The inaugural networking event for LES South Africa, Lifesciences Committee was held at Workshop17 in Cape Town on 3 October 2019. The theme for the event was “The ecosystem of technology transfer and commercialisation in the life sciences within the context of open innovation”. The event took the format of a series of presentations from different stakeholders in the ecosystem; representing the universities, start-ups, incubators, and VC funders, followed by some lively discussion on the challenges and opportunities for open innovation in South Africa in the public-private partnership space