The BIDC is a CSIR initiative, in partnership with the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and BioPark @ Gauteng (The Innovation Hub) would like to support Small, Medium and Micro-sized Enterprises (SMMEs) in the bio-manufacturing sector, with the aim of creating or expanding bio-manufacturing activity and associated job creation. CSIR and BioPark will partner to deliver a full package to SMMEs, as part of the mentorship programme, i.e. product development, product packaging, branding, business skills transfer, business mentorship and access to markets.

The current EoI call is targeted at entrepreneurs and SMMEs interested in developing products in the agro-processing sector, with a specific focus on value addition to the following four plants: Devil’s claw (Harpgophytum procumbens); Wild/African ginger (Siphonochilus aethiopicus); Black pelargonium (Pelargonium sidoides) and Sutherlandia/Cancer bush (Lessertia frutescens)*. This will include the formulation of ingredients from these plants and formulation of food products, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, plant material testing etc

Download the EoI here.