Science, technology and innovation deputy minister Dr Nomalungelo Gina.
Science, technology and innovation deputy minister Dr Nomalungelo Gina has called for strengthened intellectual property (IP) awareness and protection for grassroots innovators.
The deputy minister was speaking at the 17th World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) SA summer school in Durban, where she expressed that many township and rural entrepreneurs continue to lose ownership of their ideas due to limited IP knowledge.
Referencing the ‘Please Call Me’ case, Gina said it highlights the risks faced by innovators who fail to secure their ideas early.
Gina pointed out that many innovators and researchers still lose out on significant economic opportunities because they are not empowered to protect their concepts.
“Programmes such as the WIPO summer school are helping to bridge this gap by expanding access to IP education and equipping emerging innovators to benefit from their own work.”
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Although community-based innovators continue to produce valuable ideas, many still lack the means to protect or commercialise them, she added.
Gina noted that government has a responsibility to ensure township and rural communities do not lose ownership due to inadequate access to IP education.
“South Africa is proud to be one of the few global hosts of the WIPO programme, which is developing a growing pool of IP managers, technology transfer specialists and innovation leaders across the continent.”
She concluded that investments in IP management − led by the national IP management office − are resulting in increased disclosures, patents, licences and spin-off companies at universities and science councils.
