Title: Towards the establishment of a vibrant South African biotechnology industry: will the recent policy interventions achieve their objectives?

Authors: Rosemary Wolson

Addresses: UCT Innovation, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa

Abstract: The South African Government has identified biotechnology as a key technology platform and is in the process of implementing a policy framework to promote the development of a national biotechnology industry. The policy interventions have been designed to bridge the ||innovation chasm|| between research institutions and industry, which exists as a consequence of inadequate support and weak linkages between stakeholders. The current status and possible impact of three of the main initiatives is discussed. These are the National R&D Strategy, the National Biotechnology Strategy and proposed legislation to govern intellectual property developed from publicly funded research.

Keywords: South Africa; biotechnology policy; innovation policy; technology transfer; intellectual property; R&D exploitation; publicly funded research; agricultural biotechnology; developing countries; research and development.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBT.2005.006451

International Journal of Biotechnology, 2005 Vol.7 No.1/2/3, pp.147 - 160

Published online: 10 Mar 2005 *

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