The Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor, has announced the establishment of three more research centres of excellence (CoEs), bringing the number of such centres in the country to 17.
The CoEs will be in water, HIV and Aids, and human settlements, and will be co-funded with other stakeholders. They are expected to start functioning in the next financial year, following a call for proposals from research institutions.
The Minister made the announcement today at a forum for the directors of Department of Science and Technology (DST)-National Research Foundation (NRF) centres of excellence. The forum was held at the University of the Western Cape, marking 10 years since the first DST-NRF CoEs were established.
The forum, themed "Celebrating Ten Years of Research Excellence", showcases the CoEs' research outputs over the past 10 years, which have enabled South Africa to take the lead in various disciplines and put the country's research outputs on par with the best in the world. Through the CoE Programme more than 650 postgraduate students are trained per annum.
Government is investingR472 million over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework in the 14 existing centres.
The Minister said that although the DST, in partnership with other institutions, had made significant contributionsto the building of the next generation of scientists, government still had to do more.
"Our concern is threefold – not enough blacks, not enough South African blacks, and not enough women will be part of that new generation."
A significantly lower proportion of the total number of African graduates was enrolling for postgraduate studies than was the case for white students. It was imperative to devise ways of attracting more South African and African black students into postgraduate research degrees and into research and academic careers.
"Our aim is to transform science, technology and innovation in Africa – just as South Africa in a political and economical context needs strong and reliable partners elsewhere on our continent, so too does South African science," said the Minister.
The DST and the NRF agreed to host the CoE Directors' Forum on an annual basis to allow the different CoEs to make presentations on their work and highlight their successes. It is envisaged that the various engagement sessions at the forum will also trigger debates on how government can provide the kind of support needed for societal engagement, as well as look at strengthening international collaborations and partnerships.
Since the inception of the CoE Programme in 2004, 14 CoEs have been established (in addition to the National Institute for Theoretical Physics (NITheP) and the DST-NRF Centre for Indigenous Knowledge Systems, which function similarly to CoEs).
The outputs of the CoE programme have shown a steady increase year on year. According to a 2012/13 report, nine CoEs and NITheP brought out a total of 880 research publications (consisting of 568 peer-reviewed journal articles, 197 conference publications and 22 book chapters). They also supported a total of 652 postgraduate students, up 75% from the number supported in 2011.
Speaking at the event, the NRF's Executive Director: Knowledge Field Development, Dr Andrew Kaniki, said: "The establishment of centres and networks of excellence is undoubtedly an important policy programme of government in advancing science and technology in this country. It is a strategic intervention to develop human capital, grow the next generation of researchers, and provide development and support for emerging and established researchers. This year's annual forum not only marks 10 years of government's strategic vision, but will showcase just how much the CoEs have contributed to South Africa's knowledge economy."
Enquiries:
Department of Science and Technology
Veronica Mohapeloa
veronica.mohapeloa@dst.gov.za
082 882 3818
National Research Foundation
Palesa Mokoena
palesa.mokoena@nrf.ac.za
083 410 3677
