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Launched by UP’s Department of Research and Innovation (DRI), Campus Catalyst: From research to real-world impact profiles 10 spin-out enterprises that have taken university research beyond the laboratory and towards practical applications in society and industry. The publication highlights a challenge facing research institutions:
ensuring that discoveries do not end with an academic paper but receive the support, partnerships and resources needed to become viable products and services.
One of the enterprises featured is hearX Group, co-founded by Professor De Wet Swanepoel of UP’s Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology in the Faculty of Humanities. The company developed smartphone-based hearing assessment tools that have reached more than 600,000 people across 190 countries.
For Prof Swanepoel, the value of research lies in its ability to make a difference beyond academia.
“There is nothing more rewarding for an academic than to see your research translate into real-world solutions,” he said in his keynote address at the launch. He added: “Nothing that has really mattered was done alone. It takes a village to launch a business.”
Turning research into a working enterprise, however, involves more than developing a promising idea. Researchers must navigate intellectual property (IP) protection, contracts, funding and negotiations with potential partners before their innovations can reach the market.
Jetane Charsley, Head of the National Intellectual Property Management Office (NIPMO), representing the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, highlighted the work that goes unseen behind successful innovations. “We often encounter innovation at the point of success – when we see the product, the award, or the funding announcement,” she said. “We do not always see the prototypes that failed, the production difficulties, or the months spent looking for backing. Campus Catalyst makes that invisible journey visible.”
At UP, the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) resides in the Innovation and Contracts Management (ICM) division of the DRI. The division is headed by Advocate Lawrence Baloyi and works with researchers to help them navigate the processes involved in protecting, developing and commercialising their innovations.
Professor Elsabé Loots, Acting Vice-Principal for Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Education, highlighted the value of combining research expertise with institutional support.
“This is a remarkable showcase of what is possible when professional research and innovation support meets the brightest minds in the country,” she said.
The publication also highlights the importance of partnerships beyond the university. UP Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Francis Petersen emphasised the role universities play in shaping individuals and society. “Universities are transforming agents,” he said. “You cannot enter a university and exit as the same person.”
He noted that meaningful, lasting impact requires participation from government, civil society and the private sector.
The enterprises featured in Campus Catalyst illustrate how research can be applied to different challenges. Alongside hearX, Saltus Poles converts composite waste into construction materials, while African Applied Chemicals commercialises insecticidal textile technology designed to protect public health.
Although their work spans different fields, the enterprises share a common approach: using research to develop solutions with practical applications. Their stories also demonstrate why collaboration and sustained support are important in moving innovations from development towards wider use.
For DRI Director Dr Prudence Makhura, the broader goal is to ensure that the University’s research contributes to job creation, stronger South African industries and improvements in people’s lives. As UP implements its 2038 institutional roadmap, Campus Catalyst provides examples of how research can connect academic expertise with the needs of society.
The 10 enterprises featured in the publication show what becomes possible when researchers receive the support and partnerships needed to take their ideas further. By documenting their journeys, Campus Catalyst also highlights the work required to turn university knowledge into solutions that can be used beyond campus.
For more information about Campus Catalyst and UP’s research commercialisation activities, visit the website of the University of Pretoria’s Technology Transfer Office in the Department of Research and Innovation.
