​A staff member of Stellenbosch University (SU) received national acclaim on Thursday (31 May 2018) for her contribution to innovation management in Southern Africa.

Nolene Singh, Manager of Technology Transfer at SU's technology transfer company Innovus, won the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Southern African Research and Innovation Management (SARIMA)'s Excellence Award for Early Career Excellence in Innovation Management. These awards recognise individuals who have been in the Research and Management or Innovation management profession for less than five years.

The DST/SARIMA Awards honours individuals who have made distinguished contributions to the development of Research and Innovation Management during 2017.

Singh was rewarded for her key role in the development of a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship at SU as well as creating greater awareness of technology transfer and innovation to different stakeholders. In 2017, she was responsible for management and commercialisation of the several SU projects through patenting, licensing and forming spin-out companies.  Singh has also actively marketed SU technologies and assisted to forge collaborations with key industry players such as Siemens Healthcare, BSG Pharm and Afriplex.

Commenting on her award, Singh said she was overwhelmed and excited to receive it. “It's a huge honour and I'm greatful to Anita for having nominated me."

She added that is important to work hard and to never give up in pursuit of your dreams.

As the manager one of the universities most important source of commercialisation funding, the SU TIA Seed Fund, Singh is very actively involved in SU spin-out companies SharkSafe, Katleho Biomedicals and Cargo Telematics and assisted two projects, Sporatec and Conc, to take strides forward to a level where they are now nearly ready to spin out.

She has created strong relationships with the researchers, industry and funders and established good practices within the office to maintain these relationships. She has proactively established value- creating relationships with investors, industry, entrepreneurs, students and academics.

Anita Nel, Senior Director: Innovation and Business Development at SU, congratulated Singh on her achievement and said she is an outstanding technology transfer professional.

“She truly deserves this award as recognition for the incredible contribution she is making to technology transfer and innovation at Stellenbosch University and beyond the organisation.  It is a very big honour for her and is also a strong motivation for the rest of our Innovus team."

Ten speakers from SU participated in the annual SARIMA conference, of which nine talked about Technology Transfer and Innovation.

MORE ABOUT SARIMA

Established in 2002, the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association is a stakeholder organisation that provides a platform for the promotion and facilitation of best practice in research and innovation management in Southern Africa. It strengthens the research and innovation system to ensure the social and economic development of the Southern African region. For more information, visit www.sarima.co.za.