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A tale of two sensors: Nanotechnology and bacterial detection Good things happen when the right people meet at the right times. In this case, it was two Stellenbosch University Professors, Prof Leon Dicks (microbiology) and Prof Willem Perold (electrical engineering) who had a coffee, and realised that their individual expertise had a relevant cross-over point – specifically in the detection of tuberculosis in patients. The current solutions were either unpleasant (for instance, requiring the patient to swallow an ampoule of antibodies), time-consuming (taking weeks between testing and diagnoses), or both. The question was asked, "Can we not create something more effective?" And that answer was...

SU Plant Breeding Laboratory develops cultivars and breeders of the future (From left to right) Aletta Ellis (SU-PBL Lab Manager), Corneli Smit (former SU-PBL Masters student), Kim Coetzee (former SU-PBL Masters student) and Willem Botes standing among the SU-PBL cultivar AgBeacon at Napier. Even if you've never heard of triticale, there's a good chance it might be part of your food chain. Triticale is one of the first successful examples of a man-made grain and in South Africa, especially the Western Cape, it's an important feed crop for livestock. The prevalence of the plant in South Africa is largely thanks to 40 years...

2014: A Stellar performance Innovus had a stellar year, with a large number (37) of disclosures received, nine licenses signed and seven companies added to our Group of which five are new technology spin-out companies. "We are very proud of our achievements and grateful for the support received from researchers and Stellenbosch University (SU) alike," says Anita Nel, CEO of Innovus and senior director: Innovation and Business Development. "The large number of disclosures tops our total number of 33 for 2013. According to the latest list of published PCT patents by the World Intellectual Property Organisation, SU is still the leading tertiary institution in South...

Where are the CEOs? It seems as if the career path less travelled in South Africa is that of the tech startup CEO, who can pilot a company to dazzling paydays, sell it and do it all over again in a next venture: the mythical creature known as the South African Serial CEO. Israel claims to have more serial entrepreneurs per capita than any other country in the world. You definitely also find them in America, the UK and Sweden, where there are vibrant startup cultures. They create success and action and have an impact that amazes and influences other people, leaving behind...

A view of the past year And it just keeps on getting better and better! Innovus, the university-industry interaction and innovation company of Stellenbosch University (SU), has performed exceptionally well this past year – and not only on the numbers front, but also in terms of new projects and initiatives undertaken. “We have a new logo and brand which are symbolic of the changes we as a company has undergone this year. We have expanded our services and now plays a broader and more extensive role on campus,” says Anita Nel, Senior Director: Innovation and Business Development at the SU and Innovus CEO. Innovus has concluded...