The Innovation Fund, through its Technology Advancement Programme (TAP), invites all South Africans (inventors, techno-entrepreneurs, engineers and researchers), who are engaged in the research and development of novel and inventive technologies, to submit their proposals.
The investment sought must be for research and development, resulting in a working prototype or similar, which is ready for commercialisation. The proposed novel and inventive technologies must fall within the following technology areas:
Metals and Materials
The Innovation Fund seeks to invest in the development of novel and inventive metals and materials that have commercial application. These inventions must fall within the following cluster of materials and metals:
* Light Metals and Super Alloys
* Ferrous Alloys
* Hard Metals
* Stainless Steels
* Metal Matrix Composites
Manufacturing
The Innovation Fund is seeking to invest in novel and inventive manufacturing technologies that have commercial application and fall within the following groups:
* Metal Casting Technologies
* Machining Technologies
* Powder Metallurgy
Investment Amount and Criteria
The investment will be for a maximum of fifteen million Rands (R15 million) over a period of three years. The investment decision will be based on the following:
* Existence of Proof of Science
* Project being in the late stage of its research and development
* Novelty and inventiveness
* The commercial case for the technology
* The capacity of the team proposing the technology
* The applicant must be a company or be willing to register as such
Please read the Innovation Fund’s guidelines on returns and special conditions
If your technology meets the above criteria but has already proceeded beyond the research and development phase and is ready for commercialisation please visit the Seed Fund page
If you only need an investment to patent your technology please visit the Patent Support Funds page
Closing Date
The closing date for this call is the 18th of September 2009