TOURS

General Enquiries: +27 12 841 2911

CSIR Website: www.csir.co.za

View our Terms & Conditions

Contact Us:

Email: conference@csir.co.za

General Enquiries: +27 12 841 2911

CSIR Website: www.csir.co.za

View our Terms & Conditions

FACILITATOR: LARA-KOTZE JACOBS

Visit the CSIR Biomanufacturing Industrial Development Centre

The biomanufacturing sector in South Africa is characterised by enthusiasm and a high entrepreneurial spirit. Entrepreneurs in this space range from home bakers who want to expand their ideas to high-quality processing and analysis for the retailmarket, to biotechnology companies that have in-licensed international intellectual property and are attempting to validate and scale-up technology for local production.

Through assistance from the Department of Science and Innovation, the CSIR Biomanufacturing Industry Development Centre (BIDC) has successfully developed 117 products and transferred them to 38 small, medium and micro enterprises since its inception in 2014.

The centre has provided support to small businesses in the biomanufacturing sector, enabling them to grow, increase their competitiveness and contribute to a sustainable bioeconomy in South Africa.

The BIDC consist of a bioprocessing fermentation lab, bioprocessing pilot facility and agroprocessing bench-scale facility.

The bioprocessing fermentation lab has a multidisciplinary team of biotechnologists, microbiologists and engineers who are using the laboratory to develop novel, cost-effective local bio-based technologies. The laboratory includes equipment for microbial processes to be developed and optimised at various scales, from a 2-litre up to a 30-litre scale. The lab makes it possible to develop and optimise bioprocesses using bacteria, yeast, fungi and algae.

The bioprocessing pilot facility is the only facility of its kind that offers contract biomanufacturing of microbial strains at medium to large scale once processes have been developed in the laboratory and need upscaling. The plant caters for production at a 200-litre and 1 000-litre fermentation scale, with various downstream equipment to allow for product formulation and prototype development.

The agroprocessing bench-scale facility is used to scale up the processing of natural products that have been developed at laboratory scale, from a millilitre to a 400-litre scale. The facility houses a diverse array of process operations, including extraction, centrifugation and distillation. The scaled-up processes increase confidence in the technology developed. The technology’s robustness and reproducibility are validated at scale, thereby reducing the technical risk.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity created specifically for those who could potentially benefit from the facility. The CSIR’s team of experts will be delighted to answer your questions.

FACILITATOR: Dr. Lawrence Pratt

Visit the CSIR photovoltaic module quality and reliability testing facility

The photovoltaic (PV) module quality and reliability testing facility on the CSIR’s Pretoria campus supports the domestic solar PV industry with aspects of industrial development, research, quality and reliability assurance, knowledge generation and human capital development.

Join us for this tour, during which you will be able to see a testing laboratory that is the first of its kind in Africa. The facility includes world-class equipment for localising accelerated reliability stress testing on PV modules to ensure that only high-quality modules that are suitable to the uniquely South African climate are developed and installed.

Your host, CSIR Principal Researcher Dr Lawrence Pratt, and his team will introduce and explain the function of the lab’s specialised equipment, including environmental chambers to simulate real-world environmental conditions. These include:

Thermal cycling of modules from -40 °C to 85 °C for 200, 400 and 600 cycles to simulate stress from thermal expansion and contraction;
Humidity freeze testing: 85 °C / 85% RH for 20 hours and a -40 °C freeze for 10, 20 and 30 cycles to stress the lamination and adhesion strength of the PV module;
Damp heat testing: 85 °C / 85% RH for 1 000 hours, 2 000 hours, with and without electrical bias, to stress the adhesion and insulation of the PV module; and
Mechanical load testing: static and dynamic load for simulating transportation, installation and wind loads that may lead to broken cells and weakened interconnections.

A key instrument in simulating real-world environmental conditions is the sun simulator. This device outputs a dose of energy nearly equivalent to the sun’s energy and spectrum, but only for a fraction of a second. This is just enough time to accurately and precisely record the current, voltage and power output of the PV module across various temperatures (15 °C and 75 °C) and light intensities (200 W/m2 to 1100 W/m2). The sun simulator is also used to compare the output of the PV module as measured at the factory against an independent standard.

Make sure you get an opportunity to view this simulator and learn from the experts. The CSIR’s PV lab team will be delighted to answer all your questions.

FACILITATOR: Dr Vincent Ojijo

FACILITATOR: Dr Mike Masukume

Visit the Nanomaterials Industrial Development Facility

The Nanomaterials Industrial Development Facility (NIDF) offers integrated access to three key research and development components, namely, scale-up facilities, well-equipped characterisation laboratories and multidisciplinary researchers who provide comprehensive technical support. The facility has a chemical processing plant, a polymer formulation and processing facility, and a characterisation facility.

The focus of the facility is mainly on the development of nano-enabled technologies, including nanostructured materials and the downstream plastic value chain. The facility was specifically designed to enable the transition from laboratory-scale to industry-scale and, ultimately, industrialisation of products and technologies. It can support small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) and large entities with product/process development needs, as well as extensive chemical/materials characterisation using state-of-the-art equipment.

The NIDF has a team of chemical engineers, researchers, polymer chemists, nanotechnology specialists, project managers and formulation scientists who apply their skills to assist SMMEs and large entities from prototype to pilot-scale development in nanotechnology – including polymer composites, blends and alloys and chemical processes related to nanotechnology. The facility also assists on projects that require localisation of technologies developed or used outside of South Africa.

Join us for this tour, during which you will see:

A chemical processing plant that is equipped with high temperature and pressure chemical reactors, process tanks, a filter press, dryers and a baghouse; and
An advanced plastic formulation and processing facility with co-rotating twin-screw extruder injection moulding machines, a five-layer cast sheet and blown film co-extrusion line and other smaller processing equipment.

The facility is supported by superb characterisation facilities that include all typical polymer characterisation and testing equipment, as well as highly specialised instruments, such as scanning and transmission electron microscopes, which allow material investigations at the nano level (one nanometre is a million times smaller than a millimetre).

Visit the facility to view how chemical and polymer processes and technologies are optimised; nanomaterials and polymer formulations are scaled up for quality and market testing; materials are characterised; and products and materials are developed for specific applications.

Don’t miss this opportunity to view our facilities and learn from the experts.

Dr Vuyisile Phehane

Panellist

Dr Vuyisile Phehane completed his doctoral studies in chemical pathologoy at the University of Cape Town. He studied the inhibition of malarial purine salvage enzymes and developed skills in molecular biology, biochemistry, enzymology, genomics, proteomics, chemical synthesis and analysis, rational drug design, protein purification, as well as protein structure-function relationships.

His career started in 2002 at SA Bioproducts in Durban, South Africa,, where he was responsible for the bioprocess development of amino acid production technologies using microbial fermentation platforms at pilot- and toll-scale production levels. He later joined the CSIR as a process scientist, with a key outcome of his work being a process patent for the isolation of compounds from Aloe ferox, which find applications, amongst others, in cosmetic formulations, specifically skin lightening.

He joined the Innovation Fund as a Programme Manager and then moved into the role of a Commercialisation Manager, developing his skills in evaluation (pre-funding), funds disbursement and management, post-funding management and the commercialisation of technology in global territories. This was pursued further at BioPAD (an initiative of the Department of Science and Technology, as an Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing Portfolio Manager, where he participated in the establishment of new technology platforms, in addition to his other responsibilities. Phehane then spent seven years as the Senior Manager: Commercialisation at the Agricultural Research Council of South Africa, where he commercialised intellectual property (primarily plant breeders’ rights) developed by scientists, and optimised revenue income in the form of royalties from global territories through the implementation of intellectual management policies.

He has served on the boards of a number of startup companies and has expertise in the negotiation and conclusion of technology licensing deals, as well as the creation of viable spinouts based on solid research and development outcomes. He has managed budgets in excess of R500 million in his working career.

Phehane is an Eisenhower Fellow and has identified best practices in technology incubator and accelerator programmes whilst on fellowship in the United States of America (Eisenhower Multination Programme).

He was a member of the panel of the Innovation Investment Advisory Committee, an initiative funded by the US Agency for International Development and Sweden (through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency), which managed the Securing Water for Food: A Grand Challenge for Development call. He was selected as an independent evaluator for Eurostars, which is a joint initiative between EUREKA and the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (Horizon 2020).

He is the founder of ITB Holdings, a private company set-up for the commercialisation of intellectual property, and the provision of advisory services in small and medium enterprise development, new venture creation, equity transactions, as well as economic development using intellectual property.

Phehane was the Director: Technology Transfer Office at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), responsible for the management of intellectual property emanating from research and development initiatives, and was instrumental in the establishment of UJInvnt, the intellectual property commercialisation company of UJ. As Director, he represented UJ as a member of the Independent Advisory Board of Laurea University of Applied Sciences, Finland.

He has been invited to evaluate and review applications sourced through the Challenge and Prize portfolios of the United States Agency for International Development Center for Development Innovation.

Phehane is currently the Executive: Bio-Economy, at the Technology Innovation Agency, responsible for driving the Bio-Economy strategy of South Africa, and serves on the board of the Biovac Institute, a vaccines and biologicals manufacturing company in South Africa.

Stavros Nicolaou

Stavros Nicolaou is a member of the Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited Group Executive Committee and the Group Senior Executive responsible for strategic trade development. Previously, he was the CEO of Aspen’s Export Business. Aspen is Africa’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturer and now a world leader in anaesthetics and injectable anti-coagulants. Aspen is one of South Africa’s most globalised multinational companies with a presence in over 50 geographies globally and 26 manufacturing facilities across six continents. Nicolaou was instrumental in introducing the first generic antiretrovirals (ARVs) on the African continent developed by Aspen, which have gone on to save hundreds of thousands of lives in South Africa and on the African continent.

Nicolaou is a graduate of the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University) and has over 31 years’ experience in the South African and international pharmaceutical industry, 27 years of which have been with the Aspen Group or its subsidiaries. He is a previous winner of the SA Institute of Marketing Management Health Care Marketer of the Year Award and a previous recipient of the Monty Rubenstein Award for proficiency in pharmaceutics from the Wits University Pharmacy Health Sciences Faculty. He was awarded the Order of the Lion of St Mark by the Greek Orthodox Pope Theodoros II and recently received the title of “High Commander of the Order of the Apostle & Evangelist Mark” of the Patriarchate of Alexandria. He has been inducted as a Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa (PSSA), one of the highest honours bestowed by the PSSA, and was recently awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Medicine by Wits University.

Nicolaou is particularly passionate about diversity, transformation, championing localisation and building bridges between the private and public sectors to improve access to treatment for patients in emerging markets and healthcare outcomes in these markets. He has been involved in several social responsibility and charitable causes aimed at reducing poverty and inequality and assisting economic growth and development in South Africa. He has been a speaker at numerous conferences, including the Economist Roundtable and the World Economic Forum and has delivered a lecture on ARV developments at the Raigon Institute, a joint venture between Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital.

He has previously served and continues to serve on numerous industry and associated structures, some of which include:

The Advisory Council on National Orders, to which he was appointed by His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa;
The Forum to Promote Transparency and Multistakeholder Engagement Regarding Medicine Availability, an advisory body assisting in finding solutions towards improving access to and availability of medicine through enhanced transparency, equity, efficiency, responsiveness and accountability in the supply chain, to which he was appointed by the Minister of Health;
Business for South Africa (B4SA) Steering Committee (as a member) and B4SA Health Workgroup (as Chairperson);
National Covid-19 Vaccine Co-ordinating Committee and the Covid-19 Vaccine Joint Oversight Steering Committee;
Public Health Enhancement Fund (as Chairman) – a collaboration between the private health sector and the Ministry of Health;
Wits University Foundation Board of Governors;

The Board of Brand South Africa, to which he was re-appointed for a third term by President Cyril Ramaphosa;
The Interim Board of Cricket South Africa (as Chairman), to which he was appointed by the Minister of Arts, Sports and Culture;
The Trade and Industry Minister’s Export Panel on devising an export strategy for South Africa;
The Board of SA Express Airways (as Chairman between 2005 and 2009), as appointed by the Minister of Public Enterprise;
The Board of Transnet Ltd., the state-owned integrated logistics company (as Chairman from 2004 to 2010), appointed by the Minister of Public Enterprises;
The Trade and Investment Committee of the Board of the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA) (as Chairman) and Director of the GGDA, as appointed by the MEC for Economic Development for two consecutive terms;
The BRICS Business Council, as appointed by the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition for a third term;
The Special Economic Zones Advisory Board, as appointed by the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition;
The South Africa-Saudi Arabia Business Council, as appointed by the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition (as Chairman);
The Marketing Committee and Board of the Board of Proudly South Africa, as appointed by the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition and NEDLAC (as Chairman);
The Executive of the Manufacturing Circle (as a member);
Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) (as a Non-executive Director), the apex business organisation of South Africa and BUSA Health Forum (as Chairman);
The South African Pharmaceutical Producers Association (as Chairman) and the Pharmaceutical Task Group, overall Pharmaceutical Industry Umbrella Organisation, (as Chairman);
World Bank/IFC Technical Advisory Board on the strengthening of African Health Systems;
The International Pharmaceutical Students Federation (as Vice-President);
Wits University, accredited to the Faculty of Health Science (as an Honorary Lecturer); and
The North-West University Business School Advisory Board (as Director).

TOURS

CSIR Biomanufacturing Industry Development Centre

CSIR Photovoltaic Module Quality and Reliability Testing Facility

CSIR Nanomaterials Industry Development Facility

Contact Us:

Contact Us:

FACILITATOR: LARA-KOTZE JACOBS

Visit the CSIR Biomanufacturing Industrial Development Centre

FACILITATOR: Dr. Lawrence Pratt

Visit the CSIR photovoltaic module quality and reliability testing facility

FACILITATOR: Dr Vincent Ojijo

FACILITATOR: Dr Mike Masukume

Visit the Nanomaterials Industrial Development Facility

Dr Njabulo Siyakatshana

Panellist

TanJa Hichert

Looking out for weak signals and 'Pockets of the future in the – How to do emerging issues analysis and why it matters

DR Jabu Mtsweni

Panellist

Dr Vincent Ojijo

Panellist

DR Duarte Goncalves

A systemic approach to critical infrastructure risk and security capabilities

Peter Bosscha

A bilevel positive airway pressure non-invasive ventilator

Aradhna Pandarum

Panellist

Anne-Marie Lubbe

Panellist

Ashley Patience

Aquaculture research, development and innovation: Crossing the divide to substantial delivery

DR Janine Scholefield

Panellist

DR Jerolen Naidoo

Panellist

DR Nyambeni Luruli

Panellist

DR Tracey Hurrell

Panellist

Prof. Moses Azong Cho

CSIR-developed precision agriculture information system to support emerging farmers

Carel de Jager

The Metaverse: South African perspectives

DR Darryl Naidoo

A novel, local laser system development with a commercial partner

DR Gyu Myoung Lee

DR Bernelle Verster

Metaverse: Setting the scene

DR Marie Smith

The aquaculture decision support tool of the Oceans and Coasts Monitoring Information System

PROF. Marianne Vanderschuren

Panellist

Sibongile Ntsoelengoe

Panellist

Marius Boshoff

Challenges in future plant health management - An integrated crop management perspective

Santosh Ramchuran

Technology development and localisation of bio-based products for agricultural and preventative health

Hartmut Brodner

A customised trackless mobile machinery collision prevention system digital twin

Prof. Greta Dreyer

The unmet need for cancer treatment in South Africa

John Fox

Panellist

Jenny-Lee Panayides

Panellist

Rachelle Botha

Panellist

DR CHOMBA CHUMA

Panellist

DR DEEPAK GOVINDA RAJ

Developing precision medicines: Drug combinations to overcome drug resistance

GERHARD GREEFF

Digital transformation and 4IR technologies and their contribution towards the re-industrialisation of SA’s manufacturing industries

DR JAYITA BANDYOPADHYAY

Keeping oxygen out and freshness in: Bag-in-box films

DR LERATO TSHABALALA

Laser-based engineering services for the repair and maintenance of high-value plant components

DR LIZWE MDAKANE

Spaceborne synthetic aperture radar for operational monitoring of Southern Africa oceans: Oils slick and vessel tracking