The Innovation Hub wins tender bid for the Botswana Innovation Hub

May 2006

On 11 May this year, The Innovation Hub, partnered by Technopolis Plc, a Science Park in Finland, and Variety Investments (Pty) Ltd, a local Botswana company, won the bid to assist Botswana in the development of a business plan for the establishment of a local Science Park, to be called the Botswana Innovation Hub.

The Hub and its partners responded as a consortium to an international tender issued by the Botswana Ministry of Communications and Science & Technology in March this year, seeking a partner with the necessary expertise to assist the country with the establishment of its first Science Park.

Technopolis Plc is Europe's largest provider of operating environments for high tech companies. It offers a comprehensive service package that combines modern facilities, business and employee services as well as public and corporate development services and programmes. Variety Investments (Pty) Ltd is a Gaborone-based consulting firm with more than 25 years of experience in investment promotion in the industrial, tourism, agriculture, property development, broadcasting and retail sectors in Botswana. It conducts pre-feasibility studies, arranges start-up funding and has a wealth of experience of government policies and programmes.

Variety Investments played a significant role in the establishment of the only high-tech industry in Botswana that manufactures harnesses for the motor vehicle industry for export to Europe. Managing Director, Sanjay Goel, believes that with the significant experience and technical expertise vested in the consortium, the establishment of the Botswana Innovation Hub will exceed expectations.

The Technopolis Plc has been involved in creating innovation clusters in Finland and globally since 1994 and is hosting the International Association of Science Parks' World Conference in Helsinki this year - the Hub will be hosting this event in Gauteng in 2008.

All three consortium partners are looking forward to a busy but interesting four months, after which the business plan for establishing their own Science Park will be handed to the Botswana government.