Bottlenecks & Successes to Commercialization: The SRC Experience

1. Bottlenecks & Successes to Commercialization: The SRC Experience Roselyn Fisher General Manager, Marketech Ltd. (SRC Subsidiary) Nov. 8, 2012

2. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, Teach him to how to fish and you feed him for life “

3. What Is Commercialization? • Enabling enterprise through technology transfer • Utilization of STI to establish business on a commercial level

4. Role of SRC contd. • Adaptation of existing technologies – to make appropriate to local landscape • Execute R&D to optimize processes develop technologies • Provide technical assistance – formulations, new product development and standardization, training

5. Role of Marketech • Identification of stakeholders • Engaging Investors – current & potential • Package technologies – requisite business information • Develop creative & innovative strategies to: • Create awareness of technologies • Market technologies to enable technology transfer for commercialization • Provide business support – market research, packaging, B2B and B2C linkages • Public Relations

6. Collectively – Marketech & SRC • Empower - individuals, organizations, communities and the nation at large through the successful commercialization of technologies to impact wealth creation.

7. Bottle Necks/ Challenges • Public perception & Buy-in e.g. Government agencies are inefficient; provides substandard services… timeliness in delivery • Reluctance to adapt to new technologies • Cost of service - SRC use to transfer technology freely as it used to be fully funded. However Govt. agencies have to supplement budget.

8. Bottlenecks/ Challenges • Inadequate infrastructure - factories need retooling ; SRC food pilot plant too small to meet customer demand for variety and quantity which are impacted by available resources e.g . equipment needs to be upgraded for efficiency and increased capacity. • lack of access to agro-processing facilities -

9. Bottlenecks/ Challenges Sorrel – • Creating linkages with industry to execute co-packing arrangements. • SRC would produce the sorrel extract and send it to an established manufacturer that has capacity to produce and package the sorrel products – squash and chutney. Establishing overseas contacts

10. Bottlenecks/ Challenges • Processing facilities sometimes are too small to allow for economies of scale produce quantities • Hesitancy by investors to commercialize technology – low risk takers

11. Bottlenecks/ Challenges • Funding :Lack of financial resources; difficulty in qualifying for financial funding – lack of collaterals • Co-packing arrangements - Some factory owners do not want to share factory space, even with excess capacity • Accessing raw material on a sustained basis – quality ad quantity. Business need reliable sources. • High cost of energy • Transportation cost – too far from resource base • Persons need to be more business like and not see it as “trying a thing”

12. Bottlenecks/ Challenges • Factories not HACCP certified preventing export to US • Bureaucracy – too many places to interface with to get business on the road

13. Bottlenecks/ Challenges • Distrust - Persons not interested in equity partnership; do it alone approach • Persons not embracing competition • Inadequate market information. more available on the international market than the local • Culture – “watch & see”

14. OPPORTUNITIES Contd. • To grow the economy by impacting MSMEs • Support commercialization through technology transfer • To provide market information; track market trends and impact R&D activities • SRC has a team of professionals with local and international experience. • Trained team of HACCP consultants to guide production of safe food.

15. Opportunities contd. • Offer safe processes – compliance with regulators • Technical Support - New product development and product standardization • Development of novel products • Stimulate export • Food safety awareness • Employment creation and income generation • Support brand Jamaica appeal

16. Food Technology

17. Some Commercialization Successes • Establishment of a local sorrel industry in …….year. The industry now has over 13 products on the market. • Establishing of local lemongrass market

18. Some Commercialization Successes (contd) • Anaerobic Technology - The adaptation of European technology to suit the Jamaican landscape, resulting in SRC earning a patent for the BST. SRC has commissioned over 500 systems islandwide to treat industrial, farm and municipal waste.

19. UASB under construction at SRC

20. Some Commercialization Successes • Tissue Culture – provided training, technical support and healthy planting material to farmers • Transfer Technology – BECO –utilize tissue culture to grow banana plants; CASE

21. Initiation

22. Commercialization Successes contd. • Many companies have successfully commercialized their products with the assistance of SRC: • Belcour Preserves – jam; mustard; sauces • Lemongrass Drink - Dash; Natural Grown • Linstead Market – soups • Tropical Choice • Annilu – fruit cake mix • Premium Blue – coffee rum punch • Spiritz – rum punch • Southern Processors – canned products • Grace – Pepper, Chillin – Sorrel water

23. Successful Commercialization of technologies augers well for the entrepreneur and nation at large

24. THANK YOU roselynf@src-jamaica.org Tel: (876)977-2192