Case study: IP Management and the Commercialization of Publicly Funded Research Outcomes in South Africa

This paper begins by presenting an overview of enabling frameworks for the protection and commercialization of publicly funded R&D outcomes. Subsequently it analyses the policies that South Africa has adopted to this effect since the transition to democracy. The paper then looks at the impact on the South African NSI of these policies, in particular the IPR Act, which has been in force since August 2010. It presents new data that indicate encouraging progress in patenting and other aspects of commercialization involving public research organizations (PROs)2 in South Africa, before setting forth a summary of the analysis as well as conclusions.