Government funded research will come to the forefront at the Technology and Human Research for Industry Programme (THRIP) Agro-processing Symposium that will be hosted by the Department of Trade and Industry this week.

The main purpose of the two-day conference, which gets underway on Tuesday, is to create a platform where government-funded research is showcased to the relevant industry for possible exploitation and industrialisation.

The conference also aims to engage important stakeholders on critical issues in the agriculture and agro-processing value chain.

Minister Rob Davies said the symposium will also expose unexploited research findings to the industry with the intention of having them commercialised. The symposium will bring together industry experts in the sector and government to engage on critical issues affecting the sector.

Since its inception over two decades ago, THRIP has supported research from all industry sectors. Most of the investment, in terms of value, went into the manufacturing sector followed by agriculture and agro-processing. Many good outputs, including patents, products and prototypes produced have not been exploited through this research, said Minister Davies.

THRIP has been in place to improve competiveness in South African industries and to stimulate collaboration between the industry and academia for an improved knowledge-based economy.

The symposium will take place under the theme ‘Advancing Agro-processing through Digital Technologies’.

Taking place at the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) in Sandton, the conference will conclude on Wednesday.

Source: South African Government News Agency