Yesterday was a historic day for South Africa’s National System of Innovation (NSI).
In a prestigious event held at the National Research Foundation (NRF), the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Blade Nzimande launched a staggering 41 new Research Chairs.
The South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) was established in 2006 by the Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI).
This initiative aims to attract and retain excellence in research and innovation at South African public universities through establishing Research Chairs with a long-term investment trajectory of up to 15 years.
The newly unveiled cohort of Research Chairs are deliberately aligned to the priority areas of the DSTI's Decadal Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation (2022-2032) and represent a deliberate shift towards building equitable research capacity, enhance excellence, and broaden impact across the country's public universities.
Highlighting the strategic importance of the launch of these new Research Chairs, Minister Nzimande stated that “It pleases me to state that these Research Chairs have been deliberately awarded to our Historically Disadvantaged Institutions (HDIs), Universities of Technology (UoTs), and our new universities such as Sol Plaatje University, which is being awarded a Research Chair for the first time in its history.”
Highlighting the progress that has been made since the establishment of the Research Chairs initiative in 2006, Minister Nzimande indicated that “To date, we have awarded a total of 331 Research Chairs, with over 200 currently operational. These Chairs have been instrumental in moving the needle on our PhD production- helping us reach a point where 52.5% of our permanent academic staff now hold doctoral degrees.”
“As you may be aware, historically, Research Chairs were concentrated at a handful of research-intensive and mainly previously advantaged universities. Today’s event signals a deliberate change of this disparity. By awarding 32 of these 41 chairs to Black researchers, we are not just changing who does research; we are also changing where that research is done and for whom.” added the Minister.
Minister Nzimande also made a strong call for public universities to produce knowledge that responds to national priorities by emphasising that “While our traditional universities may focus on discovery-led research. So, whether you are researching Just Energy Transition, Green Hydrogen, or Data Science, your work must be socially responsive. Your research must provide evidence-based solutions for food security, water sanitation, and energy challenges in the communities that surround your campuses.
“We expect our Chairholders to work together to solve the "wicked problems" of our era-structural poverty, spatial segregation, and the impacts of climate change and as important as publishing in journals may be, as the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, I am tired of seeing research that only ends up in journal articles, but never reaches a rural clinic, a local farm or translates into an innovation.”
Enquiries:
Mr. Veli Mbele
Media Liaison Officer and Spokesperson to the Minister
Cell: 064 615 0644
E-mail: Veli.Mbele@dsti.gov.za
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