In the author's preface to the series The leading edge, Graham Addisson states "It was the extent and depth of local innovation that came as a surprise. Research took me into the further reaches of molecular biology and the nearer realities of data driven crime fighting. I made excursions to see chemical plants and community water projects. Everywhere there was enthusiasm for new ideas in the search for ways of making people’s lives better, easier, less costly, safer, and healthier."
The Department of Science and Technology has been engaged in a series of important processes since its inception. A core priority has been setting up the institutional and policy framework that will allow science and technology to play a full role in South Africa’s development. Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) is part of that agenda; it will provide South Africa with the means to derive maxim value from strategic exploitation of our innovation opportunities.
The agency sits alongside several important developments of the past five years. Our recognition that we can participate successfully in world class scientific endeavours, the repositioning of our department to address the variety of modernising strategies that needed attention, policy and funding to expand the intellectual capital of South Africa, recognition of indigenous knowledge as a national asset, repositioning of science councils and the adoption of an enabling legislative framework to support our ambitions in science, technology, and innovation.
The work done by Department of Science and Technology in the past has created a firm basis for supporting the work of TIA. The agency is therefore in the fortunate position of having an established foundation from which it will expand and accelerate success. The inclusion of the strategy and programme units of Department of Science and Technology in the agency places it on a sound foundation.
The Innovation Fund, the Biotechnology Innovation Centres (LIFElab, Cape Biotech, Plant Bio, BioPAD, and the National Bioinformatics Network), Tshumisano Trust, hydrogen strategy of South Africa, the advanced materials initiative and the advanced materials technology strategy are all valuable assets for the agency. The real challenge will probably be the fact that few South Africans have a full appreciation of the opportunities offered by innovation. The agency will have to alert South Africa to the possibilities and sanction popular support for creativity and inventiveness.
Public and government appreciation of innovation will require the agency to give attention to providing early successes. The board will have to develop rigorous criteria of project scrutiny in order to establish project viability and the potential for commercialisation. There are many people with ideas out there and many will come to TIA for funding you will need to be discerning in deciding on resource support.
The agency board is made up of very capable men and women, but I urge you to draw in expertise whenever necessary to ensure we maximise value. You will have the responsibility of advising the minister and the department on how we best achieve results. It will be vital for the agency not to act as a funding office but as a core part of securing strategic advantage for South Africa. This is early days, but the board will probably have to review our efforts too. Do our project choices have potential in the medium term or are they too avant gard for a country facing our challenges and resource inadequacies? These will be unwelcome questions, but if the board is worth its salt it will examine them.
All the literature on innovation suggests that in the 21st century innovators do not need to behave like the Stone Age men who accidentally discovered fire. Scientists and technologists can use existing knowledge and technology to generate new ideas and new products. You yourselves will have to become innovation fundis. Careful study of best practice will potentially yield useful insights.
Given the newness of your mandate and organisation you may need to consider a public information campaign directed at the general public and at universities and other key stakeholders. We need to assist all sectors to understand the potential value of technology and innovation. Imagine for the moment the potential that lies in information technology for solutions to quality education provision, or the possibility of using technology in the national examination system.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report on our innovation system emphasised the importance of the work the agency will promote and support. It also alluded to gaps we should debate far more. The report refers to the need for South Africa to recognise the potential of looking to knowledge based industries for future economic success, it also suggests a need for closer collaboration between the public and private sectors and raises mild concern as to whether our science councils understand their role as that of facilitators, or see themselves as resident scientists. TIA will have to ponder these views and encourage the development of a more enterprising perspective.
As the board knows, there are many science council and department-supported initiatives in South Africa. You may have to commission taxonomy of all initiatives that are underway in the various councils and perhaps explore how we can introduce coherence and co-ordination in this vital part of our economic and development activities.
The agency is being given an important set of obligations by government. Unlike many public agencies, you begin with a significant budget and potential business units that have enjoyed public support. The compact that we are proposing between the board and the ministry gives content to this collaboration. It sets out our expectations and allows the board to advice and report on the key objectives set out in the compact. You will be playing a key role in advancing our future economic success and creating a platform for using our intellectual resources to good effect.
We would like to thank each and every one of you for agreeing to serve on the board. We are all beneficiaries of the early fruits of our democracy; let us use the new spaces to encourage our technologists to achieve world success by making full use of the latent talent and opportunities that exist in South Africa.
Issued by: Department of Science and Technology
6 July 2009
