The Role of the South African Government in Developing the Biotechnology Industry – from Biotechnology Regional Innovation Centres to the Technology Innovation Agency
Stellenbosch Working Paper Series No. WP19/2012Publication date: 2012
Author(s):
[protected email address] (Department of Economics, University of Stellenbosch)
Biotechnology has been identified as one of the key sectors for future economic growth in many countries, with South Africa being no exception. Consequently, the South African government introduced the National Biotechnology Strategy (NBS) in 2001 whilst trying to modernize the government’s biotech institutions and methods to develop the biotechnology industry given a changing political and technical environment. An important product of the NBS was the establishment of Biotechnology Regional Innovation Centres (BRICs) in 2002, which aimed to develop and commercialise the biotechnology industry. This was followed by the establishment of the Technology Innovation Agency (the TIA) in 2008. The latter institute’s aims are to develop South Africa’s ability in transferring a larger percentage of local research and development (R&D) into commercial products and services. This paper will explore and highlight recent changes in the role of the South African government in its attempts to support and develop the biotechnology industry firstly via BRICs and thereafter the TIA.
JEL Classification:L6, L65
Keywords:Biotechnology, Biotechnology Regional Innovation Centres (BRICs), TIA, South Africa
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Monday 28 July 202512:00-13:00
Dr Neil Rankin: Ceo Of Predictive Insights & Stellenbosch University
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Prof Willem Boshoff: Stellenbosch University
Topic: "Two competing approaches in South African competition policy: merger control and anti-cartel enforcement over the past 30 years"
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Professor Johan Fourie: Stellenbosch University
Topic: "Economic History: TBC"
BER Weekly
18 Jul 2025 Encouraging data, but messy politics while US tariff deadline loomsThe big global data prints of the week came on Tuesday, with better-than-expected Chinese GDP growth for Q2 and US core CPI coming in lower than expected, but still (finally) reflecting some signs of tariffs being passed on to consumers. Locally, the uptick in mining production and retail sales was positive for Q2 GDP dynamics. In addition to the data,...
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