Minister Pandor's speech at the SA-Norway science week opening ceremony, Innovation Hub, Pretoria
Let me start by extending a warm welcome to all of you, and in particular to our Norwegian guests.
The SA-Norway Science Week not only strengthens our bilateral partnership but also helps us to consider the multitude of global challenges - rising poverty and inequality, increased demand for energy, the global financial and food crises - that need innovative solutions.
International cooperation and benchmarking provide important platforms for understanding and promoting the contribution of science and technology to economic development, especially in a global post-industrial, knowledge-based economy whose principal imperative must be to enhance sustainability and green growth.
One of the major sources of economic growth and job creation that is often overlooked by developing countries is international cooperation in renewable-energy technologies. Not only does it present opportunities for to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it also presents new opportunities for technology transfer and innovation to enhance developing countries’ technological capability to create new renewable energy industrial clusters.
By facilitating the creation of a new renewable energy industry, the South African Government is helping to create more wealth and jobs, also for our international partners. It is an area where I think South Africa and Norway can intensify our cooperation. With 99% of electricity production in Norway coming from hydropower plants, renewable energy is an area where Norway has important expertise, as evidenced by its role as one of the world’s largest producers of silicon solar cells.
Arising from the strong bilateral cooperation between our two countries, today we have an opportunity to reinforce the scientific collaboration and partnership between our countries.
Therefore, during the Norway-South African science week, we seek to create an environment in which our countries will be able to:
- intensify awareness of the S&T partnerships between our two countries;
- increase the joint ventures between our countries;
- establish a platform to expand and deepen bilateral science, technology and innovation cooperation;
- popularise science and technology among the young people of Norway and South Africa;
- increase publicity of South Africa and Norway as key locations of innovation among strong research-based companies in both countries.
It is my hope that the abundance of exciting activities on show this week will not only enhance our Norwegian’ partners’ knowledge of South Africa’s science and technology initiatives, but will also give you the opportunity to get an idea of our country’s rich cultural diversity.
South Africa and Norway are part of ERAfrica, which aims to create a European Research Area Network (ERA-NET) for the African continent. South Africa has also been an active partner of CAAST-Net and, as of 2013, CAAST-NET Plus, which is an FP7-funded consortium of 26 African and European partners dedicated to advancing bi-regional cooperation in science and technology.
In addition, the DST recently signed the Partnership Agreement between EUREKA and South Africa in June 2014 in Bergen, under the chairmanship of Norway.
Both South Africa and Norway attach great importance to the opportunities offered by the Horizon 2020 programme in the EU. We encourage researchers to seek collaborative partnerships in order to submit joint research proposals in response to the various EU H2020 research funding opportunities.
This week the emphasis is on the blue economy.
We have much to learn from Norway about how best to undertake research in the Arctic and Antarctic.
Moreover, the South African coastal and marine environment is one our most important assets. It plays the major role in regulating our climate, has tremendous natural biodiversity and supports numerous communities through fisheries, tourism and mining.
Yet the marine environment is the most threatened of all on earth at this point in time. Marine resources are under increasing stress and pressures from a wide range of human activities, including offshore drilling and oil spills. And global warming is affecting the marine environment with sometimes devastating consequences for people.
South Africa and Norway have an existing impressive portfolio of science and technology partnerships to advance the blue economy. For example, we are both members of the new international “Martera” platform, which will support collaboration in the domain of maritime and marine technologies. Another example is the EU Horizon 2020 project “Ecopotential”, where South Africa and Norway are leading the work to leverage Earth observation to improve marine ecosystem services to society. We are also partners in the “Atlantos” project seeking to develop an integrated Atlantic Ocean Observing System.
As a government, we place great value in forging mutually beneficial partnerships with other governments and institutions across the world. When the young democratic South Africa first entered the world of international scientific cooperation now more than 20 years ago, the partnership with Norway was one of the first and the most generous to be concluded. Over the years, our cooperation has made an important difference in building science, technology and innovation capacities in South Africa.
Our collaboration with Norway is among our most valued partnerships, and I hope that it grows from strength to strength, building on the historic support, for which we remain most grateful, which the people of Norway provided South Africans, in their fight against apartheid. We should continue to join forces in addressing the challenges of the 21st century.
I thank you.
