The East London Industrial Development Zone (ELIDZ), established in 2003, is a prime industrial park offering customised solutions for various industries including automotive, agro-processing and aquaculture. It offers growth-oriented companies a specialised manufacturing platform, innovative industrial and business solutions and access to new markets and strategic industry networks. With the aim of accelerating the pace of economic development of the region, a Science and Technology Park (STP) was conceptualised to coordinate innovation initiatives, encourage and support the start up and incubation of innovative, high growth knowledge and technology based businesses and to further foster development and application of high technology to industry.

Strategically the ELIDZ’s STP, aims to grow current tenants within the IDZ and to encourage new tenants to set up within the zone through the use of a number of innovative products and services. In essence this will be achieved through a dual process of establishing both research and networking infrastructures.

A range of laboratories are established to provide analytical testing facilities to the tenants of the ELIDZ as wel as the region at large. These laboratories include testing and analytical platforms,  provide high impact training facilities as well as  platforms and opportunities required to supply industry with a well-trained workforce. The laboratories will also be used in a range of research processes which will have been commissioned by government, tertiary institutions, ELIDZ tenants, the ELIDZ and/or private sector clients based on a broadly consulted research and innovation agenda.

This research and innovation agenda  stimulates economic growth within the Eastern Cape as it encourage innovators and their start-up companies  to locate themselves within ELIDZ where they will have access to various innovation funders.

The ELIDZ’s STP aims to facilitate creative, technical solutions to problems – to assist companies adopt innovative approaches in all their operations, whether it leads to new products and services, or a new improved version of an existing offering, through improved processes.

Interactive and attractive workspaces exist to aid in the creation of a functional  innovation ecology that not only allows for an effective and efficient exchange of ideas, but also results in the activation of a wide range of funding streams and joint partnerships which support innovation and commercialisation.

This dynamic and supporting environment is designed to enable innovators to focus on developing innovations, while incubation support services assist in ensuring that the commercial, legal and intellectual property dimensions of operations are taken care of.