DSI Technology Innovation Programme (Programme 2)

DSI Technology Innovation Programme

Funds research teams and institutions for DSI Technology Innovation in biotechnology, energy systems, and space technology.

The Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) Technology Innovation Programme — known as Programme 2 — is South Africa's primary government mechanism for funding research, development, and commercialisation across strategic technology sectors. The programme encompasses five sub-programs: Bio-innovation (health therapeutics, vaccines, diagnostics, agriculture, agro-processing, and indigenous knowledge systems); Hydrogen and Energy (cross-cutting RDI in the energy sector, anchoring the Hydrogen South Africa HySA initiative in partnership with universities including UWC, Wits, and NWU); Space Science and Technology (implementation of the National Space Strategy and SA Earth Observation Strategy via SANSA and SKA-related work); Innovation Priorities and Instruments (commercialisation of publicly funded R&D, nanotechnology, photonics, synthetic biology, and robotics); and the National Intellectual Property Management Office (NIPMO), which ensures IP from publicly financed R&D is protected and commercialised for South Africans under the IPR-PFR Act.

Funding under this programme does not typically flow directly from DSTI to end applicants. Instead, the department deploys capital through subordinate delivery partners: the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) handles commercialisation instruments spanning TRL 3–9, including the SEED Fund, Technology Development Fund, Commercialisation Support Fund, Technology Acquisition and Deployment Fund, and Grassroots Innovation Programme; the National Research Foundation (NRF) distributes DSTI funds for research infrastructure and student support; and CSIR and SANSA execute sector-specific mandates. Eligible entity types across the delivery ecosystem include universities and higher education institutions, science councils (CSIR, HSRC, MRC), SMMEs, start-up companies, and research consortia. South African registration is required across all instruments. DSTI's total 2026/27 budget is ZAR 10.44 billion, reflecting the scale of the national science system it coordinates.

Organisations seeking access to DSTI-backed funding should engage primarily through TIA's commercialisation instruments (for prototype-through-market-readiness projects) or NRF's research calls (for science-led work). TIA's TADF instrument caps awards at ZAR 1 million for deployment-stage projects; the Grassroots Innovation Programme offers up to ZAR 200,000 startup capital plus ZAR 60,000 per project year for early-stage innovators. Given the delivery-via-partner architecture, applicants should identify the relevant sub-program sector alignment first, then approach the appropriate delivery partner with a proposal that demonstrates South African technology development and a clear pathway to societal or economic benefit.