The Technium Challenge is an International Business Planning Competition Encouraging ICT/ Innovation Linkages Between South Africa and Wales/UK
www.technium.co.uk/challengesouthafrica

April 26, 2007 - Against a strong field of eight competitors, I-Slices Innovations (Pty) Ltd., a Gauteng based company won the inaugural edition of the South Africa leg of the Technium Wales competition. I-Slices Innovations has developed  a range of products to alleviate problems associated with the eyes. During the week of May 21-25, 2007, Kerryne Kraus-Neufeldt, the company’s “Chief Excitement Officer”, will be travelling to Swansea, Wales on a sponsored “learning journey” and to participate in the final of the international competition against companies from Australia, France, New Zealand and China.

I-Slices range of products are wellness products designed to relieve stress around the eyes. Think of a disposable cucumber eye treatment pad.  I-Slices has developed its range of treatment pad products by improving and commercializing a patented hydrogel dermal delivery system originally developed by the South Africa Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.

The Technium Challenge South Africa competition began in November 2006 and included a first round of submissions of project/ company profiles, a second round that called for the four finalists to develop and submit full business plans, a final round which included an oral presentation of the business plan at the DTI Campus in Pretoria.   The adjudication panel included Jayesh Ravjee, the Senior Manager, Technology and Business, SEDA Technology Programme, Viola Manuel, CEO, Cape IT Initiative and Michael Sudarkasa, Legal Consultant, Mchunu Koikanyang Attorneys, who also was the convenor of the adjudication panel on behalf of the Welsh Assembly’s Technium Wales.

South Africa had the highest number of entrants in the international competition with eight companies participating in the first round - compared to two from France, three from China,  one from Australia and five from New Zealand.  The South African competitors included:
Contact4 (www.contact4.co.za) (Contact centre and business process outsourcing), Disc Technology (www.innovation.org.za) (Fluid rotator technology), Equitek (www.chemin.co.za) (Equine hoof technologies involving rubber), I-Slices Innovations (www.eyeslices.co.za) (Therapeutic technological skin treatment pads), Kitchen Sink (www.kitchensink.co.za) (Online business directory), OriginSA (www.originsa.co.za), (Health and wellness products derived from organic), Rubber Nano Products (www.chemin.co.za) (Novel rubber products produced using nano technology),  and Southern Medical (www.southmed.co.za) (Medical devices).  Overall, the nineteen (19) entrants in the international competition represented the following sectors: Engineering 1; Micro/Nano Technology - one (1); Materials - two (2); Biosciences - one (1); Call Centres – one  (1); Medical Devices – three (3); Energy – one  (1); Internet – two  (2); Food- one (1); Recycling – one (1); Software - five (5).

Of significant note was the strong support received from the South African incubation community with six of the eight South African entrants having received support and referral from the following SA incubators: Egolibio Incubator in Midrand, Gauteng (www.stp.org.za/egoli); the SA National Chemical Industry Incubator in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape (www.chemin.co.za); the Embizini Innovation Support Centre in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal (www.innovation.org.za);  and the Cape IT Initiative in Cape Town, Western Cape (www.citi.org.za)

The competition’s founder, Technium Wales (www.technium.co.uk), has recently been developing relationships with a number of incubation centres in South Africa.  Opportunities to establish links between the incubation centres and particularly between resident companies within the centres have been identified and are now being pursued.  Technium Wales includes 9 state-of-the-art incubation centres housing some of Wales’ most promising high-growth technology businesses, many of whom are keen to exploit commercial opportunities overseas.  These businesses cover a range of industry sectors including IT, digital, media, digital devices, electronics, life sciences, medical devices, energy, sustainable technologies, opto-electronics and performance engineering. 

Technium Wales is interested in bringing more international companies to its centres to encourage the development of business relationships with its existing resident companies.  Technium Wales is also ideally placed to provide a ‘soft-landing’ solution for international companies looking to establish a foothold in the Wales/UK marketplace.

As South Africa’s  “finalist company”, I-Slices Innovations will accompany the other country finalists on a ‘Learning Journey’ to Wales.  This will include a complimentary flight to the UK and a week long programme of activity in Wales.  The programme will include introductions to Technium Wales companies and local industry networks, visits to academic centres of excellence to explore support for R&D, and a range of one-to-one advice sessions from public and private sector general and specialist business support organisations. 

Companies participating in the Learning Journey will also be required to make a short business pitch to the Technium Wales Challenge judging panel. All of the international and UK finalists will attend an awards ceremony at the end of the week on May 24th, 2007, where winners of the International and UK competitions will be announced.  All finalists will receive significant media coverage and the winners will receive an attractive prize package.

For further information contact:
Michael Sudarkasa                                            
SA Trade and Investment Adviser                                          
International Business Wales and Legal Consultant
Mchunu Koikanyang Attorneys                                            
Tel: 27 - (011) 778 4060        
Cell: 27 - (82) 414-8671
Email: Michael@abdhq.com                                                    URL: www.technium.co.uk