NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
WRITTTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO. 2312
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 13 SEPTEMBER 2013;
QUESTION PAPER NO. 30-2013
â2312. Dr JC Kloppers-Lourens to ask the Minister of Science and
Technology:
1) Which research chairs are (i) directly applicable and (ii) indirectly
applicable to the shale gas extraction process and (b) where is each
research chair located;
2) whether there are any plans for additional research chairs related to
the shale gas extraction process; if so, what are the relevant
details?
NW2760E
REPLY:
1. (i)(ii) The Department of Science and Technology does not have
information on specific applied research projects that individual
research chairs are working on. The research chairs initiative is a
long term programme (15 years) that can make it possible for research
chairs to change their applied research projects during the funding
period;
(b) In allocating new research chairs, the Department develops a broad
allocation framework that the National Research Foundation (NRF) uses
in awarding new research chairs. The allocation framework takes into
account the broad priorities of the country as articulated in
different government strategies. On this basis, research chairs are
allocated to strategic, broad areas such as energy security, health
innovation, land reform, social cohesion, global change, mining,
astronomy etc., without an identification of specific applied research
projects. Considering the value chain of processes needed for the
extraction of shale gas, this process could benefit from applied
research conducted by research chairs in natural resource management,
clean alternative fuels, process engineering, waste water treatment,
mining exploration, geology, minerals beneficiation, development
planning and modelling, social change, etc. The Department has
allocated a number of research chairs in the mentioned areas.
2. As stated in (a)(i), the Department is not in a position to tell
which applied research projects the research chairs work on.