New centres of excellence to advance interdisciplinary research
The Minister of Science and Technology, Derek Hanekom, has approved the establishment of an additional five new centres of excellence (CoEs) to promote collaborative and interdisciplinary research among research-performing institutions, and to provide high-end skills development in priority research areas.
The new CoEs bring to 14 the total number of centres established since 2004 by the Department of Science and Technology and the National Research Foundation.
The CoEs take the lead in researching various areas of national interest and are designed to accelerate the delivery of appropriate human resources and knowledge capacity, as well as to enhance the international competitiveness of South African research in pursuit of research excellence and capacity development.
South Africa's CoEs are training the next generation of South Africans to have the skills and knowledge that will make South Africa a leading knowledge-based economy. This intervention also supports the National Development Plan, which calls for an ambitious expansion of the South African science and technology system.
Announcing the five new centres, Minister Hanekom said: "The new CoEs will contribute to South Africa's knowledge-generation capacity, increase the number of world-class researchers, and attract and retain research excellence."
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Research Foundation, Dr Albert van Jaarsveld, said: "After a thorough and comprehensive selection process that interrogated the capacity of applicant institutions and the research record of each proposed director, we are excited at the establishment of five additional CoEs. Along with the existing CoEs, these five CoEs will ensure that relevant knowledge and necessary human capacity are developed in research areas that are of importance to the economic life of the country and sustained wellbeing of South Africans."
The new CoEs, which will be hosted by various higher education institutions, will cover the following thematic areas:
(i) Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (University of the Witwatersrand).
(ii) Scientometrics (the study of measuring and analysing science research) and Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Policy (Stellenbosch University).
(iii) Food Security (University of the Western Cape and University of Pretoria).
(iv) Child Development and Livelihoods (University of the Witwatersrand and the University of KwaZulu-Natal).
(v) Mineral and Energy Resource Analysis (University of Johannesburg).
The CoE for Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, to be hosted by the University of the Witwatersrand, will focus on two themes reflecting the pure and applied nature of the mathematical sciences. These themes are: mathematics paradigms for the Earth and the environment and mathematical, statistical and computational modelling of the Earth and the environment.
The second CoE, for Scientometrics and STI Policy, will be hosted by Stellenbosch University and is aimed at increasing the efficiency of the country's use of its knowledge resources by advancing the production of high-quality, research-based evidence on the impact of South African science and technology, in order to improve decision making for the national science system.
Co-hosted by the University of the Western Cape and the University of Pretoria, the CoE for Food Security was established in the context of a changing food system facing ecological, social, economic and physical challenges. Experts will pool their knowledge to help improve access to sustainable and sufficient amounts of nutritious food for poor, vulnerable and marginalised populations. The centre's research will inform and identify science-based programme interventions and policy mechanisms to overcome food insecurity and ensure sound nutrition for all South Africans.
The co-hosted Centre of Excellence in Child Development and Livelihoods of the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of KwaZulu-Natal will focus on increasing the country's understanding of its child development and livelihood challenges and on finding cost-effective interventions to overcome these challenges and give children a better start in life.
The centre will bring together research expertise in the social sciences, humanities and health sciences, specifically in the areas of economics, sociology, social policy, health and HIV/Aids, in order to improve decision-makers' understanding of the conditions, dynamics and efficacy of policies among socially and economically marginalised societies in South Africa, Southern Africa and the rest of the developing world.
The CoE for Mineral and Energy Resource Analysis, hosted by the University of Johannesburg, will integrate leading academic research with strategic applications in wealth generation and human resource development, not only in South Africa, but also in the rest of Africa. This approach will ensure proper alignment of activities with the South African Government's strategic focus on mineral and fossil fuel resources. This is the first CoE to be hosted by the University of Johannesburg.
For more information contact:
Department of Science and Technology
Tommy Makhode
E-mail: tommy.makhode@dst.gov.za
Cell: 082 379 8268
National Research Foundation
Thabiso Nkone
E-mail: thabiso.nkone@nrf.ac.za
Cell: 083 494 2322
About Centres of Excellence
Centres of Excellence (CoEs) are physical or virtual centres of research that concentrate existing capacity and resources to enable researchers to collaborate across disciplines and institutions on long-term projects that are locally relevant and internationally competitive, in order to enhance the pursuit of research excellence and capacity development. CoEs have become common research-funding instruments, having been established in several countries, including Australia, Canada and the United States of America. In 2004, following consultations with experts from various countries, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the National Research Foundation (NRF) developed a CoE Programme Framework document, or guide, for the establishment of CoEs.
The DST-NRF CoE Programme was launched in 2004, focusing primarily on South Africa. At the same time, the NRF actively pursued collaboration through bilateral and multilateral initiatives aimed at developing and linking into similar CoEs across the African continent, as well as with similar initiatives linked to capacity building through north-south collaborative ventures.
The five new CoEs join nine CoEs which have already been established and focus their research on the following: Birds as Key to Biodiversity; Catalysis; Biomedical Tuberculosis Research; Invasion Biology; Tree Health Biotechnology; Strong Materials; Climate and Earth Systems; Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis; and Palaeosciences.
