A bio-manufacturing centre – that seeks to support small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) – was opened at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria earlier this month.
The centre, named the Bio-Manufacturing Industry Development Centre (BIDC), is a first of its kind in South Africa and aims to provide support through the development of bio-based manufacturing processes and products.
Companies incubated at the BIDC have access to ready-to-use bio-manufacturing facilities, support in research and development laboratories as well as access to experts in the fields of agro-processing and bio-processing product development and scale-up.
Speaking at the launch, Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor, said: “The key strategic focus is to provide an environment for the re-industrialisation of South Africa through the diversification of the economy. The BIDC therefore contributes to the development of new, innovative products and new industrial value chains which revitalise the local industry, stimulate export markets and increase local competitiveness.”
The BIDC is funded through the Department of Science and Technology’s Industrial Innovation Partnership Programme and the Jobs Fund Programme.
According to Pandor, the BIDC is currently supporting 19 enterprises of which 16 are owned by black entrepreneurs, including 10 black women-owned enterprises.
To date, 33 products with applications in the cosmetics, nutrition and biotechnology industries have been developed and transferred to the enterprises.
