Department of Science and Technology https://www.gov.za/ en Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane addresses BRICS Young Diplomats Forum, 26 Jun https://www.gov.za/news/media-advisories/conferences-summits-seminars-and-workshops/minister-mmamoloko-kubayi-0 <span> Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane addresses BRICS Young Diplomats Forum, 26 Jun </span> <span><span>Londekile</span></span> <span>Tue, 06/26/2018 - 15:04</span> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2018-06-26T12:00:00Z">26 Jun 2018</time></div> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><h3>Science Diplomacy Session at BRICS Young Diplomats Forum in Pretoria</h3> <p>Young diplomats from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa will discuss science diplomacy today as part of the BRICS Young Diplomats Forum taking place from 25 to 29 June 2018.</p> <p>South Africa assumed the BRICS Presidency in January this year, and will host the 10th BRICS Summit next month. As at previous BRICS Summits, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) is hosting a wide range of meetings to discuss the role of science, technology and innovation (STI) in society.</p> <p>This year there is a special focus on the challenges and opportunities presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution.</p> <p>Sessions will be held on harnessing the youth demographic dividend to make use of the opportunities of the 4th Industrial Revolution, Africa's historical contribution to STI, and the relevance of STI to the African agenda today.</p> <p>This afternoon, the Minister of Science and Technology, Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, will give a keynote address on South Africa’s international cooperation in science and technology, and opportunities for the BRICS partnership.</p> <p>Experts from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) will make a presentation on South Africa's progress in terms of innovation in engineering, medicine, mechanics, etc. for the 4th Industrial Revolution.</p> <p>This will be followed by a panel discussion, with young BRICS representatives discussing connecting hearts, minds and worlds – solutions for building a better and inclusive world through science, technology and innovation.</p> <p>Tomorrow there will be tours of the Cradle of Humankind and the CSIR Robotics Innovation Centre.</p> <p>Media are invited as follows:</p> <p>Date: 26 June 2018<br />Time: 13h30-17h00 (The Minister will speak from 13h40-14h00.)<br />Venue: Department of International Relations and Cooperation, 460 Soutpansberg Road, Pretoria</p> <p>To RSVP and for enquiries, please contact Thabang Setlhare, 072 659 9690 or <a href="mailto:thabang.setlhare@dst.gov.za">thabang.setlhare@dst.gov.za</a>.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-speech-event-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">Event Category</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/event-category/conferences-summits-seminars-and-workshops" hreflang="en">Conferences, summits, seminars and workshops</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-issued-by-source field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">Issued by</div> <div class="field__item"><div> <div class="field field--name-field-website-url field--type-link field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://www.dst.gov.za/" target="_blank">Department of Science and Technology</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-department field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">More from</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/taxonomy/term/884" hreflang="en">Department of Science and Technology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/taxonomy/term/950" hreflang="en">Media advisories</a></div> Tue, 26 Jun 2018 13:04:59 +0000 Londekile 780748 at https://www.gov.za https://www.gov.za/news/media-advisories/conferences-summits-seminars-and-workshops/minister-mmamoloko-kubayi-0#comments Minister Naledi Pandor addresses Wedela learners and community about the importance of education, 7 Feb https://www.gov.za/speeches/minister-pandor-addresses-wedela-learners-and-community-about-importance-education-7-feb-4 <span> Minister Naledi Pandor addresses Wedela learners and community about the importance of education, 7 Feb</span> <span><span>lebang</span></span> <span>Fri, 02/05/2016 - 07:54</span> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2016-02-04T12:00:00Z">04 Feb 2016</time></div> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>About 500 grade 8 to 11 learners attending schools in Wedela (in Gauteng's Merafong Municipality) are starting their 2016 school year on a high note.</p> <p>A local church, Eden Life Mission, has invited the Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor, to speak to learners, educators and parents about the significance of education in general, and science and technology in particular.  Minister Pandor will also encourage the community to provide the necessary support to both learners and educators.</p> <p>According to Mr Sabelo Ngwane, the West Rand District's War Room Coordinator, Wedela (West of Caltonville) faces many societal challenges, such as teenage gangsterism, teenage pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse, and high levels of people living with HIV/Aids.</p> <p>The Back to School event will also be attended by the Executive Mayors of the West Rand District Municipality, Councillor Mpho Mawa, and Merafong Local Municipality, Councillor Maphefo Mogale-Letsie.  Other dignitaries expected to attend include the executives of the SciBono Discovery Centre and the Gauteng City Region Academy, Wedela Maths and Science Academy representatives, district education officials, teachers, and representatives of the community.</p> <p>Media are invited as follows:</p> <p>Date: Sunday, 7 February 2016<br />Time: 10h00-13h00<br />Venue: Wedela Green Church</p> <p>Enquiries:<br />Lunga Ngqengelele<br />Media Liason Officer<br />Tel: 012 843 6799<br />Cell: 082 566 0446</p> <p>Bishop Roy Mathenjwa<br />Eden Life Mission (Green Church)<br />Cell: 082 683 3450</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-speech-event-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">Event Category</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/event-category/government-activities" hreflang="en">Government activities</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-issued-by-source field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">Issued by</div> <div class="field__item"><div> <div class="field field--name-field-website-url field--type-link field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://www.dst.gov.za/" target="_blank">Department of Science and Technology</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-department field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">More from</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/taxonomy/term/884" hreflang="en">Department of Science and Technology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/taxonomy/term/950" hreflang="en">Media advisories</a></div> Fri, 05 Feb 2016 05:54:34 +0000 lebang 748690 at https://www.gov.za https://www.gov.za/speeches/minister-pandor-addresses-wedela-learners-and-community-about-importance-education-7-feb-4#comments Minister Naledi Pandor commends Scifest for making science acessible to young people https://www.gov.za/speeches/minister-naledi-pandor-commends-scifest-making-science-acessible-young-people-4-mar-2016 <span> Minister Naledi Pandor commends Scifest for making science acessible to young people</span> <span><span>lebang</span></span> <span>Mon, 03/07/2016 - 12:59</span> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2016-03-04T12:00:00Z">04 Mar 2016</time></div> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor, has commended ScifestAfrica for succeeding in making science and its role in the world accessible to young people in the country.</p> <p>Speaking at  the official opening of Scifest Africa 2016 in Grahamstown last night, Minister Pandor said science engagement activities such as Scifest were the best way to create excitement among pupils.</p> <p>"The main purpose of Scifestis to introduce young people to the exciting world of science and technology and to encourage them to choose to be part of this community of science and innovation", she said.</p> <p>Scifest is Africa's biggest annual science festival aimed at engaging the public in interactive events that teach about science, technology, engineering, mathematics and innovation in an informal way, encouraging young people to study in these fields. The festival has grown tremendously since the first instalment in 1997 when it 15 000 visitors. Scifest 2015 received more than 58 000 visitors and this number is expected to increase even more this year.</p> <p>The Minister said that these activities also inspired scientists like, Kevin Govender, the first South African to be awarded the prestigious Edinburgh Medal, a prestigious award given each year to men and women of science and technology whose professional achievements have made a significant contribution to the understanding and well-being of humanity.</p> <p>One of the most prominent scientists in South Africa, Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, was also inspired to pursue studies in science and technology and today he is a Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Johannesburg.</p> <p>Prof Marwala won the National Science Olympiad back in 1989. He was latera delegate to the Youth Science Week and the London International Youth Science Forum and those two events really kindled his interest in science.</p> <p>"These examples affirm that if we wish to continue to do well in science and innovation we must create a much larger science, engineering and technology human-capital pipeline that starts at the schooling level," the Minister implored, saying science, engineering and technology awareness campaigns were the best way to create excitement among pupils.</p> <p>Minister Pandor urged schools to initiate science activities that would help learners do well in maths and science.</p> <p>"You, the learners present here, have time to work hard and to succeed in science technology and engineering. You live in a time in which there are immense possibilities for all young people. I hope you will use the festival to learn about science careers and to think about contributing to building a great South Africa."</p> <p>Enquiries:<br />Lunga Ngqengelel<br />MLO<br />Cell: 082 566 0446</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-issued-by-source field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">Issued by</div> <div class="field__item"><div> <div class="field field--name-field-website-url field--type-link field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://www.dst.gov.za/" target="_blank">Department of Science and Technology</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-department field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">More from</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/taxonomy/term/884" hreflang="en">Department of Science and Technology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-subjects field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">More on</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/taxonomy/term/668" hreflang="en">Science and technology</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/speech-categories/media-statements" hreflang="en">Media Statements</a></div> Mon, 07 Mar 2016 10:59:49 +0000 lebang 749634 at https://www.gov.za https://www.gov.za/speeches/minister-naledi-pandor-commends-scifest-making-science-acessible-young-people-4-mar-2016#comments Minister Naledi Pandor on fifth BRICS STI Ministerial Meeting in China https://www.gov.za/speeches/minister-naledi-pandor-fifth-brics-sti-ministerial-meeting-china-18-jul-2017-0000 <span> Minister Naledi Pandor on fifth BRICS STI Ministerial Meeting in China</span> <span><span>lebang</span></span> <span>Fri, 07/21/2017 - 09:16</span> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2017-07-18T12:00:00Z">18 Jul 2017</time></div> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><h3>Minister Pandor speaks at the fifth BRICS STI Ministerial Meeting in China</h3> <p>Speaking at the fifth Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Ministerial Meeting, the Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor, reiterated South Africa's commitment to strengthening its BRICS partnerships in order to ensure that science, technology and innovation play an optimal role in enhancing the competitiveness of the BRICS economies and improving the quality of life of all citizens.</p> <p>Minister Pandor said, "This critical task was entrusted to us by our heads of state when, at the G20 summit held here last year, they explicitly recognised innovation as a key driver for growth and sustainable development."</p> <p>The two-day meeting, currently underway in Hangzhou, is themed "Leading through Innovation and Deepening Cooperation" and will address topics such as BRICS STI policies, cooperation in thematic areas, co-funding multilateral research and development projects, youth innovation and entrepreneurship, and science park cooperation.</p> <p>The meeting is attended by ministers, deputy ministers and senior officials from the BRICS countries.</p> <p>Through sharing and learning from experience, the meeting will tackle global and regional economic and social challenges.  It will also discuss the formulation of the BRICS Action Plan for Innovation Cooperation and the BRICS 2018 STI Work Plan.</p> <p>In her speech, Minister Pandor said that the BRICS Ministerial Meeting provided a valuable opportunity for ministers to share their respective experiences and expertise, particularly in formulating and implementing policies and strategies, which would ensure innovation-driven growth.</p> <p>She said that the meeting was especially useful for her as her ministry was currently preparing a new White Paper on Science, Technology and Innovation.</p> <p>"The White Paper is intended to guide our efforts to ensure we are successful in promoting inclusive development in South Africa through science and innovation", she added.</p> <p>Minister Pandor also said that the new policy document would focus on the role government should play in enabling innovation, notably by instilling a national innovation culture across all spheres of government.  She said this was an area where South Africa could learn much from its BRICS partners.</p> <p>The meeting began on 17 July 2017 and will finish today.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-issued-by-source field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">Issued by</div> <div class="field__item"><div> <div class="field field--name-field-website-url field--type-link field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://www.dst.gov.za/" target="_blank">Department of Science and Technology</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-department field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">More from</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/taxonomy/term/884" hreflang="en">Department of Science and Technology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-subjects field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">More on</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/speech-subjects/brics" hreflang="en">BRICS</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/speech-categories/media-statements" hreflang="en">Media Statements</a></div> Fri, 21 Jul 2017 07:16:35 +0000 lebang 765300 at https://www.gov.za https://www.gov.za/speeches/minister-naledi-pandor-fifth-brics-sti-ministerial-meeting-china-18-jul-2017-0000#comments Minister Naledi Pandor: 13th General Conference of World Academy of Sciences https://www.gov.za/news/speeches/minister-naledi-pandor-13th-general-conference-world-academy-sciences-19-nov-2015 <span> Minister Naledi Pandor: 13th General Conference of World Academy of Sciences</span> <span><span>lebang</span></span> <span>Fri, 11/20/2015 - 11:39</span> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-11-19T12:00:00Z">19 Nov 2015</time></div> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><h3>TWAS input on SDG panel, 19 November 2015</h3> <p>What is the role of STI in achieving the SDGs?</p> <p>The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a collective global agreement to tackle the root causes of poverty. They embrace the need for a global transformation that leaves no one behind and gives every person a fair chance of leading a decent life. And they showcase a commitment to protect future generations by limiting climate change, and managing resources sustainably.</p> <p>The SDGs will only succeed, however, if they are pursued through a deliberate strategy that is targetted at the most vulnerable and poor communities. Essentially it is communities in developing countries that should be assisted to achieve the SDGs.</p> <p>Science technology and innovation have a key role to play in ensuring successful implementation of development programmes. The role that should be played begins with basic data collection, formulation of interventions and development of innovative knowledge products that address needs in energy, water, food and education.</p> <p>New technologies could be as transformative in energy as the mobile phone has been in telecommunications.</p> <p>Similarly new technologies could transform African agriculture. Boost Africa’s green and blue revolutions and Africa will be transformed. Innovation can generate a much-needed improvement to Africa’s food and nutrition security.</p> <p>How can South-South cooperation help in building science, technology and innovation (STI) capacity and excellence for sustainable development in the least developed countries?</p> <p>The best investment in Africa’s long-term sustainable development is an investment in the continent’s people and their skills. Focussed attention to gender disability and class inequality is also vitally necessary.</p> <p>African countries have made a determined effort to increase research, development and innovation (RDI). The past fifteen years have seen interventions in higher education, in science councils, in academies and in universities.</p> <p>Many countries have begun to budget for science, technology and innovation (STI) and most of them have targeted 1% of GDP as their contribution to research funding. In South Africa we are trying to increase R&D to 1.5% of GDP by 2019.</p> <p>While there has been a positive shift in RDI, we have not yet begun to generate the levels of success we agreed when we developed our first Africa STI Plan of Action. Last year we adopted our second Africa STI Plan and we are currently developing action plans. The new strategy prioritizes research to drive economic and social development across the continent. It commits signatory countries to six goals, including tackling hunger, disease and unemployment, and will set up structures to pursue them.</p> <p>African research and innovation programmes are progressing in a number of disciplines. Take the African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation (ANDI). By establishing networks of centres of excellence in health innovation in Africa, ANDI is playing a critical role in helping us to ensure better coordination of and efficiency in our investments harnessing science and technology to fight disease in Africa. These centres focus on drug and vaccine development, diagnostics as well as medical devices and technologies. With targeted interventions across the full innovation value chain, the goal is also to boost Africa’s indigenous pharmaceutical capacity for optimal impact on society.</p> <p>African countries are increasingly forming African partnerships to address research and innovation. For example South Africa and Uganda are collaborating on projects promoting science and sustainable livelihoods. Various Africa partnerships of the South are designed to increase access to technology and innovation resources. The UK / South Africa Newton initiative is growing African participation in a major human capital development opportunity. Emerging links between the BRICS nations are also illustrating new South South collaboration and offer the possibility of well crafted responses to the needs of developing countries.</p> <p> The astronomy sciences have also given life to a re-invigorated science focus in South Africa and several African countries.</p> <p>How can North-South cooperation help in building STI capacity for sustainable development in the South?</p> <p>Building effective, mutually beneficial global partnerships is a consistent theme and priority of national strategy and policy documents for science, technology and innovation in South Africa.</p> <p>The following Three examples of successful partnership initiatives, provide a good idea of how mutually beneficial cooperation can be constructed.</p> <p>First, major research infrastructures should be located in developing countries, to develop, attract and retain talent. An example of this is the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, which has campuses in Cape Town and New Delhi.</p> <p>Second, regional cooperation in science and technology should be intensified, especially to address policy priorities such as public health, which due to the inter-connectedness between countries, are best addressed at the regional level. The Southern African Biosciences Initiative, a programme of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, which brings together several countries of the Southern African Development Community is a worthy example.</p> <p>Third, and last, international partnerships should be co-owned and co-determined by all partners. Developing countries today are at the forefront of global scientific discovery, as highlighted for example by the pioneering work undertaken in South Africa in areas such as microbicides to prevent HIV/Aids, as well as drug and vaccine development for malaria and tuberculosis. This is shown by the full participation, including as funding parties and equal partners, by several African countries in the European Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership.</p> <p>Three challenges face effective partnerships.</p> <p>First, how do we reconcile “competition” and “collaboration”, especially with regard to innovation and close-to-market technology partnerships where countries are faced with the pressure to maximize their own economic benefits?</p> <p>Strategictransnational partnerships should be possible, provided they are constructed on an equitable and transparent basis.</p> <p>Second, how can we achieve global brain circulation, given the fierce competition for scarce science and technology skills?</p> <p>Countries of course have the responsibility to develop and retain their own talent, but a case could be made for innovative partnership programmes, permitting researchers working abroad to for example to spend time in their countries of origin.</p> <p>We have just started country-bilateral research chairs - the first with Switzerland - that are ideally suited to researchers splitting their time between countries.</p> <p>Students from around the world should be encouraged to study internationally. We intend to step up efforts to attract postgraduate students and postdoctoral scientists to South Africa and to send our students outside South Africa.</p> <p>International students, postgraduates, researchers bring tremendous benefits to South Africa and they make an enormous contribution to the intellectual vibrancy and diversity of our educational institutions.</p> <p>Third, how do we deal with the transnational relocation of corporate R&D?</p> <p>Will this impact on global partnerships – must there be exclusive winners and losers?  Undoubtedly no country wants to lose corporate R&D to another country but new public private partnership models spanning different countries may mean this need not be a zero-sum contest.</p> <p>How can official development assistance help in building STI capacity for sustainable development in least developed countries?</p> <p>Tackling Africa’s interlocking climate and energy problems will require strengthened international cooperation. The SDG summit in September and the global climate talks in December provide a platform for deepening cooperation and making a down-payment on measures with the potential to put Africa on a pathway toward an inclusive low-carbon energy future and the world on a pathway to avoid climate catastrophe.</p> <p>However, international partnership and strategic relations,and the leverage of Official development assistance (ODA), remain essential to permit our research and innovation community access to the requisite research infrastructure.</p> <p>First of all, the construction and operation of large-scale or mega-science facilities, due to factors of cost and complexity, is difficult for countries to achieve on their own. International cooperation is imperative. Examples of transnational projects, such as the International Experimental Fusion Reactor (ITER), the Large Hadron Collider or the Square Kilometre Array bear testimony to this.</p> <p>International cooperation is, however, also critical to permit us the more effective utilisation and exploitation of existing facilities. Where countries have small user communities for a specific infrastructure, rather than investing in the development of their own facilities, it would be more effective to promote transnational access to research infrastructures.</p> <p>I would like to emphasise that mega science facilities, by bringing together scientists and experts from all over the world, play a valuable role in building international friendship, improving transnational communication and understanding, and reinforcing solidarity. They are an essential elementin sustainable growth and development globally.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-issued-by-source field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">Issued by</div> <div class="field__item"><div> <div class="field field--name-field-website-url field--type-link field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://www.dst.gov.za/" target="_blank">Department of Science and Technology</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-department field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">More from</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/taxonomy/term/884" hreflang="en">Department of Science and Technology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-subjects field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">More on</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/taxonomy/term/668" hreflang="en">Science and technology</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/speech-categories/speeches" hreflang="en">Speeches</a></div> Fri, 20 Nov 2015 09:39:54 +0000 lebang 746573 at https://www.gov.za https://www.gov.za/news/speeches/minister-naledi-pandor-13th-general-conference-world-academy-sciences-19-nov-2015#comments Minister Naledi Pandor: Biovac-Pfizer vaccine manufacture agreement signing ceremony https://www.gov.za/news/speeches/minister-naledi-pandor-biovac-pfizer-vaccine-manufacture-agreement-signing-ceremony <span> Minister Naledi Pandor: Biovac-Pfizer vaccine manufacture agreement signing ceremony</span> <span><span>lebang</span></span> <span>Wed, 11/04/2015 - 11:37</span> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-11-03T12:00:00Z">03 Nov 2015</time></div> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><h3>Address by the Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor MP, at the Biovac-Pfizer vaccine manufacture agreement signing ceremony, Pinelands, Cape Town</h3> <p>Minister Motsoaledi<br />Biovac CEO<br />Pfizer SA representative<br />Ambassador Gaspard</p> <p>We owe much to vaccines. Much of the public health improvement over the last two centuries has been vaccine related - across the world, in both rich and poor countries, developed and undeveloped, north and south. Reaching children has been the aim of most campaigns to spread the impact of vaccines in poor countries. The barriers to vaccinating children are well known - the high prices of new vaccines, weak public health systems. But there is another barrier - low profit margins for vaccines and high profit margins for drugs. This leads to less research into vaccines and more research into drugs.</p> <p>Every year, across the world, according to Medicin sans Frontiers, 2.58 million episodes of severe pneumonia occur in children under the age of five, accounting for 18% of all episodes of severe pneumonia and 33% of all pneumonia-related deaths. Most of these children live in low- and middle-income countries. If children have HIV, they are far more likely to develop severe pneumonia than their HIV-negative friends.</p> <p>It is now more expensive to vaccinate children against the twelve main diseases than it was ten years ago. Vaccine prices have skyrocketed. One vaccine dominates  - the pneumoniavaccine- and it gobbles up 40% of South Africa's budget for vaccines. The vaccine is owned by two big pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer and GSK. They reduced their prices marginally for this vaccine earlier this year in response to public campaigns and in the light of the more than $19 billion taken in sales of the pneumonia vaccine to date.</p> <p>There is more that we can do to cut the costs of the vaccine. And that is to manufacture the vaccine here in Cape Town. And that is what we are here to announce.</p> <p>Pfizer and the Biovac Institute of South Africa have reached an agreement for the transfer of technology that will enable the Biovac Institute to manufacture Pfizer's Prevenar 13 Vaccine at Biovac’s new commercial scale manufacturing plant here in Cape Town. As part of the agreement Pfizer will transfer ownership of equipment to Biovac and Pfizer will also implement a skills-transfer process so that South African employees of Biovac will be able to manufacture the vaccine after the technical transfer period. The agreement is designed to ensure that the Biovac Institute is able to supply Prevenar 13 on a sustainable basis in South Africa. Over the next five years the technology transfer will take place in three phases -Phase I : Packaging of labelled syringes, phase II: Labelling and Packaging of Bulk Unlabelled Syringes, phase III: Formulation (RDM), Filling, Labelling and Packaging - and local manufacture is scheduled to start in 2020.</p> <p>The Biovac Institute (Biovac) was established in 2003 as a public private partnership between the Biovac Consortium and the South African Government (represented at the time by the South African Department of Health). Currently, the South African Government has a 47,5% equity stake in the company, made up of the Department of Science and Technology (35%) and the Technology Innovation Agency (12,5%). The Biovac Consortium holds 52,5% of the shares through ENDO (previously Litha Healthcare Group Limited) (44,6%) and Disability Empowerment Concerns (7,9%).</p> <p>Biovac aims to revitalise human vaccine manufacturing in South Africa by building capacity in all aspects of vaccine development and manufacturing, from products for clinical trials to full scale commercial production. Biovac is the only vaccine manufacturer in sub-Saharan Africa and it currently sources the vaccines it supplies to the Department of Health from appropriately registered pharmaceutical companies in South Africa.</p> <p>We have a small pharmaceuticalindustry that boasts some of the fastest growing companies in the country. We have the largest market for HIV drugs in the world. We have a well developed generics industry. We have globally respected researchers.</p> <p>But we face a number of challenges.</p> <p>At the level of commercialisation and manufacturing processes, the challenges are mainly around the lack of infrastructure for pre-commercial and commercial development and, in particular, appropriately accredited infrastructure for technology development.</p> <p>Small scale production facilities for drugs and biologics are also needed. These pre-commercial facilities will provide an impetus for local industry to participate in new market segments such as biosimilars.</p> <p>In addition, we lack critical platforms for in-bound technology transfers, so as to be able to leverage international expertise and catalyse private sector investments.</p> <p>South Africa is committed to the establishment of the necessary initiatives and infrastructure that will assist in the development of the pharmaceutical value chain. This includes medicinal chemistry, high-throughput screening, preclinical testing facilities and capabilities and the manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).</p> <p>Building on existing networks and creating new synergies, we also look to extend our collaborations in this regard with partners in both developed and developing countries, including research institutions, governments, pharmaceutical and biotech companies - as in this agreement - and international organisations.</p> <p>We hope these initiatives will allow us to promote our pharmaceutical industry by contributing towards the development of essential vaccines and medicines for diseases that affect the majority of the people in Africa. The development of a strong and vibrant pharmaceutical industry is of enormous importance in Africa. The development and provision of high quality medicines has saved lives, improved life expectancy and enhanced the quality of life for so many people. The debilitating effects of conditions such as asthma, diabetes, ulcers, cancer and mental illness have been alleviated by the tremendous advances which have been made in the area of medicines.</p> <p>We recognise that providing essential vaccines and medicines to our people presents a unique challenge that requires greater effort, cooperation and collaboration at the international level. Partners such as the World health Organisation, the Council on Health Research and Development, the African Network for Drugs and Diagnostics Innovation and drug companies like Pfizer are very valuable in this process. It is through these innovative vehicles that the advances in medicine and public health have continued to improve lives for many and to postpone death for some.</p> <p>Thank you.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-issued-by-source field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">Issued by</div> <div class="field__item"><div> <div class="field field--name-field-website-url field--type-link field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://www.dst.gov.za/" target="_blank">Department of Science and Technology</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-department field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">More from</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/taxonomy/term/884" hreflang="en">Department of Science and Technology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-subjects field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">More on</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/taxonomy/term/668" hreflang="en">Science and technology</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/speech-categories/speeches" hreflang="en">Speeches</a></div> Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:37:06 +0000 lebang 745721 at https://www.gov.za https://www.gov.za/news/speeches/minister-naledi-pandor-biovac-pfizer-vaccine-manufacture-agreement-signing-ceremony#comments Minister Naledi Pandor: Gauteng’s Technology Innovation Conference https://www.gov.za/news/speeches/minister-naledi-pandor-gauteng%E2%80%99s-technology-innovation-conference-01-feb-2018 <span> Minister Naledi Pandor: Gauteng’s Technology Innovation Conference</span> <span><span>lebang</span></span> <span>Thu, 02/08/2018 - 07:53</span> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2018-02-01T12:00:00Z">01 Feb 2018</time></div> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><h3>Minister Pandor's opening speech to Gauteng’s Technology Innovation Conference, Gallagher Centre, Johannesburg, Gauteng</h3> <p><strong>Building Innovative Technology Ecosystems for a Modernised City Region</strong><br /><br />Governments all over the world are targeting innovation within dynamic local spaces to create growth, employment and development in the digital economy being created by the 4th industrial revolution. Broadly speaking, governments in Europe drive growth, employment, and development through smart specialisation policies and strategies. In Asia, governments target growth, employment, and development through building high-tech zones.<br /><br />Within our own dynamic continent, we are seeing developments in both directions.<br /><br />Gauteng is well placed to become - much more than it is at the moment - the knowledge-economy hub of South Africa, because of its geography, history and location.<br /><br />Over the past two years, key knowledge-based institutions in Gauteng have initiated several exciting research and innovation projects to take a leading-edge position in new technologies being created in the 4th industrial revolution.<br /> <br />Many of these projects are already being implemented or are at an advanced stage of implementation and are injecting much needed energy into RDI in Gauteng, or have great potential to do so.<br /> <br />For example:</p> <ul><li>The CSIR has a ten-year R3 billion master plan to redesign its Pretoria campus to focus on supporting innovation-led industrial development. The CSIR has already put in place two industry development centres targeting industries of the future – nanotechnology and biotechnology - through funding support from the DST as part of the Economic Competitiveness programme as well as the Jobs Fund. A third centre, targeting photonics, is at at an advanced stage of readiness and will be launched in the next 12 months. The nanotechnology and bio-manufacturing centres have already facilitated the development and growth of 23 small and medium enterprises.</li> <li>Pretoria University is well underway to transforming its campus and the surrounding area into an innovation zone. Much of their focus is on the development of a centre (Future Africa) that will serve as a networking, knowledge and relationship hub in the area, including a focus on developing relationships with counterparts in Africa. Pretoria University is developing a site adjacent to the Future Africa site, to convert into leading-edge innovation, incubation, and technology development support facilities for transport and logistics, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, and ICT. These facilities will be available to its students, research community, as well as the general public, through access directly from the N4 highway.</li> <li>Johannesburg and Wits universities have established the Tshimilogong Precinct, in partnership with DST, the DTI, CoJ and Gauteng. The precinct includes a shared space for innovators and technopreneurs, an IBM Research Centre and a host of initiatives aimed at supporting RDI in the area.The Mining Phakisa has kickstarted the revitalisation of mining RDI in South Africa. In this regard, the DST in partnership with the Chamber of Mines has finalised long-term development plans for establishing a mining RDI hub and precinct at Carlow Road in Melville, Johannesburg. It will use a hub and spoke approach with collaborative RDI networks. The Hub is now functional and will be formally launched in the next few months.</li> <li>The government, in partnership with the mining industry (Chamber of Mines, research and academic institutions), is implementing the South African Minerals Extraction Research, Development and Innovation (SAMERDI) programme, which is aimed at materially improving the technological base of mining in South Africa. The DTI’s Mining Equipment Manufacturers of South Africa (MEMSA) will drive the mining equipment manufacturing cluster that is aligned to the mining RDI (SAMERDI) programme.</li> <li>The DST has provided funding to 5 technology stations located at universities of technology. The technology stations provide support in the areas of electronics, chemicals and advanced tooling at the Tshwane University of Technology, and in metal casting, and processing energy and environment at the University of Johannesburg. Over the last three years, these stations have supported more than 1,766 small and medium enterprises.</li> <li> The DST also supports Gauteng’s Innovation Hub. The Hub focuses on fostering innovation, skills and entrepreneurship in smart industries, green tech and bio tech. It offers a start-up seed fund in collaboration with the DST’s Technology Innovation Agency. Let me give you an idea of some of the startups - Memeza Shout, an affordable alarm system that has been successfully deployed in Diepsloot township; PortiaM Cosmetics that now employs over 30 young people at the Hub’s BioPark; Phambili Media whose animations were used in some of the scenes in the movie Kalushi about Solomon Mahlangu; Afrocentric IP that provides data-centre services and business continuity (disaster-recovery solutions); and the Water Hygiene Company that offers a leakless valve that has been retrofitted to toilets in Garankuwa township in Tshwane.</li> </ul><p><br />Entrepreneurship requires an environment that rewards risk-taking. Every year, many ventures fail. However, the successful entrepreneur sees failure as a learning experience. There is no shame in second, third or fourth tries. Entrepreneurs do not give up – not on their ideas, not on their teams, and not on themselves.<br /><br />Start-ups should be the heartbeat of our economy. I’m inspired by the success of new entrepreneurs and innovators who have taken advantage of the booming tourism industry, the booming mobile industry, the growing market in renewable energy, and the evolving market in the cultural and creative industries. It’s local innovators and entrepreneurs who will ultimately create the millions of jobs that we need to grow an inclusive economy.<br /><br />What is urgently required is the consolidation of individual technology innovation initiatives into a coordinated intervention, strongly driven at all levels by Gauteng.<br /><br />Such consolidation would assist in providing the essential enabling infrastructure that allow the various individual initiatives to blossom and grow.<br /><br />In addition, there is a need for private actors, and the wide variety of agencies attending this conference, to tap into the bottom-up initiatives from the science, technology and innovation community.<br /><br />The DST is ready to work with Gauteng to drive its investments in support of a consolidated initiative.<br /><br />I congratulate the Province on creating a department to drive an e-government agenda and for the good progress that has already made in building systems for e-tendering and the more effective use of ICT in teaching and learning.<br /><br />The DST has also started working with the province on how new locally-developed ICT solutions can be tested and further developed as part of the e-government roll-out of the province.<br /><br />Since the adoption of the ICT Roadmap in 2013, the DST has managed to establish formal collaboration partnerships with ICT multinationals such as IBM, Microsoft, SAP and Cisco. However, we pay attention to bringing local companies on board.<br /><br />Engagements have already started between the DST and Gauteng to identify opportunities and models where the procurement spend of the province in ICT can simultaneously meet provincial and national objectives. At the national level, this includes opportunities for enhancing the uptake and deployment of locally developed technologies and to strengthen niche technological capabilities where South Africa can be global leaders.<br /><br />The opportunities can draw on the immense capabilities that we have started to develop in the fields of data science, cyber-infrastructure, data security, mobile applications, and data processing. These capabilities are growing significantly on the back of investment in the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and a range of other complementary initiatives like the National Integrated Cyber Infrastructure System, which promotes scientific and industrial development through the provision of high-performance computing capability, and the Data Science for Impact and Decision Enhancement programme, which meets the DST’s strategic objective of national human capability development within the field of data science.<br /><br />I should add that economically the SKA represents the largest science-based capital injection into the African economy by far. The estimated total investment of the first phase is in the order of €1.5 billion or R15 billion. This investment will result in a number of immediate and long term socio-economic benefits accruing to the entire continent.<br /><br />In addition to these high-impact opportunities, there are a range of other partnerships with Gauteng that are underway. They include a National Recordal System that supports communities and indigenous knowledge holders to document oral indigenous knowledge of traditional medicine and indigenous food that are closely associated with biodiversity.<br /><br />Partnership opportunities are also developing with respect to the deployment of Hydrogen Fuel Cells and other alternative technologies as back-up power for the traffic lights as well as partnerships in waste and water technologies.<br /><br />Finally, and most importantly, the DST is working with a number of Gauteng institutions (particularly CSIR, UP, WITS, TIH) to collaborate with the Chinese in RDI.<br /><br />We’re currently investigating location options for an innovation centre in collaboration with the Chengdu High Tech Zone.<br /><br />I believe that there is a significant opportunity to twin Chengdu with Gauteng.<br /> <br />In the medium to longer term, this could translate into a science and high technology zone to facilitate the transition from innovation prototypes to industrial and commercial manufacturing. There are on-going discussions between the DST, the DTI, and Gauteng Growth and Development Agency about such a development.<br /><br />What I would expect to see in such a high tech zone are projects supporting our key flagship initiatives in the beneficiation of various minerals into products. This includes titanium powder, fuel cells, composites, fluorochemicals, nanoclays, and so on. The DST has invested in these flagship initiatives to advance the R&D and mature the technologies. In some instances, the investment has been over more than a decade. Most of these initiatives are now at the stage of commercialization and ready to enter the market. Greater intentional exposure of our capabilities including investors and commercialisation partners would greatly assist these efforts. Similarly, I would prioritize the establishment of agri hubs to enhance government support for agro-processing.<br /><br />Many of these initiatives in Gauteng are building an innovation-based city-region on a par with a number of emerging innovation city-regions in Asia and the Americas.<br /><br />I’ve looked at the programme of the conference and note that several officials from my department as well as representatives of key entities have been included in the programme. I’m confident that they will provide greater detail on the significant opportunities that exist for a strategic and dynamic partnership between the province and my DST.<br /><br />I wish you success in your deliberations and look forward to getting feedback on how to further build on the partnership that already exists between my department and the province.<br /><br /> I thank you.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-issued-by-source field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">Issued by</div> <div class="field__item"><div> <div class="field field--name-field-website-url field--type-link field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://www.dst.gov.za/" target="_blank">Department of Science and Technology</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-department field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">More from</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/taxonomy/term/884" hreflang="en">Department of Science and Technology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-subjects field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">More on</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/taxonomy/term/668" hreflang="en">Science and technology</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/speech-categories/speeches" hreflang="en">Speeches</a></div> Thu, 08 Feb 2018 05:53:21 +0000 lebang 776872 at https://www.gov.za https://www.gov.za/news/speeches/minister-naledi-pandor-gauteng%E2%80%99s-technology-innovation-conference-01-feb-2018#comments Minister Naledi Pandor: Research and Development tax Incentive https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/minister-naledi-pandor-research-and-development-tax-incentive-21-aug-2015 <span> Minister Naledi Pandor: Research and Development tax Incentive</span> <span><span>lebang</span></span> <span>Tue, 08/25/2015 - 13:04</span> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-08-21T12:00:00Z">21 Aug 2015</time></div> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Statement by the Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor MP, on the R&D tax incentive, Innovation Hub, Pretoria</strong></p> <p>This breakfast is part of a series of activities aimed at enhancing communication between the government and the private sector about the science and technology research and development (R&D) tax incentive.</p> <p>The objective of the tax incentive is to promote private-sector R&D investment in South Africa. The tax incentive is available to companies of any size in all industries. It helps to reduce the after-tax price of R&D, creating an incentive for a company to increase its R&D. Through undertaking R&D, domestic companies can enhance their competitiveness by developing new products, processes and services. By 28 February 2015, a total of 876 companies had applied for the incentive. The tax incentive, a deduction of 150% on R&D expenditure, represents government revenue forgone. Over the period 2005 to 2012 about R5 billion in tax revenue was forgone, according to National Treasury’s Budget Review (February 2015).</p> <p>R&D by its nature is aimed at generating new findings. It is based on original concepts and their interpretations. It is largely uncertain about its final outcome. That is why it has to be systematic in its approach and involve experimentation. An R&D activity may lead to a particular result or fail to achieve it. If successful, R&D must lead to the new knowledge that can be embodied in a new technology, or to enable significant improvements to be made, which can be diffused to support some form of socio-economic activity. These are some of the basic concepts included in the Frascati Manual, which is used worldwide as a standard for defining R&D.</p> <p>The tax incentive is aimed at encouraging R&D-led innovation. We hope to see domestic companies competing for global markets in important technology sectors and also improving ways in which they collaborate with international partners to discover new knowledge. Our aim is to improve the technology balance of payments. An interesting example that illustrates this point is a world-class scanner technology that was originally developed for the mining industry. Further R&D was conducted and now it has found an application in the health industry. International markets will now look to South Africa to supply such a technology.</p> <p>There is a high rate of non-approvals on applications involving Information and Communications Technology (ICT) related activities. Not all ICT and software development activities can be regarded as R&D. To qualify under the R&D incentive, software activity must involve innovation. It must comprise experimental research, development or invention to achieve scientific or technological advancement. It must also create new knowledge or make an appreciable improvement to the existing state of technology. This is a global standard.</p> <p>I have asked the department to host a session with industry in the next few months to clarify the R&D tax incentive for ICT related activities including software development.</p> <p>Annually, I'm required by the Income Tax Act to report to Parliament about the benefits of the R&D tax incentive. In administering this incentive, there is a certain level of information which we will also require to assess the impact of the incentive. I hope you will cooperate with the department in doing this.</p> <p>I'm looking forward to the presentations by two companies that have volunteered to share their experiences with the incentive. I hope that their presentations will highlight specific issues that government officials can take into account in improving the application process.</p> <p>It's important for the department to work closely with the private sector in order to increase overall R&D investment in the country, not only on the R&D incentive but in a range of other areas where different forms of partnerships and interactions are required between government and industry.</p> <p>Over the last few years, two major concerns have been raised.</p> <p>First, timeliness and the backlog. The length of time taken for a decision to be communicated to companies regarding their application is still too long. Good progress is being made in clearing the backlog and to get to targeted turnaround time of 90 days.</p> <p>Second, too many changes in the legislation. Stakeholders have raised concerns about the frequency of amendments to Section 11D of the Income Tax Act (“the Act”), under which the R&D tax incentive is administered.</p> <p>As background, Section 11D was introduced in 2006 to repeal section 11B of the Act, which offered a basic deduction of 100%. Major amendments to section 11D were only made 6 years later in October 2012, to introduce the pre-approval procedure to replace the previous approach that relied solely on South African Revenue Service (SARS)’discretion regarding what activities should qualify for the R&D deductions.</p> <p>The amendments that came into effect in January 2013, January 2014 and January 2015 are refinements and technical corrections, largely responding to concerns raised by the private sector. The current incentive design principles match global practices and should be allowed to mature. No amendments to Section 11D are planned during the current round of the Taxation Laws Amendment Bill.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-issued-by-source field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">Issued by</div> <div class="field__item"><div> <div class="field field--name-field-website-url field--type-link field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://www.dst.gov.za/" target="_blank">Department of Science and Technology</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-department field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">More from</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/taxonomy/term/884" hreflang="en">Department of Science and Technology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-subjects field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">More on</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/taxonomy/term/648" hreflang="en">Tax</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/speech-categories/media-statements" hreflang="en">Media Statements</a></div> Tue, 25 Aug 2015 11:04:25 +0000 lebang 742949 at https://www.gov.za https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/minister-naledi-pandor-research-and-development-tax-incentive-21-aug-2015#comments Minister Naledi Pandor: Technology and Rural Education for Development (Tech4Red) energy project launch https://www.gov.za/news/speeches/minister-naledi-pandor-technology-and-rural-education-development-tech4red-energy <span> Minister Naledi Pandor: Technology and Rural Education for Development (Tech4Red) energy project launch</span> <span><span>lebang</span></span> <span>Tue, 06/23/2015 - 12:48</span> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2015-06-12T12:00:00Z">12 Jun 2015</time></div> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><h4>Address by Naledi Pandor MP, Minister of Science and Technology, at the launch of the Technology and Rural Education for Development (Tech4Red) energy project, Mvuzo Junior Secondary school, Cofimvaba, Eastern Cape</h4> <p>Aaah!!! Dali’mvula uMhlekazi u S.D Matanzima<br />MEC for Education in the Eastern Cape, Mandla Makupula<br />Councillor Mxolisi Koyo, Executive Mayor of the Chris Hani municipality<br />Councillor Kholiswa Vimbayo, Mayor of Intsika Local Municipality<br />Andrew Hinkly, Anglo American Platinum<br />Gavin Coetzer, CEO of Clean Energy Investments, and<br />Mike Hellyar, MD of Air Products South Africa<br />School Governing Body members, Mr Mfebe, Mr Tame and Mr Galada.<br />Good morning.</p> <p>It's a pleasure to be here in Cofimvaba and in Mvuzo Secondary school.</p> <p>I'm pleasedto be here today. For two reasons. First, I'm pleased to see so many different participants involved in one project, the local community, government, business, non profit organisations.</p> <p>The DST began collaborating with the Department of Basic Education and the Eastern Cape Department of Educationin 2012, looking at how a range of technologies could be deployed to address education-related challenges in a rural context. It was called the Tech4Red project.  The project is unique in the sense that it demonstrates not only how technology could enhance the educational outcomes but there is also a need to ensure that the environment in which learners learn is conducive.</p> <p>The project therefore contributesto the improvement of rural education through ICT-led innovation in nutrition, agri-teaching, water, sanitation and e-health. It's comprehensive, holistic, and aimed at serving the best interests of the school child. It began with a ICT team from the CSIR's Meraka, which ran a comprehensive scoping exercise of 26 schools in the Ncibadistrict of the Cofimvaba School District in the Eastern Cape to see what ICT technologies were suitable.</p> <p>The CSIR's Meraka Institute uses new and existing technologies to improve maths and science teaching, initiatives like Dr Math, a mobile Maths tutoring programme. Corporates offered tablets. The HSRC undertook important monitoring and evaluation work. Then the Department of Rural Development and Land Reformjoined forces and set about testing different sanitation options, with the help of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Water Research Commission.</p> <p>The listing of participants doesn't capture the real innovation of the Cofimvaba project. The real innovation is in the way that different levels of government and business and non-profits work together.</p> <p>We thought it might work, then we saw it was working, and so we wanted to take it to scale, that is, start similar initiatives in other rural areas.</p> <p>But one crucial aspect was missing. And that was an alternative energy source.</p> <p>Today we are able to celebrate the alternative energy contribution of three companies to the Tech4Red project at Cofimvaba,namely Anglo Platinum (supplier of the three fuel cell systems), Air Products (supplier of hydrogen) and Clean Energy Investments (project implementer). I have signed a collaboration agreement that in summary indicates that Air Product, Anglo American Platinum and Clean Energy Investments will be responsible for the maintenance and operation cost for a period of three years. This period started from the date when the systems became operational (September 2014). Then after three years these fuel cell systems will be donated to DST which will then hand over to the Department of Education (Eastern Cape).</p> <p>The original intention was to have installed the two solar systems by June this year, however I am happy to announce that both of them are operational.</p> <p>Second, I'm pleasedto see science and technology at work. I no longer have to talk about new ideas bearing fruit in twenty years time. I can tell South Africa and the world that science and technology bring people together for innovative solutions.</p> <p>You can always tell when something really works. Journalists write books about them. They write books about successful projects. So we have a book about SKA written by Sarah Wild. We are also about to have a book about CAPRISA by Linda Nordling. And we are also about to have a book about Cofimvaba by Sarah Wild.</p> <p>There they are. Some of our initiatives, the SKA, CAPRISA and Cofimvaba are making an enormous contribution to socio-economic development.</p> <p>Young people growing up in South Africa today are far more fortunate than preceding generations. Our government is striving hard to ensure all our children have education of high quality, nutrition and work opportunities. We still face many challenges as we must insure learners can read well and succeed in mathematics and science. Our intervention through this project is to help all our schools achieve these objectives.</p> <p>The evidence that poverty undermines opportunity and future successis overwhelming. Yet I believe that schools can make a difference to disadvantage and that they can help overcome effectsof inherited poverty. We celebrate those schools in rural areas where the results are above expectation and resources are poor. There are districts that achieve above provincial average success rates. We know what makes those districts successful.</p> <p>Hard working, committed teachers, arriving on time, of sober mind and body, well prepared for their lessons (and tablets and technology help) and teaching for the duration of the school day make schools work.</p> <p>South Africa has achieved a lot of educational change in the first 20 years of democracy. Educational change is a slow and often painful process. But it's premised on the institutionalisation of educational routines. We look to make learning and teaching routine in schools. We look to make teaching and learning happen in our classrooms every day, so that when learners leave home in the morning they know that the teacher will be in the classroom, that the teacher will be prepared adequately for his/her lessons and that all learners will be expected to work hard in class.</p> <p>It's only when we are able to build this routine through the innovative technologies we are using that we will be able to improve the quality of education in all our schools.</p> <p>Thank you.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-issued-by-source field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">Issued by</div> <div class="field__item"><div> <div class="field field--name-field-website-url field--type-link field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://www.dst.gov.za/" target="_blank">Department of Science and Technology</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-department field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">More from</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/taxonomy/term/884" hreflang="en">Department of Science and Technology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-subjects field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">More on</div> <div class="field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/taxonomy/term/705" hreflang="en">Education</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/taxonomy/term/668" hreflang="en">Science and technology</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/speech-categories/speeches" hreflang="en">Speeches</a></div> Tue, 23 Jun 2015 10:48:09 +0000 lebang 740369 at https://www.gov.za https://www.gov.za/news/speeches/minister-naledi-pandor-technology-and-rural-education-development-tech4red-energy#comments Science and Technology hosts Science Forum South Africa, 12 Dec https://www.gov.za/news/media-advisories/government-activities/science-and-technology-hosts-science-forum-south-africa <span> Science and Technology hosts Science Forum South Africa, 12 Dec</span> <span><span>angenitha</span></span> <span>Tue, 11/27/2018 - 07:11</span> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2018-11-26T12:00:00Z">26 Nov 2018</time></div> <div class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><h3> Science Forum South Africa comes of Age</h3> <div> <p>The fourth Science Forum South Africa (SFSA) kicks off on 12 December 2018, with President Cyril Ramaphosa delivering the keynote address. Organised by the Department of Science and Technology, the SFSA provides a public platform for debating science and society.</p> <p>Intended to ignite conversations about science, SFSA 2018 provides Africa with an "open science" event similar to forums like the EuroScience Open Forum, American Association for the Advancement of Science Forum on Science and Technology Policy and Japan's Science Agora, convened with great success elsewhere in the world.</p> <p>The DST's Deputy Director-General (DDG): International Cooperation Resources, Daan du Toit, describes the SFSA as a marketplace of ideas. "The core mission and objective of the SFSA is to have a vibrant debate on the role of science in society; not confining the discussion to a closed community, but making it accessible to everyone with an interest in what role science should play in society," he says.</p> <p>"With the SFSA, we seek to remain relevant, and to interrogate topical issues related to the role of science in society. When the Fees Must Fall movement was in the news, we had sessions on higher education and the minimum wage. This year there is a strong focus on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIR)," adds the Du Toit.</p> <p>The Fourth Industrial Revolution has been described as the beginning of an era in which technological developments blur the lines between the physical, digital and biological spheres. It includes cyber-physical systems and the Internet of Things, big data and cloud computing, robotics, artificial intelligence-based systems and additive manufacturing.</p> <p>Among the SFSA sessions focusing on the FIR are Harnessing the Fourth Industrial Revolution to Advance the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa, Artificial Intelligence and the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Africa and The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the future of work.</p> <p>A consistent focus, which has been embedded in SFSA since it was first held in 2015, is pan-African science cooperation.</p> <p>"This year, what is special is that we have partnered with the African Academy of Sciences which recognises eminent scientists from across Africa – the continental version of our Academy of Science of South Africa," says Du Toit.</p> <p>He adds that the African Academy of Sciences will hold its General Assembly in South Africa two days before the SFSA, which will further boost the number of African scientists and researchers participating in this year's event.</p> <p>This year there is also a focus on the youth, particularly youth entrepreneurship and youth in science.</p> <p>While only in its fourth year, the SFSA has already gained global recognition and continues to attract more people every year.</p> <p>"The forum has earned its reputation as Africa's premier science event," said Du Toit.</p> <p>According to the DDG, SFSA has succeeded in putting local science, technology and innovation on the global map. He said the platform has had positive spin offs like the establishment the African Open Science Forum, an initiative driven by the International Science Council and supported by South Africa and other international partners. This platform helps African countries to shape policies and strategies to deal with open science, which is currently a major policy debate in the science community.</p> <p>The SFSA has seen South Africa's science partnerships strengthened, for example with the United Kingdom under the Newton Fund, and new partnerships have been formed with countries like Austria."</p> <p>This year, the science event will take place over two and a half days, with the opening event at the University of Pretoria's Rembrandt Hall. The rest of the Forum will take place at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria.  SFSA 2018 is expected to bring more than 2 500 participants together from all over the world for debates, panel discussions and interactive science talks. Engaging exhibitions and science demonstrations will create further opportunities for conversation.</p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-speech-event-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">Event Category</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/event-category/government-activities" hreflang="en">Government activities</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-issued-by-source field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">Issued by</div> <div class="field__item"><div> <div class="field field--name-field-website-url field--type-link field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://www.dst.gov.za/" target="_blank">Department of Science and Technology</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-department field--type-entity-reference field--label-inline clearfix"> <div class="field__label">More from</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/taxonomy/term/884" hreflang="en">Department of Science and Technology</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-gcis-speech-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"><a href="https://www.gov.za/taxonomy/term/950" hreflang="en">Media advisories</a></div> Tue, 27 Nov 2018 05:11:14 +0000 angenitha 784761 at https://www.gov.za https://www.gov.za/news/media-advisories/government-activities/science-and-technology-hosts-science-forum-south-africa#comments