Address by the Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor MP, at the 42nd National Convention of the South African Chemical Institute (SACI), Elangeni Hotel, Durban
Prof. Bice Martincigh, Conference Chair and South African Chemical Institute President
Prof. Deogratius Jaganyi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal. (to be confirmed)
Prof. Ahmed Bawa, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Durban University of Technology
Dr Mary Kirchhoff, Education Division Director, American Chemical Society
Wesam Abu Saif, Regional Manager: Middle East and South Africa, Royal Society of Chemistry
Cllr James Nxumalo, Mayor eThekwini
The DST focuses research funding on five priority areas – or "grand challenges" – outlined in South Africa’s "Ten Year Innovation Plan" adopted in 2008.
The grand challenges relate to, one, our investment in biosciences for public health and food security; two, better understanding and mitigating the impact of global change; three, achieving energy security; four, optimally exploiting the potential of space science and technology; and five, using science and technology to fight poverty and exclusion in our society in transition.
The first challenge is to tap the potential of our bio-economy for our pharmaceutical industry. We have the world’s third-largest biodiversity resource base, and a solid foundation of expertise. We need a systematically managed product value chain to exploit these advantages for the establishment of a globally competitive pharmaceutical industry.
The second challenge is to build on our investment in space science and technology. The establishment of a National Space Agency will assist us to grow and manage, in a coordinated fashion, our satellite industry and a range of innovations in space sciences, earth observation, communications and navigation for socio-economic benefits.
The third challenge is to move towards the use of renewable energy. Today, every nation is grappling with the issue of energy supply and the possibilities of a green economy. The productive capabilities of emerging economies are dependent on a secure supply of safe, clean, and affordable energy. Working closely with industry, South Africa is exploring opportunities in clean coal technologies, nuclear energy, renewable energy and hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.
The fourth challenge is to play a leading, regional role in climate change. South Africa’s geographic position, unique biodiversity and a large base of expertise enables us to play a leading role in climate change science. We are positioned to serve as a unique laboratory, given our proximity to the Antarctic, the Southern Ocean, and the interactions between the Agulhas and Benguela currents. We plan to make a major contribution to understanding climate change, and offer modelled solutions to the world.
The fifth grand challenge is to increase South Africa’s ability to anticipate the complex consequences of change. It’s the challenge to understand the dynamics of human and social behaviour at all levels better. It’s a challenge to understand the cognitive and social structures that create and define change better. It’s a challenge to help people and organisations manage profound or rapid change better.
Those are the five challenges. To support them we have indigenous academic excellence in each and every one. South African universities are among the world's leading 1% of universities in several disciplines – clinical medicine, plant and animal science, social sciences, environment ecology, geosciences, and bio-chemistry. There is no advanced economic innovation without indigenous academic excellence in the same sector. And this is why we are committed to maintaining research excellence in our leading disciplines in our research-intensive universities.
South Africa spends more on R&D than ten years ago, but the sum is still less than 1% of GDP. The largest part is spent on engineering and technological sciences, and on the natural sciences (40% of total R&D expenditure; about 20% each), while expenditure on the health sciences is 15% of the total (about 0.15% of GDP). Most of the health share is spent on HIV, TB and malaria research. South African scientists have for years been at the forefront of the fight against infectious diseases such as HIV-Aids, malaria and tuberculosis. Internationally acclaimed work underway includes the development of a malaria drug and an HIV-Aids vaccine. Our goal is now to ensure our scientific excellence will translate into the development of South Africa’s own pharmaceutical industry, which will create jobs. A secret weapon in our life sciences arsenal with tremendous potential is our pioneering work in indigenous knowledge systems.
All the major areas of chemistry are under discussion at this conference - analytical chemistry, catalysis, chemical education, chromatography, crystallography, electrochemistry, environmental chemistry, green chemistry, industrial chemistry, inorganic chemistry, mass spectrometry, molecular modelling, molecular spectroscopy, nanotechnology, natural products, organic chemistry and physical chemistry.
I need hardly tell you - but it's worth repeating for the general public - that Chemistry is a cornerstone of science, technology and industry and plays an important role in national development. Many of the life-improving breakthroughs of the past in areas such as health and medicine, food and agriculture, transportation, clean energy sources, the environment, safe water supply, clothing, shelter, computer technology and many other facets of modern life, have been heavily dependent on the advances in chemical knowledge.
In regard to R&D-led industrial development, the DST focuses on chemical industries, technology localisation, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, mining and mineral beneficiation. Chemists play a central role in DST-funded focus areas such as the SARChI, CoE in Catalysis (C*Change), CoE in Strong Materials, Hydrogen South Africa (HySA), Fluorochemical Expansion Initiative (FEI), Advanced Metals Initiative (AMI), Titanium Centre of Competence (TiCoC), and others. The DST supports research and innovation in fluorspar beneficiation, titanium beneficiation, advanced metals, nanotechnology, advanced manufacturing, hydrogen and fuel cells, catalysis and strong materials, and others.
In regard to fluorine chemistry, South Africa has the world’s largest reserves of fluorspar (estimated at 41 million tons) followed by Mexico and China. Currently South Africa supplies around 10% of the fluoride requirements to the US$16 billion per annum global fluorochemicals industry, but captures less than 0.5% of this revenue. This is due to limited local beneficiation. The Fluorochemical Expansion Initiative (FEI) attempts to address this challenge through a dual strategy of intensive and focused technology development and commercialisation.
The key partners in the initiative are the DTI, DST and Pelchem SOC Ltd. The main technology development partners to the FEI R&D programme are Necsa and the SARChI Chairs in Fluoro-materials Science and Process Integration (Prof. Philip Crouse) and Fluorine Process Engineering and Separation Technology (Prof. Deresh Ramjugernath) at UP and UKZN, respectively.
The FEI programme is progressing well regarding its scientific outputs. FEI outputs for the 2012/13 and 2013/14 financial years include 63 published peer reviews articles, 60 papers presented at conferences, 26 internal Necsa research reports and seven patent applications and innovation disclosures. Seventeen postgraduate students (seven doctoral and 10 masters) deployed in the various FEI research areas have graduated.
A total of 57 students were conducting FEI-funded research in 2014. Twenty five of these received full or partial FEI bursaries. Eleven postgraduate students (five doctoral, five masters and one honours) deployed in the various FEI research areas graduated.
Better known to the general public is our hydrogen and fuel cell programme, which includes chemists, who have developed novel metal catalysts for fuel cells from the platinum group metals, with exciting opportunities for commercialisation.
While the fuel cell market is still in its infancy in South Africa, recent developments indicate a growing appetite for the technology. In order to promote further deployment of hydrogen fuel-cell technologies, especially in the lucrative automotive sector, public private partnerships are required to put in place the requisite infrastructure.
In this regard, the alignment of fuel cell initiatives across government is critical to stimulate private sector funding that is necessary to create a viable hydrogen and fuel cell technologies industry cluster.
I recently went to Japan to discuss their advanced fuel cell programme. In 2014 the Japanese government released its updated fuel cell and hydrogen roadmap. Japan has a vision of becoming a carbon-neutral, hydrogen-fuelled society by 2040. With Japan’s commitment to integrate hydrogen as a key fuel, there’s growing demand and political will to develop commercial-scale hydrogen infrastructure.
The issue of hydrogen distribution, from highly dispersed sources of production, is clearly one of the most pressing challenges of developing the ‘hydrogen economy’. Overall, both the fuel cell and hydrogen industries are set for increasing gains due to the renewed interest in control of emissions, energy efficiency and water use.
Human capital development is the key to the department’s aim to build a sustainable platform for technology innovation. The country needs thousands of talented and skilled researchers and technologists if South Africa is to achieve the ambitious goals for national growth.
The department funds basic research at universities and public entities, including science councils, so that they can train scientists, engineers and technologists and produce publications and patents.
Our flagship programme in this connection is SARChI. The SARChI establishes research professors in universities across the country through a grant of either R2,5 million or R1,5 million a year for a period of fifteen years. Its aim is to enable research professors to create world-class centres of research by undertaking frontier research themselves and by training a new school of researchers.
The SARChI programme began with 21 research professors in 2006 and has grown to 201 research professors in diverse disciplines across the natural sciences, engineering, humanities and social sciences. Nearly half of the 201 Chairs are women, an achievement reached when I announced 42 new female SARChI chairs in September 2015.
In closing I congratulate the recipients of various SACI awards with a special acknowledgement to the winners holding SARChI chairs: Prof. Leonard Barbour, Prof. Marques, Prof. Orde Munro, Prof. Bert Klumperman, and Emeritus Prof. Neil Coville.
