Science and Technology
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18 Science and technology The Department of Science and Technology aims to Some funds allocated to science councils were realise the full potential of science and technology earmarked to address specific South African (S&T) in social and economic development, through problems. The funding of science councils has been the development of human resources (HR), substantially reformed: core funding through research and innovation. parliamentary grants is complemented by The intellectual framework for policy is the allocations through a competitive bidding process National System of Innovation (NSI), in which from the Innovation Fund (IF). The IF applies three a set of functioning institutions, organisations, major criteria when making its selections: individuals and policies interact in pursuit of a competitiveness, quality of life and environmental common set of social and economic goals. sustainability. The department’s budget over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) has seen an Innovation Fund increase of 26%, most of which will fund new The IF was created to promote technological scientific research infrastructure such as the innovation; increased networking and cross- Centre for High Performance Computing (CHPC). sectoral collaboration; and competitiveness, quality of life, environmental sustainability and the National System of Innovation harnessing of information technology (IT). The NSI focuses on the role of technology in The National Research Foundation (NRF) claims economic growth and supports innovation and a management and administration fee from the technology diffusion. Since 1994, institutions such allocated budget for support services rendered. as the National Advisory Council on Innovation The IF’s strategic objectives include creating (NACI) have been established to advise the Minister a knowledge base in key technology and eco- of Science and Technology on policy and the nomic sectors; facilitating the exploitation and allocation of funding. commercialisation of research and development 479 (R&D) results from the existing knowledge base; Astronomy investing in technological innovations that will South Africa has been shortlisted as one of two benefit South Africa; and supporting historically possible sites for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). disadvantaged individuals. The IF enables the A final decision in this regard is expected in 2008. expansion and migration of existing industries to The SKA will be the biggest telescope ever built, new value-added areas, and the establishment of the only one of its kind worldwide, and the only R&D-intensive industries. It fosters the instrument able to solve the most basic questions establishment and growth of technology-based of the origin of the Universe and the birth and small enterprises. evolution of stars and galaxies. It will investigate the origin of magnetism in the Universe and will be Promoting niche areas the most powerful instrument ever to search for Space science extraterrestrial intelligence. South Africa has assembled a team to build the The department’s efforts in space science focus on Karoo Array Telescope (Kat), which will be equal to developing the region as a hub for astronomy and about 1% of the SKA. The Kat team and researchers space S&T. Through the Astronomy Geographical in the UK, the Netherlands, Australia and the USA Advantage Programme, South Africa continues to are developing digital signal processing for the promote high-technology investment in space telescope, as well as software and innovative science to ensure that local researchers and telescope antennas, using composites. students are able to participate at the cutting edge The SKA/Kat office was expected to host a major of international astronomy. A key result was the international workshop in December 2006 on wide- launch of the Southern African Large Telescope field imaging and calibration, which is a key (Salt) in November 2005, in Sutherland in the technology for the SKA, and which pushes the Northern Cape. boundaries on high-speed computing and software. Salt is a multimillion rand project involving The SKA and Kat projects are important for Germany, Poland, the United States of America developing high-level skills and expertise in South (USA), New Zealand and the United Kingdom (UK). Africa. The Department of Science and Technology Salt is the largest single optical telescope in the has provided funding for graduate study associated southern hemisphere. with these projects. By mid-2006, there were 480 20 students participating in this programme, Initiative. Research related to agriculture, human carrying out research for PhD and MSc degrees at and animal health, environment and industry is South African universities, as well as two being prioritised. postdoctoral fellows. The National Biotechnology Strategy (NBS), Related to the country’s bid to host the SKA, which was launched in 2001, sets the agenda for a bursary programme provided the first the development of South Africa’s biotechnology 12 postgraduate recipients with funding in 2004/05. industry. A further 11 recipients were identified for 2006. Other initiatives include the establishment This programme is being extended to South Africa’s of biotechnology regional innovation centres (Brics), partners in the bid – Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, namely: BioPAD, Cape Biotech, LIFElab and the Plant Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique and Namibia. Biotechnology Innovation Centre (PlantBio). Brics were created as instruments for implementing the Biotechnology NBS. Their focus areas cover a wide spectrum of the The 1996 White Paper on Science and Technology subdisciplines in biotechnology. These include set the course for transforming South Africa’s S&T human and animal health, biopharmaceuticals, system into a better co-ordinated and inclusive industrial bioprocessing, mining biotechnology, system aimed at benefiting all South Africans. bioinformatics and plant biotechnology. One of the The biotechnology sector is attracting a fast- challenges facing the South African biotechnology growing portion of R&D funding. Funding for sector is the public’s lack of understanding and genetic engineering grew by 360% between knowledge of biotechnology applications and 2002 and 2004. Investment growth in the related benefits. fields of biochemistry, genetics and molecular Another programme initiated as a result of the biology, microbiology, genetic engineering and NBS is the Public Understanding of Biotechnology biotechnology exceeded 46%. Programme, which provides the South African The Department of Science and Technology is public with information, enabling them to also committed to developing biotechnology in participate meaningfully in debates about Africa. In August 2005, the Council for Scientific biotechnology and to make informed decisions. and Industrial Research (CSIR) initiated a southern The implementation of the NBS has seen the regional hub of the New Partnership for Africa’s development of the National Bio-Informatics Development (Nepad) African Biosciences Network (NBN) in eight universities, investing in technology R&D, infrastructure and teaching. In 2005, 71 students (51% of whom are women and 34% of whom are black) received training in In February 2006, the Department of Science biotechnology-related subjects. and Technology allocated R11 million to the South African Malaria Initiative (Sami). Policy and initiatives Sami was initiated in 2005 by the African Centre South African Research Chairs Initiative for Gene Technologies, a joint venture between (Sarchi) the universities of Pretoria and the Witwatersrand, as well as the Council for The Sarchi is a strategic national structural Scientific and Industrial Research. intervention geared towards creating a coherent and national research and innovation system. The The aim is to encourage collaboration between initiative is aimed at attracting and retaining qualified various local malaria researchers and to establish networks with other key players on the researchers to the Higher Education (HE) sector to African continent. reverse the country’s decline in research output and capacity at publicly funded institutions. It is Sami’s research will focus on drug discovery envisaged that this programme, which has already and pre-clinical development of novel potential anti-malarial compounds, new and improved received R200 million, will produce 210 research diagnostics and molecular epidemiology and chairs by 2010, with the potential to develop targeted parasite-vector interactions. research capacity in support of the National Research and Development Strategy (NRDS). 481 National Research and Development Strategy state-of-the-art resourced venue aimed at Science and technology The NRDS focuses on three broad areas: promoting innovative design, product development • Innovation, primarily through technology and process technologies for crafters and missions: The emphasis is on technological designers. innovation, demonstrating technology, incubating The Cape Craft and Design Institute (CCDI) new technology-based businesses and enhancing spearheaded the creation of the centre, together networks of knowledge workers and organisations with the Western Cape Provincial Government and in specific areas of technology. the AMTS. • Strengthening science, engineering and The Centre for Innovation incorporates a technology (SET), HR and transformation: The fabrication laboratory, sponsored by the emphasis is on establishing centres of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. excellence