SPII (Support Programme for Industrial Innovation)

SPII (Support Programme for Industrial Innovation)

Supports South African firms through shared innovation grants for measurable impact.

The Support Programme for Industrial Innovation (SPII), administered by South Africa's Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), provides cost-sharing grants to South African-registered companies developing innovative products or processes. The program targets the phase from the conclusion of basic research through to a pre-production prototype, supporting activities that involve significant technological advancement. SPII accepts rolling applications year-round with no fixed deadline. Two distinct grant schemes are available: the Product Process Development (PPD) Scheme, which carries a maximum award of ZAR 2,000,000, and the Matching Scheme, which carries a maximum of ZAR 5,000,000.

Grant share under both schemes scales with Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) ownership level. Under the PPD Scheme, companies with 0–25% BEE ownership receive 50% of qualifying costs; those with 25.1–50% BEE ownership (or more than 50% women/disability ownership) receive 75%; and companies with more than 50% BEE ownership receive 85%. Under the Matching Scheme the equivalent tiers are 50%, 65%, and 75%. Qualifying costs include personnel, materials, capital items, specialized software, subcontracting, testing, and patent costs. Eligibility is restricted to South African-registered for-profit companies; IP must be held by the SA applicant entity, not a foreign parent, and development and production must remain in South Africa throughout the project. A company may not hold simultaneous SPII applications.

Applications are submitted to the dtic via spiienquiries@thedti.gov.za (enquiries) and spiiapplications@thedti.gov.za (formal submissions). The strongest applications document a clear technological advancement over the current state of the art, a credible development plan with milestone deliverables, and a realistic budget tied to qualifying cost categories. Higher B-BBEE ownership levels significantly improve the grant share, making ownership structure a material factor in financial planning before application.