The Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor, has approved that the Department of Science and Technology (DST) support the research programme at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) with a grant of R6 526 million over three years.
Established in 2000, STIAS is the only multidisciplinary think-tank for advanced study in Africa. The Institute also focuses on nurturing and retaining the intellectual leadership of Africa. It attracts leading international scholars and researchers to Africa. For example, the 2002 Nobel laureate for medicine, Prof. Sydney Brenner, has been a visiting fellow at STIAS since 2005.
The funds from the department will be administered by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa, whose mandate includes supporting and promoting world class research at universities through funding.
The allocation will be made over three years, starting in 2011.
The funding announcement follows the Minister’s February 2010 visit to STIAS, during which she expressed her appreciation of its research programme, which places particular emphasis on multidisciplinary projects. She emphasised the importance of maintaining the independence of the "creative space for the mind" provided by STIAS.
The DST and the NRF believes it is important to expand the reach of STIAS’ opportunities to include a greater number of leading researchers, especially those from the rest of Africa and the Diaspora. These research fellows could be recruited as leading researchers in the National System of Innovation, which would assist Africa to retain its intellectual capital.
Support for STIAS would complement some of the department’s other initiatives, such as the Africa Institute for Mathematical Sciences, the African Laser Centre, the Southern African Network for Biosciences and the newly launched African Doctoral Academy.
Enquiries:
Lunga Ngqengelele
Cell: 082 566 0446
Thabiso Nkone
Cell: 083 494 2322
Source: Department of Science and Technology
Department of Science and Technology commits over 6 million rand for advanced research
