant contribution to their institutions and their country, with a focus on contributions in 2015.  NMMU’s Innovation Office won the award for their excellent work in a number of areas including the launch of Propella, NMMU’s Innovation Incubator.

Innovative entrepreneurs working out of the Propella Business Incubator will be able to connect to the rest of the world through a dedicated 100MB fibre link, the fastest business data line in the Eastern Cape, with the launch of the Telkom FutureMakers Hub on May 11.

Telkom FutureMakers Hub, an initiative supporting entrepreneurship and business development in the technology sector, was launched at Propella Business Incubator in Humerail on May 11. 

The Innovation Office hosted technology transfer professionals from the National Intellectual Property Management Office (NIPMO), University of Fort Hare, University of Limpopo, University of the Western Cape, Rhodes University, Mangosuthu University of Technology and Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation for administration training this past week.

In celebration of World Intellectual Property (IP) Day, the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) Innovation Office held two IP talks in an attempt to raise IP awareness on May 4.

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) academics, as well as researchers and innovators from across the region had the opportunity to receive valuable insight into the European Union’s main research and innovation funding instrument, Horizon 2020, in an information session presented by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) at NMMU today. 

NMMU innovator behind Qbell and Qpark, Heinrich Williams is graduating with a national diploma in Industrial Engineering and is featured in The Herald of 15 April 2016.

tSparx, a technology entrepreneurship training course that is funded by the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) and was hosted by the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), Rhodes University and Propella Business Incubator from 4 to 8 April 2016 was featured in Die Burger. 

Students and entrepreneurs from across the Eastern Cape had the opportunity to develop their business ideas through tSparx, a technology entrepreneurship training course that is funded by the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) and was hosted by the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), Rhodes University and Propella Business Incubator this past week. 

Click the image below to read the NMMU’s Innovation Office Newsletter - Summer 2015/16, a brief summary of the activities of the Innovation Office. We hope you enjoy reading about some of the innovation projects at NMMU, some of our outreach activities and the work we do to build the technology transfer profession. 

Prof Ben Zeelie, NMMU Innovator behind the creation of Coalgae was featured on Business Day Live on 15 December. 

NMMU innovation Weldcore® was featured in The Herald supplement, Business in the Metro on 30 November for its contribution to saving industry billions of rands through its welding and repair process.

NMMU Innovator Laduma Ngxokolo was featured in The Herald supplement, Business in the Metro on 30 November for his traditional Xhosa inspired knitwear designs.

NMMU innovators Laduma Ngxokolo and Kelly Dillon (Esterhuyse) are just some of the innovators who have benefited from the partnership between NMMU and Mohair South Africa. This partnership is highlighted in an article which appeared in The Herald supplement, Business in the Metro on 30 November. 

Propella, the university’s technology and business incubator, discusses how they can assist innovators in transforming their ideas into commercial reality in The Herald supplement, Business in the Metro.

The research conducted by the Centre for Energy Research (CER) at NMMU was one of the innovations featured in The Herald's supplement, Business in the Metro.

The innovation that provides light as well as wireless data capibilities, Twerly was featured in The Herald supplement, Business in the Metro. 

NMMU spin-off company Rubber Nano Products was featured in The Herald supplement, Business in the Metro on 30 November. 

The partnership between the Centre for Rubber Science and Technology and the Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of South Africa (REDISA) was featured in The Herald supplement, Business in the Metro on 30 November.

The innovative way of storing energy, Hot Rock was featured in The Herald supplement, Business in the Metro, on 30 November. 

There are a number of innovations that meet the needs of factories, one of which is automated guided vehicles (AGVs). The AGV developed by NMMU innovator Professor Igor Gorlach was featured in The Herald supplement, Business in the Metro. 

There are a number of innovations and innovative projects within the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University that were featured in a supplement in The Herald on the 30th of November.

The Launch of the Centre for Rubber Science and Technology took place on the 23rd of November and was featured in this weeks edition of the PE Express.

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University's Launch of the Centre for Rubber Science and Technology was featured in The Herald on the 25th of November.

The Launch of the Centre for Rubber Science and Technology was featured in Die Burger on the 24th of November.

The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University took renewed steps toward the advancement of rubber-related research and development by launching the Centre for Rubber Science and Technology at its South Campus yesterday.

The Innovation Office in conjunction with the National Intellectual Property Management Office, SARIMA (Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association) and the Research Capacity Development Office held an IP Wise™ Workshop at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University on 6 October 2015.

The first Innovators' Evening of the newly renamed Innovation Office was featured in the Herald on 30 September 2015.

The Innovation Office at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University held their first Innovators’ Evening last night to honour and celebrate NMMU’s innovators and inventors. Staff and students who have invented, developed or commercialised innovations were recognised for their contributions and the positive impact they have on society.

Jaci Barnett discussed the need for a regional innovation ecosystem in the latest Innovation Conversation that appeared in the Herald on 24 September 2015.

Heinrich Williams and his innovation Qbell was featured in the Weekend Post on 19 September.

Mary-Ann Chetty, Senior Innovation Manager at the Innovation Office, discusses the role of Innovation and Research in making a difference to people's lives through The Giant Flag.

The latest Innovation Conversation in The Herald discusses the important role Innovation plays in education.

Mary-Ann Chetty's completion of the 2015 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders in the United States was featured in the Herald on 19 August.

Mary-Ann Chetty, Senior Innovation Manager at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, returned from the United States this weekend after completing the 2015 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.

In celebration of Nelson Mandela’s legacy to give back to the community, the NMMU Innovation Office visited Love Story to make 400 sandwiches to be distributed to school children in the Walmer location.

On completion of a five week academic component, specialised training in Public Management at Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015 Mandela Washington Fellow Mary-Ann Chetty travelled to Washington, D.C., to participate in a three-day Presidential Summit hosted by President Barack Obama.

Innovolve, the wholly owned commercialisation company of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) and Engeli Enterprise Development (EDD), a private sector business support company, joined forces to establish Propella after a need was identified for an incubator to support and stimulate technology-based innovation companies.

Propella, an initiative aimed at supporting and developing businesses in Nelson Mandela Bay, was recently launched at its new premises in Walmer Boulevard, South End and featured in the Weekend Post on June 27.

Jaci featured in The Herald's Innovation Conversation on June 25 and discussed how Propella will drive and support new businesses in the Nelson Mandela Bay.

Propella, an initiative aimed at supporting and developing businesses in Nelson Mandela Bay, was officially launched at its new premises in Walmer Boulevard, South End last night.

The NMMU's Department of Innovation Support and Technology Transfer joined in on the festivities of World IP Day this April through a number of activities which were held in an attempt to raise Intellectual Property (IP) awareness among students, staff members and researchers.

NMMU MBA students Mieshkah Dolley-Ryneveld (from left), Kumaree Moodley, Mary-Ann Chetty and Martin Jonker were among two groups of students who won both first and third prizes as well as two categories in the annual Industrial Development Corporation’s (IDC) Tertiary Institution Business Plan Competition.

Ms Jacqueline Barnett, Director of the Department of Innovation Support and Technology Transfer, received the inaugural award for “Distinguished Contribution to the Innovation Management Profession” at the SARIMA* conference Gala Dinner held last week in Fourways, Johannesburg.

Mary-Ann Chetty, Senior Innovation Manager of the Department of Innovation Support and Technology Transfer, who was selected as one of 40 South Africans to participate in the 2015 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.

The winner of the annual Innovation Award is the Govan Mbeki Mathematics Development Unit led by Prof Werner Olivier.
Their innovation focuses on the improvement of maths and science education.

Exchange programme
05/01/2015

Mary-Ann Chetty (Senior Innovations Manager) visits Uppsala University as part of the ESASTAP programme.

A South African flag harnessing environmental, social and economical activity in the Karoo.

Mechatronics students' innovation took 2nd prize at PneuDrive Challenge held in Cape Town.

MaXhosa by Laduma continues to make the NMMU proud in the most fashionable manner!

NMMU exhibits at the Innovation Bridge and walks away with an innovation award.

Von Seidels IP talk
28/07/2014

Von Seidels Patent Attorneys' Dr Sameshnee Pelly delivered IP talks and consultations from 22-25 July 2014. After visiting The University of Fort Hare and Rhodes University, it was NMMU's chance. The talk was well received by about 90 participants.

Jaci features in The Herald's business column to discuss innovation.

Innoventon took the country by surprise when they launched their Coalgae project. This slimy process of producing energy has left many with a clear green vision.

NMMU proudly hosted the WIPO Summer School for 2013 (talk@NMMU: March 2014). This two week course on Intellectual Property brought 45 participants together from all over the world. It took place from 25th November to 6th December at the NMMU.

Newsletter 2013
20/01/2014

See what happened in 2013!

SARIMA 2013
14/10/2013

Mary-Ann and Jaci attended the SARIMA conference in Cape Town in October.

Von Seidels attorney, Sandra Clelland, visited NMMU to present a talk on patents and designs and also to consult academics and students on the 31st of May 2013

The Giant Flag Project Team visiting the Algae Project on 11 October 2012.

 

 

Jaci Barnett and Sean Flanigan, President of the US-based Association of Technology Transfer Professionals (AUTM), enjoying the Council dinner at the home of another Council member, Jeff Skinner, Executive Director, Deloitte Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at London Business School.

 

Professor Lars Johnsson, the Director of the Technology Transfer Office at Uppsala University, Sweden, spent a week in South Africa, visiting the NMMU and CPUT.

The NMMU Preserved Flower Project was featured on the Better World Project website. The new Iluba rose falls directly between the two categories: It is a real flower that has been preserved to last — without water — for up to six months.

Newsletter 2012
07/03/2013

See what happened in 2012 for the IS&TT Department

A novel technology for assisting in the characterisation of semiconductors has been developed by a team of scientists at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s Department of Physics. The patented technology, developed under the guidance of Professor Magnus Wagener, allows measurement of the impurity density and hence the ability to control specific design parameters during device manufacturing. Prof Wagener specialises in the growth and characteristics of semiconductor materials and worked at North Carolina State University in the United States and the CNRS in France before joining NMMU. The technology has received a favourable report from the patent examiner and is deemed completely novel and inventive. Jaci Barnett, Director of the NMMU’s Department of Innovation Support & Technology Transfer said, “Very few patents we file are found to be completely novel and inventive from the outset as there is usually so much prior technology, so this patent result shows the strength of the patent and the possibilities for future research.”

Jacqueline Barnett, Director of Innovation Support and Technology Transfer, was invited by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) to give seminars on technology transfer at the University of Ghana in Accra and Kwame Nkrumah University of Technology in Kumasi in November last year. The seminar was hosted by WIPO in collaboration with Registrar-General’s Department of Ghana and the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO).

The Regional Innovation Forum was officially launched by Jacqueline Barnett, Director of Innovation Support and Technology Transfer at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, on the 3 March 2011 at the Radisson Blu Hotel. Jaci has been championing this initiative on behalf of the Department of Science and Technology with 12 other local organisations. The Forum aims to stimulate, support and promote innovation in the Eastern Cape by creating a network of role players and projects from industry, academia and government to create links and exploit synergies. The Forum will also be a voice for innovation in the region, and will assist innovators with access to finance and information to drive their ideas forward.

The NMMU Policy on Intellectual Property (attached) was approved by Council on 1 April 2011 after a number of internal workshops as well as discussions at various committee. The Policy adheres to the requirements of the Intellectual Property Rights from Publicly Financed Research and Development Act (Act 51 of 2008) that was proclaimed in August 2010 together with its regulations.

The Director of Innovation Support and Technology Transfer, Jacqueline Barnett, hosted two Grade 11 learners from Linkside High School on Thursday, 25 August 2011 for the Business Woman’s Association of South Africa’s “Businesswomen of Tomorrow” inaugural event.

A lunch time talk entitled “Detect and Protect” was co-ordinated by Mary-Ann Chetty the Innovation Support Manager of Innovation Support and Technology Transfer at Madibaz on Thursday 25 August. Mr Erik van der Vyver from Von Seidels Patent Attorneys presented a talk about the early identification of protectable intellectual property (IP), particularly in a research environment, and the necessary steps to ensure the long term commercial success of innovations and inventions.

The Innovation Support and Technology Transfer Office took part in Casual Day on the 2 September 2011 to help raise funds for local charities such as the Cerebral Palsy Association, Cheshire Homes and PE Mental Health. The theme this year was to dress like a “rock star” and our department went all out to Rock Casual Day.

Invitation

Breakfast talk: Innovative property development - 
my journey from environmental architecture to ecological development

The Department of Innovation Support and Technology Transfer (IS & TT) is featured in the Association of University Technology Managers' 2011 edition of The Better World Report.

The Director of Innovation Support and Technology Transfer, Jacqueline Barnett's blog on "Intellectual Property - Managing issues around IP" is on the Emerging Researchers Network.

 

The Director of Innovation Support and Technology Transfer, Jacqueline Barnett, contributes to a blog series on "Managing issues around Intellectual Property", found on the Emerging Researchers Network (ern.nrf.ac.za).  Her latest contribution is given below.

 

Jacqueline Barnett, Director of Innovation Support and Technology Transfer, was invited by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) to give seminars on technology transfer In Banjul, The Gambia, earlier this year. The seminar was hosted by WIPO in collaboration with the Attorney General’s Office of the Ministry of Justice and the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO).