Innovate Durban
Innovate Durban is a Non-Profit Company aimed at stimulating innovation within the Durban region. Its focus is to support and promote innovation by creating platforms that will build and develop the innovation ecosystem in Durban. Innovate Durban was set up by the eThekwini Municipality in 2013 in an effort to create a conducive environment for innovation. At the time, there was a lack of support for innovation and there was limited collaboration. Innovate Durban was initially set up as a Stakeholder Forum that brought together business, government, academia, civil society and entrepreneurs together to discuss the innovation needs of the city and find ways in which to develop projects that will address those needs. This forum gained much momentum and the number of projects had increased due to the growing demand and the positive impact of these projects and the innovation programme as a whole. There was a need for Innovate Durban to be set up as an independent entity and in February 2017, Innovate Durban was officially established as a Non-profit Company.