01 April 2019
The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) congratulates Dr Jan Rijn Zeevaart, Head of Radiochemistry, for obtaining two distinguished awards, the Top Intellectual Property Creator Award and The Marie Curie Award. He has been identified as the Necsa Top Intellectual Property Creator in terms of actionable disclosures made to the Office of Technology Transfer between the period 01 April 2011 to 31 March 2018.
Dr. Zeevaart acquired a monetary contribution of R605 000 for the Office of Technology Transfer at Necsa, to drive his technology (ies) from IP creation to innovation as a product, process or service with impact. He received this award from the Minister of Science & Technology Ms Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, hosted at the St Georges’ Hotel and Convention Centre, Pretoria, on 28 March 2019.
The Top Intellectual Creator Award is an initiative driven by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), as an incentive to encourage South African Intellectual Property (IP) creators at public research institutions to disclose IP to their institution’s Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) to protect any intellectual property before the research results are published. The awards ceremony is meant to recognise Top IP creators’ contribution to an innovation agenda intended to address the triple challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment and government outcomes like vibrant, equitable and sustainable rural communities and food security for all, or an efficient, competitive and responsive economic infrastructure network.
Dr Zeevaart was nominated for his (co)-authorship of more than ten Innovation Disclosures (IVD) as well as co-authorship of six of Necsa ‘s patent families, inside the specific period. These IVD’s and patents are in the field of radiopharmaceuticals and radiochemicals which aims to eventually provide new radioisotopes and new radiopharmaceuticals that can be commercially exploited by the Necsa group.
Dr Zeevaart also received a prestigious recognition, for the role he played as part of an international team that won the Marie Curie Award for best oral presentation, “Terbium-161 for PSMA-Targeted Radionuclide Therapy of Prostate Cancer” at the 31st Annual European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) conference held in Dusseldorf, in October 2018. The other team members are from distinguished European institutes such as; Paul Scherrer Institute – Switzerland, University of Zurich – Switzerland, University of Gothenburg,- Sweden and Insitut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, France.
Acting CEO of Necsa, Mr Don Robertson applauded Dr Zeevaart encouraging him to continue making inroads in the science sphere. Mr Robertson said, “I am assured that there will be more applications going forward in the future”.
Dr Zeevaart is grateful for being acknowledged with these two awards, and, with reference to the Marie Curie Award, said he wanted to personally acknowledge the assistance of his fellow Radiochemistry scientist, Ms. Lebogang Sepini, in making the Necsa contribution to this international team possible.
For More Information contact:
Nikelwa Tengimfene
General Manager: Corporate Communication & Stakeholder Relations
Tel: +27-12-305-4454
Fax: +27-12-305-4451
Cell: +27-82-574-5495
Email: Nikelwa.Tengimfene@necsa.co.za
Website: www.necsa.co.za