Innovations

The product is a locally produced, cost-effective plant health diagnostic tool. A collection of plant virus antisera is maintained at the Virology unit of ARC-Plant Health and Protection (ARC-PHP). The antisera were manufactured from plant viruses obtained from various crops in South Africa, thus

Joybells is a dark red, seedless grape cultivar ripening in the early mid-season (from mid-January in the Hex valley). Berries are crunchy with good attachment and excellent eating quality and have very good cold storage ability. Joybells’ maternal parent is Sunred, which has soft, green rudimentary

The product offers healthy bread naturally fortified by the nutrition of Amaranth. The bread contains high micronutrients including iron, zinc, vitamins A and C from the indigenous Amaranth species. The product offers a good opportunity for nutritional value and health benefits. Also, it provides

The Natural Biostimulant developed at the University of the Western Cape is a proudly South African, cost-effective, safe, natural and organic botanical fertiliser with promising commercial applications in the agriculture sector. Derived from an indigenous plant extract, the product contains a

Baobab LIMS is an African-led innovation that was developed as part of the B3Africa consortium. It is an affordable sample and laboratory management tool for biobanking that has been implemented in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which previously (due in part to financial constraints)

The invention entails an energy-generating system that makes use of polyethylene plastics that would otherwise result in environmental pollution to produce synthesis gas (syngas). Unlike conventional gasification systems that rely on oxygen, this system ensures that the gasification of polyethylene

A system which harvests thermal energy from various sources such as sunlight, cars, power plants, factories and other industries, and converts it into electricity. The harvested heat energy is stored in a storage tank, with water used as an energy storage medium. This then flows along a gradient to

A low-cost, portable, self-aligning rooftop wind turbine designed to capture moderate velocity wind and generate electricity efficiently for household use. Large-scale wind turbines in South Africa are located far afield, and the energy generated must be transported back to communities via huge

Wits researchers have developed a new compound for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, through the modulation of the laminin receptor in humans and animals. The developed compound is an antibody administered intranasally, for AD treatment, specifically treating the neuronal loss characteristics of

South Africa harbours the highest number of rape incidents in the world, and sexual assault and rape cases in the entire SADC region are estimated at a minimum of 55 000 cases per year. Crime scene investigations utilise DNA technology on a regular basis. In cases of rape or sexual abuse, male

Green Coal is environmentally friendly coal briquettes produced from discarded fine coal, bio-char material, and proprietary chemical binders. The briquette reduces sulphur emissions during combustion by approximately 50%, while also increasing the burning effectiveness. The bio-char addition to the

Sol-gel Long Lasting Power These long-lasting and significantly safer batteries are novel because of their sol-gel base. A uniform carbon coating process produces high-performance lithium-ion batteries. This method makes use of organic phosphoric acid as carbon and phosphoric sources to produce