Southern Africa / 
South Africa / Pretoria - Tech Hubs
TIA
The Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) is an entity of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI). TIA promotes the development and exploitation of discoveries, inventions and innovations to improve the quality of life for all South Africans by bridging the innovation chasm between research and commercialisation. <br><br> The object of TIA is to <mark>support the State in stimulating and intensifying technological innovation to improve economic growth and the quality of life of all South Africans by developing and exploiting technological innovations.</mark> <br><br> TIA’s focus is on technology development; from proof of concept to pre commercialisation. To achieve this, TIA established the following funds: the Seed Fund, the Technology Development Fund, and the Commercialisation Support Fund.
The Innovation Hub
The Innovation Hub, the innovation agency of the Gauteng Province is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency. It was established by the Gauteng Provincial Government through its Department of Economic Development to promote economic development and competitiveness of Gauteng through fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. <p></p> The Innovation Hub offers a number of incubation programmes in the Bioeconomy (agro processing and pharmaceutical), Smart Industries (ICT and advanced manufacturing) and Green Economy (Water purification, waste management and renewable energy). In addition, The Innovation Hub <mark>operates a range of enterprise development, skills development and innovation enabling programmes both in the science park and throughout the Gauteng region.</mark> <p></p> CoachLab® is a youth skills development programme managed by The Innovation Hub in collaboration with prominent industry partners, government and academia. The programme is committed to the development of a diverse skills base in the ICT, Engineering, Green and Media sectors. The aim is to instil business principles and the value of innovative and entrepreneurial thinking amongst the participating youth through mentorship by programme partners. <p></p> CoachLab® focuses on bridging the gap between academia and the demands of industry. The programme includes personal, leadership and professional development. The participants of the programme are introduced to project-based learning where the focus is on exposure and the application of project management principles in a real-time project environment. In addition to this, all participants have access to personal coaching that focuses on grooming for optimum performance and value delivery. The industry partners allocate mentors who offer technical support and provide insight on projects that the participants would embark on.