Birth of the South African Innovation Network (SAINe) – Henra Mayer

The South African Innovation Network (SAINe) has been a dream, a vision that was born out of the realisation and belief that South African innovation is unique. That it is context driven to fit our landscape and that we can compete with the best in the world as far as innovation and creativity is concerned. South Africans however, needed to share, learn from each other and work together to capitalise on our local know-how. We need to start believing in our own international competitiveness and needed a platform to do this. A common place where innovation managers from large organisations as well as South African entrepreneurs and role players could interact and add value to each other and enrich the South African innovation capability.

It is with this perspective in mind that SAINe was born. Many role players like the SA Innovator magazine and RIIS toyed with the idea of an innovation network but it was during the Innovation Systems Leadership Programme piloted by COFISA whereby participants came up with ideas/ roles and commitment on how to take the main learning points like collaboration and building networks in innovation further. One of the main ideas participants felt should be taken further was to start a South African Network for Innovation to address the needs as described above.

In parallel to the COFISA pilot, the SA Innovator magazine hosted a South African Innovation Summit with the theme: “Innovation on Trial”. This summit was used by RIIS as content organisers of the event, to survey the need amongst participants for a networking club amongst role players from the academic, government and business sector. Fourty three individuals/organisations that attended the summit indicated that they felt a need for a network in innovation. This result is graphically depicted below:

The Summit participants also indicated that they wanted the network to be formalised for it to contribute pro-actively to the innovation landscape in South Africa. Suggestions included that members fund research projects on innovation, that innovation lessons learnt and case studies are discussed and shared and that best practices in innovation management is benchmarked.

SAINe’s Main Aim

The main aim of the activities associated with the innovation network is to remedy the current lack of reliable data on innovation related topics as well as contribute to information on progress made in South Africa on innovation. It will also serve as a national resource providing information on upcoming and ongoing innovation activities as well as assisting with local and international benchmarking (one company already indicated that they will sponsor a benchmarking capability for management of innovation practices).

Although a huge amount of goodwill already exists in terms of providing facilities, hosting events and contributing knowledge from both COFISA and the role players in the summit, seed funding is needed to get the ball rolling. RIIS will play the champion role in enabling this network. The network is currently managed by a steering committee that was nominated by the founder members. The founder members consist of the following role players who are making themselves available in kind and in many instances deliver what is needed free of charge or by means of sponsorships. The founder members involved at present are:

Hettie Du Plessis – SeTAR Centre, UJ
Karen Eksteen – Cape Biotech Trust
Isaiah Engelbrecht – Eskom
JP Fourie – SAVCA
Helena Gabriels – SA Innovator
Nicki Koorbanally – Meraka Institute
Jeanette Morwane – Activator Programme
Vusi Mantsho – University of Jhb
Henra Mayer – RIIS
Jayshreen Naidoo – DBSA
Pieter Nortje – Eskom
Nirvashnee Seetal – Cofisa
Audrey Verhaeghe – RIIS
Adrienne Viljoen – SABS Design Institute

SAINe Focus areas

The following areas have been identified as SAINe priority:

Networking, publicity, information sharing and events to foster innovation and innovation management practices.
Creating case studies on the success of innovation.
Research and benchmarking on innovation in the South African context.
The creation of standards for “Innovation Management”.

Progress Up to Date

SAINe was officially established at a stakeholder meeting on 17 June 2009, attended by the people above. The following have already received attention:

A brand strategy had been developed and approved by the founder members and a website is being developed that will include a content management system.

A steering committee has also been approved and appointed. They consist of:

Audrey Verhaeghe – Chairman
Jayshree Naidoo – Public relations
JP Fourie– Treasury (Corporate governance) – awaiting confirmation
Karen Eksteen – Marketing
Nicki Koorbanally – Fundraising
Nirvashnee Seetal – Web content sourcing and networking
Riette van Schalkwyk – Secretary & website administrator

Sustainability & Benefits

The project will address a real need amongst open innovation managers in South Africa. Most of them feel like pioneers but theydo not have access to their peers so that they can bounce ideas as it is such a niche and new area.

The network will contribute by creating case studies in innovation in the SA landscape. It will also create knowledge around innovation by doing surveys on issues such as “how do you measure and how do you reward innovation in an open innovation system?”

The project will be sustainable as sponsors for events in the first year already have come forward and there is longer term commitment from parties who would like surveys and research done in the domain of innovation practice.

The network will stimulate innovation in South Africa as it will bring role players from different fields together. The network’s work will contribute to demystifying innovation and make it the business of all.

The benefits of SAINe can therefore be summarised as follows:

The development of a common language and practice for the “Management of Innovation”.
A networked niche that picks up momentum and can deliver real value in terms of economic growth and job creation.
A lobbying force for standards, benchmarks and contextual information about SA innovators.
The sharing of knowledge
Bridging the innovation chasm in SA

Finally, the possibility of a community, network and space where South African innovators can share, learn from each other and add value to the innovation capability in South Africa.

If you would like more information on SAINe or want to get involved in any way, please contact Riëtte van Schalkwyk at RIIS on or riette@riis.co.za.

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