SA`s technology companies showcase awards organiser, the Technology Top 100 (TT100), has secured five years of funding from the Department of Science and Technology to promote and reward local innovation.
Stephan Lamprecht, TT100 GM, told ITWeb at the Western Cape Most Promising Enterprise Awards function last night that the department had committed itself to "substantial funding for the next five years". However, he did not specify the amount.
This is the first year the awards have been separated into an overall awards and separate emerging companies` awards for those organisations that have been in existence for three years or less.
It was also the first time that emerging enterprises from the Western Cape were recognised separately. The Gauteng equivalent will take place tomorrow and the overall large enterprises awards will take place in Johannesburg on 23 November.
"We also see the role of the TT100 awards as recording the innovation success of local companies, in that we record the history of the sector, showcase the success and create our own case studies that others may learn from," he says.
The TT100 has been running for five years and Department of Science and Technology funding is seen as key to the general recognition of the awards and is part of the department`s national system of innovation. The other key sponsor is Eskom.
Who got what
The most promising Western Cape enterprises awards went to jewellery company Hot Platinum, medicine alert company SIMpill, e-commerce Web automaton company incuBETa, and wireless connectivity provider UniNet.
Hot Platinum is a joint venture between the University of Cape Town, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Mintek and private sector partners. Its citation says it has changed the dynamics of jewellery casting by developing and commercialising the ICON3CS casting machine. It uses electronics and casting technology, enabling the jeweller to manufacture precision cast platinum components with ease while maintaining high quality and consistency.
SIMpill, which developed a GSM-enabled monitoring system to ensure patients comply with their medication requirements, received its mention because the technology can prevent unnecessary hospitalisation and the development of drug resistance in certain areas such as tuberculosis and HIV.
Judges said they were "bowled over by incuBETA`s success in developing a world-class range of Web-based technologies that are clearly catching the attention of the major players in Web-based commerce: eBay, Google and Amazon".
UniNet was recognised because the judges felt it presented a viable solution to the roll-out of divergence technologies in SA`s rural and other underserviced areas.
"It is one of the recent companies entering the South African telecommunications space with faster, cheaper and more reliable telecoms solutions, immediately drawing the wrath of the existing telecoms operators," the citation says.
Non-profit organisation Cell-Life received a most noteworthy achievement award for its use of technology to enable the management of heath information and monitoring.
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