Innovation Fund calls indigenous knowledge-based product developers
Staff Writer | Tuesday February 21, 2023 06:00
The ultimate and desired outcome from the call is the introduction of the IK-based products and services into crucial markets whilst ensuring that there is benefit-sharing with the local communities from where the knowledge stems. According to a Botswana Digital and Innovation Hub (BDIH) press statement, the call focuses on grassroots innovations driven by communities, IK innovators, and social enterprises. “They will be supported through a co-creation approach with a focus on addressing pressing community challenges. Co-creation refers to a product or service design process in which input from customers plays a central role from beginning to end,” reads the press statement.
Out of this process, BDIH expects to see the innovations scale and realise commercial and social value with recognition apportioned to the knowledge holders' input. The call addressed food, nutrition, cosmetics, and traditional supplements. It will, however, not address any medical/health product-related claims that may require complete clinical trials or create a need for ethical issues to be addressed. The focus shall be on protecting Intellectual Property (IP), producing the product, and facilitating the commercial landing of the IK-based innovation. “Botswana has a wealth of indigenous knowledge entrenched in its people borne from cultural practices passed down from generation to generation. For many years products found in our natural environment and ecosystems have been exploited with great benefit to the local communities who have knowledge of where to source them and how to use them,” the statement read.
Furthermore, the BDIH statement reads that some of the products have been researched, packaged, and sold for commercial gain with little to no returns shared with the local communities. “In fact, there are some products based on local IK that now have designated IP rights residing in foreign countries and organisations.”