Minister Pandor's speech at the launch of a research and innovation week at the Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) Seme Hall, Hilton Hotel,Durban.
Prof. Mashupye Kgaphola, Vice-Chancellor & Principal, MUT
Members of MUT
Ladies and gentlemen; friends and colleagues
I would like to thank Prof. Mashupye Kgaphola for inviting me to address you all today.
It is a pleasure to speak at an event exhibiting the research of a university of technology. We need to encourage greater investment in and support for research in all our universities and especially at our universities of technology.
On 31May Business Day reported on South Africa’s ranking on a Swiss based competiveness Index. South Africa’s ranking had gone up from 2015, but we continue to perform badly in education, technology and mathematics. The WEF competitiveness index reported that we had improved but sited similar concerns.
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) believes increased investment and attention to RDI will significantly improve our growth and global competitiveness.
The 2013-2014 report on R&D shows an improving outlook for R&D investment. South Africa invested R1, 8 billion more than in the previous year, bringing the country's GERD to R25, 661 billion. This was the third consecutive year that GERD increased after the contraction between 2009 and 2011, following the global economic downturn.
There are a number of trends to observe. First, the higher education sector is the biggest contributor to the increase in investment. Second, R&D spending on medical and health sciences has overtaken the spending on engineering sciences.
Third, the R&D business expenditure in the financial intermediation, real estate and business services sector is higher than in the manufacturing sector. Fourth, Government remains the largest funder of R&D in the country, while the business sector remains the largest performer of R&D - business used to fund and perform the majority of R&D.
We introduced the Research and development tax incentives in 2006 to encourage the private sector to invest in R&D. The initial uptake of this incentive was less than we had hoped. So the incentive was modified by the Taxation Laws Amendment Act in October 2012. The subsequent increase in applications caught the department by surprise and additional resources have had to be secured to deal with the increase and the backlog that has resulted.
The university is fortunate to have Professor Dlamini who sets an example for all women scientists in South Africa, and who will support the university to significantly enhance its research and innovation profile.
All reports on women’s participation in science and allied disciplines indicate that despite positive progress women lag behind males. More women have entered science faculties, but they tend to be in the life and health sciences, and not in engineering, physical sciences, or information technologies. In addition, women tend to stop at the honours level and their numbers decline further at masters, doctoral and post doctoral levels.
We all hope that Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT's) research profile will grow. However, it is imperative for MT to design a well considered research strategy that allows it to develop a distinct set of programmes and focus areas that do not seek to mirror a research intensive university such as UKZN.
In 2014 MUT had 2,203 diploma graduates with 1,177 in science, engineering and technology (SET). In the same year, MUT had 242 Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech) graduates, 103 in SET (HEMIS). Of these the National Research Foundation supported 70 B. Tech students - through various block grants, namely the innovation block grant, the scarce skills block grant and the free-standing block grant,
MUT has no master’s and doctoral students even though the number of active researchers increased from 55 in 2013 to 72 in 2015. Most active MUT researchers are pursuing their own postgraduate studies and are not supervising students.
But you need staff with PhDs if you are to help South Africa reach its National Development Plan target of training 6,000 PhDs a year.
The National Research Foundation has several programmes (accessible to all universities) to increase the number of researchers with a PhD. For example, the Centre of Excellence programme has produced 1,692 PhD graduates over the last ten years, and the South African Research Chairs Initiative has supported 3,370 PhDs and 700 PhD graduates over the last eight years.
The National Research Foundation has a Human Capital Development strategy for Research Innovation and Scholarship and a conceptual framework that distinguishes between three categories: next-generation researchers, emerging researchers, and established researchers.
In terms of the next-generation of researchers, the National Research Foundation will continue to increase the funds available for research:
- by increasing the values of the bursaries.
- bursaries will be awarded at all levels of postgraduate studies, including postdoctoral fellowships, and
- bursary programmes will continue to prioritise financial need, black African South Africans, women, and young full-time students (below the age of 40).
In terms of the emerging researchers, the National Research Foundation will continue to fund active and qualified supervisors who need assistance to expand their capacity to enrol and guide master's and doctoral students, and to generate more research output.
- Postdoctoral fellows will be used to augment the supervisory and research capacity of universities and provide the basis for growing the pool of active researchers.
- In conjunction with universities and public research institutions, career awards for recent postdoctoral researchers who wish to pursue academic careers will be created, to retain and nurture this category of emerging researchers in those institutions.
In terms of the established researchers, the National Research Foundation will continue with building the next generation of academics and scientists. We have the Centres of Excellence (CoE) Programme, and South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI). Through these two programmes, our research output has increased significantly.
We have also been using a number of platforms to support capacity building in Africa. This includes Joint Calls for Proposal with other African Partners, Joint Agreements with African countries (18 signed STI agreements); supporting science and technology policy development in SADC (SADC Policy Training programme); exchange programmes amongst institutions across Africa and institutional development including support to developing national systems of innovations.
Given MUT's lack of staff with PhDs, the assistance of international partners is vital. Our relations with various countries, philanthropic institutions and multilateral forums around the globe hold a number of potential opportunities for PhD students.
In this regard and according to the Ministerial guidelines on transformation and fellowships, the National Research Foundation has ring-fenced support for full-time PhD studies abroad and through sandwich programmes.
In closing, let me repeat: Professor Dlamini you bear a heavy burden in promoting science and technology research at MUT.
You are redefining the role of MUT, making it more responsive to industry, and more closely linked to the local and regional economy.
Innovation does not only take place at the national level. All over the world countries grapple with regional income disparities. If a successful location, regional or local, continuously makes the right investment decisions, especially in the area of education and training, it can sustain and even expand the gap that separates it from all other locations.
Thus, growth differs across regions, and innovation is important component of that growth. This is why regional innovative activity enjoys much attention both in the international policy and research worlds.
We need more entrepreneurs, more innovators, and more inventors in South Africa. The research you do at MUT helps us show the way.
