Chief Executive Officer of the CSIR, Dr Sibusiso Sibisi
Group Executive for Research & Development, Dr Molefi Motuku
Group Executive: Strategy Alliances & Communication, Dr Rachel Chikwamba
Members of the CSIR Board
Allow me to begin by thanking Dr Sibisi and his team for inviting me to attend this wonderful occasion. The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Excellence Awards are a fitting way to acknowledge and honour achievements without which the organisation’s strategy and sustainability cannot be ensured. Awards such as these not only help to drive performance and facilitate retention of key staff members, but serve as an inspiration to colleagues to achieve their goals. This celebration of top achievers highlights the important contribution made by science, engineering and technology in the improvement of the lives of others.
This year’s theme of Worth Recognising, Worth Celebrating demonstrates that the CSIR values its staff and their role in making the organisation a serious world competitor in its class. By bestowing these Excellence Awards on its employees, the CSIR shows that it does not take for granted the role and worth of people in driving organisations towards success. Acknowledgement such as that shown here today can do wonders in increasing the morale and energy levels of staff members, spurring them on to even greater heights.
While these awards recognise excellence, it is important that the outputs of this excellence are aligned with the ultimate goal behind using science, technology and innovation, which is to address real socio-economic challenges, to make a real difference in people’s lives, and to contribute to the building of increased research & development and innovation capacity for the country.
It is hugely encouraging to see how the CSIR consistently endeavours to synergise its priorities and visions with those of the Department of Science and Technology, and our government as a whole. The CSIR’s multi-disciplinary research in critical areas such as water, energy, health, environmental protection and food security, dovetails neatly with the vision of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), which is to “create a prosperous society that derives enduring and equitable benefits from science and technology”.
The CSIR has many attributes, but its main strength lies in its human capital base and the commitment of its employees to the organisation’s mandate to better the lives of all South Africans through directed and multi-disciplinary research and technological innovation. Over the years, the CSIR has played a significant role in applying science and technology in solving complex industrial problems, contributing to improved quality of life, as well as finding appropriate technological solutions to enhance government service delivery. The organisation can be credited with the development of many ground-breaking innovations in our country, which is why the DST is proud to have the CSIR as a partner in responding to the day-to-day challenges of our society, constantly mindful of the truism that the work done by scientific institutions is only meaningful in so far as it makes a practical difference to the lives of ordinary South Africans.
The CSIR continues to display a growing commitment and passion in this regard by making tangible solutions the driving force behind its research, development and implementation programmes. This commitment is critical in helping to shape our thinking on the national system of innovation we are building – a system that must not only be efficient in its outputs, but also enable us to redefine the social reality of our people with a view to improving their quality of life.
Many of the key breakthroughs, as highlighted in the CSIR 2012 Annual report, were achieved in partnership with my department and with its support. I would like to take a brief look at a few of these breakthroughs.
- Several South African foundries have reported improved process efficiency and productivity following their participation in the Technology Assistance Package, one of my department’s programmes. The CSIR was closely involved in the implementation of the programme. The Technology Assistance Package programme, which unfolded in two phases, was designed to assist local foundry companies to participate in Eskom and Transnet’s competitive supplier development programmes. For the first phase, a team made up of experts at the CSIR, the Department of Science and Technology, the National Foundry Technology Network and Mintek visited the foundries to identify specific technology needs. The second phase involved the implementation of technology solutions for the needs that were identified during the visits.
- A Biocomposites Centre of Competence was created as a catalyst to unlock the potential of this industry. The potential annual earnings of a fully developed biocomposites industry could exceed R2 billion per annum for final, manufactured products. The CSIR has also made a significant investment in fibres and biocomposites research and infrastructure at its Port Elizabeth campus, with the DST investing around R11 million, by way of new equipment to complement this research.
- As you know, our country is blessed with an abundant resource of titanium, an important ingredient in the manufacture of the plates in fuel cells. Through the Titanium Centre of Competence, the CSIR and a number of partners are developing a range of technologies that will act as building blocks towards the establishment of a viable titanium industry in South African, including the production of titanium in metal powder form, a novel technology developed by the CSIR.
Further downstream technology development activities in this field include new hybrid materials, using titanium, for the aerospace and defence industries. Early last year we also launched the titanium additive manufacturing project, started Phase 2 of the Aerosud Innovation Centre, and with our growing capabilities in areas such as high-speed titanium machining, our country will be able to produce high value components for global aircraft manufacturers such as Airbus. We are rapidly advancing towards our objective of having, by the year 2020, a highly competitive new industry built around titanium, translating into thousands of job opportunities.
- Time Magazine has listed the Digital Drum, which is a CSIR and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) co-creation, one of the 50 top inventions of 2011. The Digital Drum is two computer work stations housed adjacent to one another in an oil drum kiosk. It is designed to give people access to relevant information on various topics including health and education. The concept is taken from the CSIR's Digital Doorway, an initiative funded by the DST. It is a robust stand-alone computer system aimed at promoting self-learning in computer literacy.
- The CSIR’s nanomedicine research programme was awarded the status of Centre of Excellence in health innovation by the African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation. This programme focuses on using nanotechnology for the repackaging of already existing medicines for poverty-related diseases such as tuberculosis, in order to increase effectiveness of these medicines.
- In collaboration with the DST, the CSIR has developed a new freshwater ecosystem water atlas, showing us which rivers and wetlands need to be kept in a natural condition. The atlas content summarises the data and on-the-ground knowledge of the freshwater ecological community in South Africa, representing over 1 000 person years of collective experience. It contains 19 priority area maps – one for each water management area in South Africa.
- CSIR innovation in design and technology, together with funding from the DST, has also resulted in the development of improved low-income homes, with more than 400 community members at Kleinmond in the Western Cape having received these standard-sized, government-subsidised houses in December last year. The local contractor on this project subsequently won a special merit award from the Southern African Housing Foundation.
- The DST, in partnership with the CSIR Meraka Institute, has developed a long-term ICT R&D and innovation implementation roadmap. The goal of this roadmap is to strengthen the local ICT R&D and innovation ecosystem that will enable growth and development of the Information and communications technology (ICT) industry in the country. Through intense consultations with all stakeholders and experts, nation-wide workshops and desktop research, the ICT RDI Roadmap has now matured into a practical framework and guideline for South Africa’s future investment in ICT R&D and innovation.
The South African government continues to provide resources in support of scientific research partnerships. Our eight science councils are all engaged in technology transfer and capacity-building by undertaking research for social, scientific and technological development – development that leads to an improvement in living standards for all South Africans.
I know that you are anxious to know the names of the award-winners. While my heartiest congratulations go to all the winners, I would also like to congratulate those who will not be receiving awards today. The quality of a winner is largely influenced and shaped by those who did not win.
May all of you at the CSIR continue on your path of excellence, and be ever bolder in your response to addressing national socio-economic priorities through science and technology. As you do so, you would do well to bear in mind what the American biochemist Albert Szent-Gvörgi had to say about research: “Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.”
Thank you.
