BITRI targets SME-led technology commercialisation
Lewanika Timothy | Tuesday July 28, 2026 11:56
Providing an update during a recent strategic engagement with one of the local authorities, BITRI Acting Director of Research and Partnerships, Lesego Moribame, said the institute's commercialisation agenda is centred on ensuring research translates into economic activity, industrial development, and job creation.
“BITRI was established as a parastatal to develop technology-based solutions that address national priorities. Our mandate goes beyond research; we focus on real-world impact.”
Moribame said the institute's Technology Transfer Office (TTO), housed under the Department of Research and Partnerships, has become the primary vehicle for taking innovations to market through structured intellectual property management and business development.
BITRI officials revealed the entity was pursuing commercialisation in three pathways, the first being licensing, where the institute grants companies the rights to manufacture and commercialise technologies whilst retaining ownership and earning royalties that are reinvested into research and development. Priority is given to local SMEs through non-exclusive licensing arrangements.
The second model involves full technology transfer, where ownership of technologies is transferred to capable partners with the capacity to scale production commercially.
The third pathway focuses on establishing new ventures, with BITRI supporting spin-off companies and joint ventures to attract investment where suitable private sector partners are limited.
Supporting these efforts is BITRI Investments, the institute's wholly owned commercial subsidiary, which facilitates partnerships, supports market entry, and structures commercial transactions, including collaborations in battery metals processing.
Moribame said technologies are subjected to quality assurance through the Botswana Bureau of Standards (BOBS) and protected through patents, trademarks and other intellectual property mechanisms before entering the market.
Technology Transfer Business Specialist Matlhogonolo Mosweu highlighted several innovations that have progressed beyond the research phase and are now being positioned for wider commercial adoption.
Amongst them is the Seding LED Solar Light, an off-grid solar-powered lighting solution designed for residential, agricultural, and commercial applications.
BITRI has established assembly plants, including one in Kanye, whilst the latest Seding V2.5 model has been developed for local manufacturing and potential export markets as the institute seeks to expand local industrial participation in renewable energy technologies.
Mosweu also highlighted the institute's electric vehicle retrofitting plant in Kanye, where conventional petrol and diesel vehicles are converted into electric vehicles, a project aimed at developing local capabilities in green mobility technologies whilst reducing vehicle operating costs and emissions.
Beyond energy technologies, BITRI continues to commercialise innovations across specialty chemicals and advanced materials, including KSBB bricks, with commercial support extending beyond product development to include licensing, prototyping, technical training and business incubation for local enterprises.
The commercialisation drive comes as Botswana seeks to deepen economic diversification by increasing the contribution of knowledge-based industries and locally developed technologies to economic growth.