Dr Jimmy Adegoke & ACCESS Delegation
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Briefing to the Portfolio Committee of the DST 17th August 2011 Presenter: Dr Jimmy Adegoke & ACCESS Delegation sci ence & technology Department: Science and Technology REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA An overview of the ACCESS Center of Excellence (CoE) • Background and context • ACCESS Purpose • ACCESS Goals • Integrated Portfolio Approach • Progress to date • Education and Training (e.g. Habitable Planet Workshops) • Research and Services (e.g. Southern Oceans Research) • A Grand Plan for a Grand Challenge (Resourcing ACCESS) •The role of the DST PC sci ence & technology Department: Science and Technology REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA What is ACCESS ? sci ence & technology Department: Unprecedented Collaboration Opportunity Science and Technology REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA Global Change Grand Challenge Architecture sci ence & technology Department: Science and Technology REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA Understanding a Reducing the Adapting the Innovation for changing planet Human way we live Sustainability Footprint 1. Observation, 1. Waste 1. Preparing for 1. Dynamics of transition monitoring and minimization rapid change at different scales - adaptive methods and and extreme mechanisms of management. technologies events innovation and 2. Dynamics of the 2. Conserving 2. Planning for learning oceans around biodiversity sustainable 2. Resilience and southern Africa. and urban capability 3. Dynamics of the ecosystems development 3. Options for greening complex internal services in a South the developmental earth system. 3. Institutional African state 4. Linking the land, integration to context 4. Technological the air, and the manage 3. Water security innovation for sea. ecosystems for South sustainable social- 5. Improving model and the Africa ecological systems. predictions at services they 4. Food and 5. Social Learning for different scales. offer fibre security sustainability, 4. Doing more for South adaptation, innovation sci ence with less Africa and resilience. & technology Department: Science and Technology REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA ACCESS PURPOSE ACCESS is an integrated and end-to-end research and education, services and training programme with outputs and outcomes related to the opportunities and challenges emanating from a varying and changing environment. Delivering a new scale of intervention in Earth Systems Science which will do justice to the globally unique opportunity that the southern African Earth system provides us with. ACCESS has been mandated to develop and implement a programme on a national and regional (and eventually continental) scale that will provide us with the means to address challenges and harness opportunities at this scale, as a means of producing a new generation of scientists and technically trained people for deployment in the knowledge economy. sci ence & technology Department: Science and Technology REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA ACCESS GOALS The paucity of appropriately trained people is the primary limitation to development & dealing with global change We recognize four obstacles to transforming the SET Education and training footprint in the country: interest and attraction to science, funding, preparedness of students and post-graduate supervisory capacity. ACCESS will address each of these challenges. ACCESS aims to make a significant contribution to changing the status quo and producing the people needed to tackle the Global Change Grand Challenges and exploit opportunities it offers in transforming our economy. This will take time, commitment and funding. With this mandate, ACCESS has developed the partnerships, the plan and the governance structures designed specifically to deliver on the GCGC vision. ACCESS aims to change the way science and education and training in ESS is done and to deliver not just the technical products for application in the economy, but the people to manage it. sci ence & technology Department: Science and Technology REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA ANAN AFRICANAFRICAN PERSPECTIVEPERSPECTIVE ONON GLOBALGLOBAL EARTHEARTH SYSTEMSYSTEM ISSUESISSUES Globally critical and poorly studied region (our region) in the global climate system sci ence & technology Department: Science and Technology REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA ACCESS Advisory Board CSIR (Hosts), ACCESS Director DST, NRF ACCESS Elective Members Secretariat • Director •Operations Manager •Education Manager ACCESS Steering Committee •Support Staff One vote per contracting institution Scientific Committee Education Committee Ad hoc Committee Ad hoc Committee sci ence & technology Department: Science and Technology REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA ACCESS BOARD Dr Anthony Nyong Ms Tasneem Essop Dr Anthony Nyong Dr Thulani Dlamini Dr Andrew Kaniki Prof John Field Prof Brian O’Connel Dr Linda Makuleni Dr Hassan Virji Dr Jimmy Adegoke Prof George Philander Mr Bheki Hadebe Mr Justin Ahanhanzo sci ence & technology Department: Science and Technology REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA 2010/11 Highlights & Achievements sci ence & technology Department: Science and Technology REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA ACCESS Portfolios sci ence & technology Department: Science and Technology REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRIC Transformation & Interventions A TransformationRe &s Interventionsearch & Services Portfolio E E d Sub d u u c ACCESS c a Thematic a t - t i Programmes i o o n n & & & & T T r r a a i i n n i i n n g g P P o o r r t t f f o o l l i i o o 20112011--20182018 PLANSPLANS && TARGETSTARGETS Within this initial phase of the ACCESS programme we aim to: • Produce a cohort of 300 M Sc graduates (3 cohorts of 100 Msc Students in 7 years, thereby doubling the number of Earth Systems MSc graduates currently produced) and 200 PhD graduates (2 cohorts of 100 PhD students in 7 years or which 50% will be trained internationally, thereby doubling the number of Earth Systems PhD graduates currently produced), • Reach a new and previous un‐accessed pool of undergraduates and put support in place for the development of young and emerging researchers (80% black South Africans) • This target will be the key means by which research and applications of ES knowledge will be generated and delivered and skilled ,broadly trained, work ready people developed . • Robust and active engagement of partners at Historically Black and rural Universities, and by augmenting existing or introducing new training programmes. sci ence & technology Department: Science and Technology REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA HIGHLIGHTSHIGHLIGHTS && ACHIEVEMENTACHIEVEMENT To date, 14 institutions and agencies have signed up for ACCESS and others are preparing to join. In summary, ACCESS has in the last two years: • Implemented a preliminary research programme • Funded 30 graduate students and put over 200 undergraduates through HPW • Implemented a career development programme at school level • Run several symposia and technical workshops • Implemented the first “Early Career workshop” with 20 young professionals • Implemented two international programmes (Japan & Norway) • Represented the Earth Systems Science community in several national and international forums and meetings • Produced several new publications • Formalised a governance systems and collaboration among several partners • Developed relationships with entities in the region & continent (e.g. , AfricaArray) • Developed the ACCESS Brand sci ence & technology Department: Science and Technology REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA Edgar Neluvhalani ACCESS EDUCATION AND TRAINING PORTFOLIO - National Planning Commission’s report “Skills acquisition is out of line with the needs of a modernising economy. Higher education institutions are not producing the number of skilled personnel that the economy requires” and “In- depth studies on factors that contribute to poor school outcomes for learners in South Africa [conclude that] learners possess inadequate subject knowledge and lack basic pedagogical ability, especially in subjects such as languages, science and mathematics”. sci ence & technology Department: Science and Technology REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA SUMMARY OF THE 2GCNRP HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY Contribution to NSI: D 450+ new scientists, Objective 1 C H increased access and & s retention; increased m e Public and private sector t s research and learning links & work integrated y S capacity for GC learning system g n ni innovations and (e.g. R&V Atlas & district r a Municipalities HCD) e resilience L l ia oc S ge Objective 2 n ha C l a Community‐ b based social lo G C learning & : a r r i e resilience e ha r C G I u H id C a R n A c S e sci encee 3 &i vtechnology ct je Department: b Science and TechnologyStrategic Partnerships to ensure that existing initiatives are leveraged O REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA Responding to the GCGC’s HCD Goals a sustainable human capital development system for global change research and knowledge development as part of the National System of Innovation by 2018 • Expand research and research supervision capacity for the Global Change National Research Plan Knowledge Challenges and ACCESS Research Themes • Increase access to, and graduation levels in Global Change study fields particularly at Masters and PhD level in the areas of Earth System Sciences and Sustainability. • Strengthen Global Change knowledge, capacity and social learning in the Human Capital Development pipeline. sci ence & technology Department: Science and Technology REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA ACCESS EDUCATION AND TRAINING PORTFOLIO A robust, creative, innovative and productive end-to-end Education & Training Portfolio: Implementing the scaffolding for the development of knowledgeable,