20 September 2007
South Africa's Minister of Science and Technology, Mosibudi Mangena, today
announced a second cohort of 51 research chairs in an initiative aimed at
invigorating research and human capital development in the country's National
System of Innovation (NSI).
The South African Research Chairs Initiative (Sarchi), launched in December
2006 with the announcement of 21 research chairs, is intended to boost research
capacity by attracting world-class researchers to South Africa.
Minister Mangena said that the Department of Science and Technology (DST)
and the National Research Foundation (NRF) had developed Sarchi to retain and
attract qualified research scientists, reverse the decline in the country's
research outputs, focus capacity at publicly-funded higher education
institutions, science councils and research institutions, and contribute to
stimulating strategic research across the knowledge spectrum.
The main aim of the initiative is to grow high-level research capital and
production capacity in the higher education sector, and of the 51 research
chairs established, 16 (i.e. 33 percent) are new in the South African higher
education sector.
Some candidates come from local industries and science councils, and others
from countries as diverse as Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, Germany, Sweden, United
Kingdom, Italy and the Netherlands.
The Minister said that the strategy to turn South Africa's brain drain to
brain gain was bearing fruits.
He added that, so far, 36 percent of the candidates appointed to research
chairs were black. The target was to have 60 percent of research chairs black
and 50 percent female.
It is envisaged that the programme, which has already been allocated R200
million, will produce 210 research chairs by 2010, developing targeted research
capacity in support of the National Research and Development Strategy and other
national initiatives.
"The 51 research chairs announced today are a remarkable achievement,
bearing in mind that the plan was to announce 35 research chairs at this stage
of the initiative," said Minister Mangena, as he praised the initiative's
success in delivering so much more and so much sooner than expected.
The NRF CEO and President, Professor Mzamo P Mangaliso, said Sarchi would
change the face of research in South Africa. "Our National System of Innovation
is a complex system that is relied upon to help South Africa compete in the
global knowledge economy, and Sarchi constitutes a positive impact on research
in the country."
He said interventions such as Sarchi and the Centres of Excellence would
steer, guide and shape the NSI's delivery on its objectives.
"The National Research Foundation is only too pleased to partner with the
Department of Science and Technology on this important initiative," added
Professor Mangaliso, acknowledging that while the establishment of 72 chairs
was a material step forward, establishing the remaining 138 would take hard
work.
Already, 59 Master of Science (MSc) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students
have received Department of Science and Technology-National Research Foundation
bursaries, and are studying under the guidance of the 21 research chairs
announced last year.
Research chairs have been awarded in disciplines as diverse as poverty and
inequality research, urban policy, customary law and indigenous values,
migration, language and social change, astrophysics and space science,
nanophotonics, and immunology of infectious diseases in Africa.
Sarchi's impact will be assessed through research performance outputs and
human capital development achievements, particularly as they relate to the
transformation of the country's scientific and technological workforce.
For media enquiries contact:
Celeste Tema
Media Liaison Officer
Department of Science and Technology
Tel: 012 843 6784
Cell: 083 399 0765
E-mail: celeste.tema@dst.gov.za
Maupi Monyemangene
Media Liaison Officer
National Research Foundation
Tel: 012 481 4068
Cell: 082 447 3232
E-mail: maupi@nrf.ac.za.
Issued by: Department of Science and Technology
20 September 2007
