The South African Innovation Ecosystem Policy Hub (SAIEPH) has united government, academia, industry and entrepreneurs to strengthen South Africa’s innovation ecosystem and improve how policy decisions are made.
The South African Innovation Ecosystem Policy Hub (SAIEPH) was launched on 7 August 2026 in Stellenbosch. The Policy Hub is a partnership between the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) from government, Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropies from industry, and the Allan Gray Centre for Africa Entrepreneurship (AGCAE) at Stellenbosch University from academia.
Its purpose is to help South Africa’s innovation community see the system more clearly and work together effectively.
“South Africa has strong universities, research institutions, businesses and entrepreneurs,” said Michelle Harding, CSIR Programme Manager. “But these strengths do not always connect. Information is often fragmented, and policy interventions are largely designed in isolation, limiting ecosystem synergies and innovation spillovers.”
Furthermore, innovation requires R&D funding, said AGCAE Founding Director Dr Phumlani Nkontwana.
“South Africa invests only 0.66% of its GDP into R&D,” said Dr Nkontwana. “Other countries spend 2% on average with the most innovative spending between 3% to 5%.”
SAIEPH was created in part to co-inspire a research and development boost to help close these gaps, among other objectives. As the Policy Hub enters its pilot phase, which will run until 2028, it will build a clearer picture of South Africa’s innovation environment, help turn evidence and research into practical policy and action, and bring together stakeholders from across the globe. The launch itself was a step in that direction, welcoming delegates from the World Bank Group, the Western Cape Government, the United Nations Development Programme, the Consulate-General of the Netherlands, GIZ, including innovation ecosystem policy experts from Geneva, Switzerland. Also present were representatives from universities and research institutions.
“These research institutions are critical,” said the AGCAE Board Member Dr Clifford Nxomani. “Without top-end research infrastructure, it’s not possible to innovate. Such infrastructure allows our people to leapfrog in terms of the kinds of science that they are practising.”
Professor Tulio de Oliveira, Pro-Vice Chancellor at Stellenbosch University and Director of the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation, delivered a keynote address at the launch and highlighted the importance of African research institutions, but for other reasons.
“We live in a time when top students in Africa are unable to enter the US and Europe,” Professor de Oliveira said. “We, here in South Africa, should welcome them. If we stop internal competition and embrace Africa, I believe we’ll innovate and transform the world.”
The ambition is long-term, said Anthony Farr, CEO of Allan & Gill Gray Philanthropies.
“It is going to take time for this to look like the thing that we’re chasing, but by staying in the same direction for the long term, we can really make magic happen,” Farr said. “If we’re willing to plant seeds, to plant trees under whose shade we may not sit, we will become unstoppable.”
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