Hon Chairperson, Ministers, colleagues, Deputy Minister Hanekom, Deputy Ministers, hon members, guests and family in the gallery, it is most unusual to speak from a podium in E249; it is the first time since 1994.
Our debate today will report on the progress we are making with our key strategic priorities to signal new directions, and hopefully persuade Parliament and South Africa that the science and technology sectors hold great promise for our development ambitions, and need to be given far more attention and support than they currently receive.
We also intend to outline the competence, and indeed excellence, that exist in our sector, and to argue that we should devote increased resources and policy support to strengthening excellence. This is particularly true in disciplines and sectors that have the potential to make a contribution in improving our development status, expanding economic growth, and changing the quality of life of individuals and communities.
The funding of Science and Technology must be improved if we are to realise our ambitious national goal of building a knowledge-based economy. One of the areas that must be addressed is increased support for postgraduate study and senior researchers, plus a much more stable funding model for all our research-performing institutions.
Our department was allocated R4,1 billion in the adjusted estimates of 2010- 11 and we have spent 98% of our budget. [Applause.] Our biggest hurdle is vacancies due to a lack of appropriate skills. We will give this challenge more attention this year. In this financial year our allocation is R4,4 billion. We anticipate modest growth in the outer years of this Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, to address human resource development and infrastructure renewal in our science councils.
In this financial year the following are some of the allocations we intend to make. Over R200 million will be spent on expanding access to the South African National Research Network, Sanren, in order to ensure that all universities in South Africa are connected by December 2011. Also, 62 new chairs will be established in the SA Research Chairs Initiative, with a total investment in research chairs of R914 million by 2013. An additional 25 post-doctoral fellowships, each worth R180 000 per annum for three years, will be established.
An amount of R433 million will be allocated to the Technology Innovation Agency, Tia; R1,089 billion to the National Research Foundation, NRF; R687 million to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR; R206 million to the Human Sciences Research Council, HSRC; R93 million to the South African National Space Agency, Sansa; R32 million to the Africa Institute of South Africa, Aisa; and R11 million to the Academy of Sciences of South Africa, Assaf.
There are four key areas that we will focus on in the ensuing financial year, but that have also received attention in the past financial year. These are the following: creating a strong and responsive institutional framework in supporting the creation of a vibrant National System of Innovation; supporting fundamental research and development in all disciplines, while also positively responding to new opportunities that enhance our competitiveness and innovation; developing our human resources in order to have the skills needed to work in a growing knowledge economy, and utilising these skills as well as research, development and innovation to contribute to economic growth and socioeconomic change; and using our geographic advantage and international partnerships in building on our local strengths, while maximising African and global collaboration.
With respect to the first, institution building, we intend to create an institutional and policy framework that advances and sustains a co- ordinated and responsive National System of Innovation. The Tia is our key agency in this regard. I am pleased to report that the Tia is now fully operational and has begun to add value to several important investment opportunities.
At present, over 26 investments have been identified, and 11 have a strong likelihood of enhancing job creation and socioeconomic development. Eleven others have proceeded beyond proof of concept stage, and four are ready for commercialisation. Over R400 million will be committed to this successful and promising investment portfolio.
I believe that as a department we must strive much harder to secure a larger investment in the Tia for 2012. It is inadequate to have the allocation we have to do the immense amount of work that must be done. I would like to thank the board, the chairperson, Dr Ramphele, for the hard work, and Dr Duma and his Tia team for the steps they have taken to enhance innovation success.
We have also established the interim structure of the National Intellectual Property Management Office, Nipmo, in the department. R15 million will be allocated to Nipmo this year. So, hon Shinn you don't need to ask me any more questions about this. This is merely a friendly reminder - the hon Shinn always reminds me of what must be done, and I have regard for that. We have used this interim route in order to allow the office to begin its operations with the full support of the department's infrastructure. Nipmo works, as it must, very closely with Tia, as they work in areas that are complementary.
Nipmo has provided funding to support the establishment of the Eastern Cape Regional Office of Technology Transfer and the KwaZulu-Natal Regional Office. Furthermore, Nipmo supports the staffing costs of Offices of Technology Transfer at the University of Johannesburg, the Agricultural Research Council, Wits University, and the University of Cape Town. It also provides support to institutions in terms of a 50% rebate on costs incurred through patenting processes.
In this financial year, we intend to work closely with our rural-based institutions, to assess the forms of support we should provide to them through our regional Offices of Technology Transfer. It would be in order to strengthen their technology development and innovation potential.
We have also provided skills development training in Intellectual Property Management for a range of staff. We have had two summer schools in South Africa, with support from the World Intellectual Property Organisation, Wipo. Further support from Wipo, Oxford University's Isis Innovation, and Waikato University of New Zealand have enhanced the training on intellectual property that we are supporting. All of these institutes have a credible record in intellectual property management, and we intend to use these partnerships to incrementally grow our success in the production of viable intellectual property.
I have been very pleased with recent research reports from our universities and science councils. All of them point to robust and growing research activity in a wide range of disciplines. We are committed to ensuring that we build on this wealth of intellectual activity, and intend to support our institutions and researchers much more vigorously. Our allocation of R1,089 billion for 2011-12 to the National Research Foundation, NRF, is a positive investment in our researchers and national facilities.
Last year, we also launched the SA National Space Agency, Sansa. We congratulate the board on its appointment of Dr Malinga as the chief executive officer, CEO. R93 million has been allocated to Sansa in this financial year. The agency has been working hard to smooth the migration of all space-related entities. We have also directed Sansa to assist the Department of Science and Technology, DST, in ensuring the provision of support to SunSpace in our effort to convert it into a viable satellite manufacturing company.
We remain convinced that we have the technological capability to develop a medium-sized satellite industry. Our plans have not received support from Treasury this year, but we will continue to argue for and work towards South Africa's developing her own competence in satellite building. We look forward to SunSpace and Sansa's producing plans for Sumbandila 2, based on the prototype Sumbandila Satellite.
We have also worked hard in expanding the number of institutions that support researchers, and our wide-ranging human resource development programme. Hon members will be aware that our centres of excellence attract high level research and development skills through providing substantial funding for equipment, postgraduate research opportunities, and places for focused research development and innovation.
In 2010-11 we allocated R47 million to the then seven centres of excellence. We have established an eighth centre of excellence that began in 2010 with the establishment of the Applied Centre for Climate and Earth Systems Science, Access. In 2011-12, we will allocate R50 million to the centres of excellence.
A recent scorecard report of the National Research Foundation, NRF, indicated that South Africa's investment in the seven centres has proved to be a very worthwhile intervention. The seven centres currently host 476 masters and doctoral candidates and have produced a significant number of publications.
We intend to explore the creation of additional centres in this financial year, in order to ensure that we establish a sustainable platform for attracting and retaining scarce skills in South Africa. We also welcome and support efforts by scientists and universities to establish centres of research excellence. This year, modest Department of Science and Technology, DST, support will be provided to a range of university-based research centres. We will also continue to provide support to our excellent African Institute for Mathematical Studies, Aims, which is doing brilliant work in mathematics postgraduate study.
We are pleased to have in the gallery some of South Africa's esteemed researchers. We have Prof Suprakas Sinha Ray of the CSIR, who has been rated 50th by Thompson Reuters in a list of the top 100 chemists in the world. I wonder if he would stand up so that members will know who he is. [Applause.] This list celebrates the International Year of Chemistry and recognises excellence among chemists who publish widely, and achieve high impact through their work. I am not sure whether Prof Quarraisha Abdool Karim and Prof Salim Abdool Karim are here. They were supposed to be here, as they promised to. I would have been able to welcome them, but they are not here, and they are probably busy doing what they should be doing - research. Both of them are at the School of Medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. [Applause.]
I am pleased that the DST has played a part in supporting their groundbreaking Caprisa-led research into the Tenofovir microbicide gel. All members are familiar with the research, which aims to support women in protecting themselves from HIV infection. Their work has attracted worldwide acclaim, and we are pleased that we will be providing an additional R51,2 million over the next three years to support further research work. [Applause.] The team will happily consist of a broad consortium of universities across South Africa and the United States, our Medical Research Council, MRC, and health institutes.
This is the kind of excellence we wish to expand and encourage in South Africa. Our department is excited at the prospect of improved quality health support held out by tuberculosis-focused research at the CSIR Nanotechnology Centre. We are also supporting a consortium of researchers in the SA Malaria Initiative, and a range of other disciplines that are detailed in our annual reports and other studies that members can access.
We are fully alert to the fact that attention should also be given to the character and condition of existing science and technology infrastructure. This is why I established a Ministerial Committee on Science and Technology last year, to advise us on the state of our science infrastructure. It also has to advise us on what should be done to ensure that South Africa strengthens, maintains and further develops the architecture devoted to research, development and innovation.
The Phase One: Desktop Analysis Report confirms the progress made in the past few years. It also signals, from the committee, the urgent need to attend to ageing infrastructure, inadequate human capital interventions, and the provision of more robust support to the co-ordination of a system that is fractured, somewhat incoherent, and performing below par due to these fault lines. I wish to thank the committee, led by Prof Loyiso Nongxa, for the work they have done up to this point. They have indicated, and we agree, that we need a governmentwide co-ordinating structure to support and direct research funding nationally.
The President has supported my proposal that there should be a national committee on science and technology innovation, including relevant Ministers and research and development stakeholders, in order to ensure sustained political commitment and oversight of national research and development resources. The department's executive is drafting the proposed terms of reference and composition of the committee.
We also believe that serious consideration should be given to locating the budgets of science councils within the Science and Technology budget. This is in order to ensure assured and improved resourcing of all our science councils. Sector departments would still have the right to direct policy, but we would ensure resourcing and full attention to research, technology development and innovation. So, it is not controlled, but it is enhancing the research and development that we want.
The second key area we want to pay attention to is that of the skills needed for a vibrant and productive knowledge economy. We have begun to act in several areas that will strengthen our knowledge sectors. In 2010, over R100 million was provided via the NRF for research equipment and emergency infrastructure for our national research facilities. In the next three years we will invest a further R1,426 billion in research equipment and infrastructure.
One of our most important objectives is to ensure that by December this year all public university campuses will have broadband connectivity to the SA National Research Network, Sanren. We have provided R74 million for this, in addition to the R55 million awarded in 2010. Minister Nzimande, my colleague, has added a welcome R28 million, while the Square Kilometre Array, SKA, project has designated a further R60 million, thus creating a sum of R217 million for broadband connectivity in higher education. Hon members, you can applaud. [Applause.]
The department has also provided expanded support for human capital development programmes. In 2010-11 an additional R100 million was allocated to improve the value of postgraduate bursaries awarded by the NRF. These funds are intended to increase the number and equity profile of postgraduate students, and support emerging researchers and academics with an emphasis on black and women researchers. It will also be used to retain and maximise the role of established researchers in increasing research productivity and supervising the next generation of researchers.
R42 million was allocated to provide more honours bursaries, R11 million toward more postdoctoral fellowships, and R10 million to support masters and doctoral students who were close to graduation but did not have complete funding. A further R11,8 million has been allocated to improve the academic qualifications of university academics, because these must be attended to. [Applause.]
In this financial year, we will continue to expand support directed at growing the pool of active and productive researchers who are able to contribute to our National System of Innovation, NSI.
The Research Chairs Initiative is an important part of our human capital interventions. We will establish 62 more research chairs this year to add to the current 92. The call for chairs will focus on six areas: technology missions; priority research areas; science and technology for poverty alleviation; and engineering and applied technology. We will have an open category focused on fundamental disciplines. We thus intend to have 154 research chairs by 2014.
We welcome the presence here today of our invited SA Research Chairs Initiative, Sarchi, Chairs: Professors Phuti Ngoepe of the University of Limpopo; Murray Leibbrandt of the University of Cape Town, UCT; Marie Rybrandt of UCT; Sue Harrison of UCT; Francesco Petruccione of the University of KwaZulu-Natal; Rajend Mesthrie of UCT; and Soraya Seedat of the University of Stellenbosch. These are some of our renowned academics holding research chairs in South Africa. [Applause.]
More attention will be given to increasing the number of technologists and technicians in our country. We are considering a technology-linked internship programme in which small and medium-sized technology firms will provide internships for young people. It will also work with our universities of technology to ensure that we address this aspect of training, which is currently neglected. Furthermore, increased attention will be given to skills-focused innovation cabins that provide technology entrepreneurs with all the resources they require to generate new ideas and products.
The third area is that of ensuring that we continue to provide support for fundamental research, while responding to new opportunities. We have had a great deal of success in building African and international research and development partnerships. One example of such success is BioFISA, our biotechnology partnership with the government of Finland. It is a national and regional collaboration implemented by the New Partnership for Africa's Development, Nepad, agency and the Southern African Network for Biosciences, SANBio. It includes 12 Southern African Development Community, SADC, member states with a hub at the CSIR.
Bilateral research co-operation with India, Italy, France and Switzerland has seen funding to the value of R43 million provided, with over 158 students participating in these international initiatives.
We have also had a great deal of success through our access to the Framework Programmes of the European Union, EU. This has been of great benefit to our researchers and their ability to develop international partnerships. Our modest investment of just R17 million in these programmes has resulted in partnership funding valued at over R250 million from our European partners. This is most exciting for the department. [Applause.]
Support for the EU Sector Budget Support Programme for poverty alleviation through the use of technology has added over R24 million to our programmes that are focused on using research and development to alter socioeconomic conditions. We believe that if a community lacks energy sources, we should not wait until Eskom can get its lines there. Let us use solar technology or biomass and deliver energy to our people faster, rather than at the slow pace we are working at the moment. [Applause.]
If we had much more time we would be reporting on support for all the disciplines, particularly on the excellent work led by the HSRC and the Africa Institute of South Africa, Aisa, in the humanities and social sciences. These are neglected areas of science that we don't talk about sufficiently. We would also be reporting on the initiatives you viewed today in nanotechnology, titanium powder development, bioprospecting in indigenous knowledge systems, and further progress in our advanced materials strategy. But, however much I argued with the Whips, I could not get an hour - hence I cannot report on all of these. However, many of you saw the wide range of work being done by hundreds of eminent scientists and technologists in our country. We are fortunate to have such talent in South Africa.
This brings me then to the fourth focus area, which is that of making use of our geographic advantage and international partnerships to build on our local strengths, while maximising African and global collaboration. Scientists I have referred to are joined in their hard work by the team working on the Square Kilometre Array, SKA, project. Work on the SKA is proceeding very well. Our partner countries are fully committed to the SKA project and we are working to fulfil all the readiness report requirements of the global committee. I have been very encouraged by the strong support from all our partner countries, especially Mozambique, Botswana, Ghana, Namibia and Zambia.
Astronomy has become a key area of research and development activity on the African continent. I am pleased to inform the House that I have received the final report of the Astronomy Desk from Prof Hellberg. I am studying the recommendations and hope to brief the committee on them very soon. In the interim, I intend to retain the Astronomy Desk and to draw on its expertise.
I hope that the debate that will ensue today will outline the work we are doing in order to ensure that all the missions and sectors outlined in our policy instruments receive support and contribute to our overall performance. Geographic advantage research in areas such as palaeontology and astronomy, and technology missions such as advanced manufacturing associated with our mineral wealth, the hydrogen economy, the bioeconomy, energy security and renewable sources of energy, space science and related industries, global change earth science and observation, and climate effects and change, as well as human and social dynamics, all continue to influence the work that we are doing.
However, we have also recognised that our identification of five priority areas in our 10-year innovation plan may have implied or caused a neglect of a range of disciplines that have the potential to contribute significantly to increasing our science competitiveness and our innovation performance. We have agreed that, as is the practice in other emerging systems, we need to set ourselves a much longer policy horizon and develop the practice of periodic policy statements of the strategic focus of the department. This will allow us to move from broad ambitious targets to much more measurable and realistic policy goals.
We hope to use this year to prepare for this approach. We will also utilise the final report from the ministerial committee as the foundation for consolidating the current policy instruments into a coherent synthesis of policy and practice that sets out our focus on infrastructure for science and technology, support for research and development, investment in human capital and the provision of modern infrastructure, and an institutional architecture that supports research and expands innovation and business formation. We believe these areas should be the basis of a performance- oriented National System of Innovation.
As you have seen, we have made advances in all the disciplines and missions we have spoken of today. We have begun to build on our solid foundation of excellence and to invest in our strengths in order to significantly increase our research and innovation outputs. These will be used to improve our socioeconomic profile.
In closing, I would really like to thank all our guests from our science councils and universities who have joined us today. I am truly grateful to all of you for your presence. [Applause.]
I also wish to thank my wonderful Deputy, Deputy Minister Hanekom, for his hard work, friendship and leadership, and the support that he provides to all of us. I wish to thank our Director-General, Dr Philemon Mjwara, our deputy directors-general and the entire team of the department for the work that they do. My all-suffering ministerial officials of the Minister's office, thank you very much for your support. All the chairs of our board and board members who give of their time unselfishly to South Africa, we thank each and every one of you. We thank the hon members of the portfolio committee led by Dr Ngcobo, who provide us with support, vigilance and of course with no slacking because we are assured that we will always be watched.
I must do something that I always forget, thank my wonderful family! I wish my daughter well in completing her PhD in the next few months. Thank you very much. [Applause.]