Friday, 26 January will see Airbus Defence and Space, the South African National Space Agency (SANSA), Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), and The Innovation Hub Management Company (TIHMC), host a Café-style networking event at the Tshimologong Innovation Precinct in Johannesburg. The event is the culmination of a project launched in 2017, which had been aimed at developing and supporting home-grown and novel applications for earth observation data obtained by satellites.
The project had 3 phases of which this Business matching café event is the last. There was an Open Innovation Challenge launched to identify digital/space entrepreneurs – after which shortlisted submissions were able to access support from specialists at Airbus Defence and Space, and SANSA. They have been given access to data-sets at no cost; attended a two-day business model design workshop; and a validation workshop to help develop their proposals for the final evaluation.
These shortlisted submissions will now get the chance to pitch their ideas to relevant industry stakeholders in a casual conversational tone and relaxed setting. The World Café will be attended by various industry leaders, CEOs, high level government officials and investors.
Airbus Defence and Space will offer the top submission access to the Airbus Defence and Space facilities in order to identify future commercial opportunities. The offer will include a site visit to Airbus Defence and Space in Toulouse, France. In South Africa, The Innovation Hub will assist the top solution provider with product and business incubation support.
Certain finalists will also go through the TIA Enterprise Development Support Programme, where they will be assessed on business, market and technology readiness, have access to TIA’s technology stations for assistance on product development (Design, Prototype, Machining), and finally have access to TIA funding instruments through an application process (technology development, Youth Technology Innovation Programme, SEED Fund). In turn, RIIS will offer business model validation support in the form of mentoring and consulting.
All the partners believe there is significant opportunity to apply earth observation data locally, RIIS CEO and project coordinator, Davis Cook said: “The value that earth observation data can provide in creating meaningful change to society is increasing by the day - new digital technologies such as machine learning are giving us unprecedented insight into the world around us. This challenge gives South African entrepreneurs an opportunity to gain a foothold into a global, multi-billion dollar industry together with one of the largest global aerospace firms... it’s a unique and seriously awesome opportunity!”
OpenIX is a programme of The Innovation Hub, the innovation agency of the Gauteng Province and a subsidiary of the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA). OpenIX delivers tangible solutions to real challenges posted by solution seekers in government and the private sector, and connects leading African researchers and entrepreneurs with new opportunities to commercialise their innovations. The Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability (RIIS) acts as a service provider for all the parties involved.
What is Open Innovation?
An open approach to innovation, akin to crowd sourcing, believes that the best ideas can often be found outside of a single organisation. Open innovation helps organisations to rapidly identify and source ideas and solutions in a safe and low risk manner.
What is meant by World Café?
The World Café is a whole group interaction method focused on conversations. A Café Conversation is a creative process for leading collaborative dialogue, sharing knowledge and creating possibilities for action.
Who is Airbus Defence and Space?
Airbus Defence and Space is a division of the Airbus Group and is Europe's leading defence and space
enterprise. It is the second largest player in the space industry worldwide and generates about €14 billion per year. The company is a recognised leader in the geospatial information market and provides an array of solutions built on satellite earth observation data. The company has exclusive access to data from the SPOT and Pléiades optical satellites as well as the TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X radar satellites.
Who is the South African National Space Agency
The South African National Space Agency was established in 2010 through South African National Space Agency Act (Act No. 36 of 2008), although South Africa's involvement in Earth Observation dates back to 1978. SANSA hosts an impressive archive containing more than 150 terabytes of remote sensing data, dating back to 1972. The aim of this data collection is to help improve the livelihoods of communities across Africa through the delivery of space-derived services and products, high-impact collaborative R&D and active partnerships.
Who is OpenIX?
OpenIX is an open innovation platform hosted by The Innovation Hub that connects solution seekers in industry and government with novel technologies and business models developed by researchers, entrepreneurs and other corporates.
For further press information please contact:
Any PR / Media Queries can be directed at Susan Botha| susan.botha@riis.co.za |+27 12 012 5015
