The Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Professor Blade Nzimande, says South Africa must prioritise science, technology and innovation (STI) to achieve long-term sustainability.
“We deliver this Budget Vote against the background of a complex set of national and global challenges, some of which include economic stagnation, rising social inequality, a breakdown of social cohesion, the negative impact of climate change, technological disruption and new tensions arising from changes in the international economic and political system,” said the Minister while tabling the department's Budget Vote on Wednesday in Parliament.
He committed to taking STI to the villages, townships, and all the corners of South Africa.
“We hold the view that our country must place science, technology, and innovation at the centre of government, education, industry, and society if we are to secure our sovereignty and future sustainability.”
Nzimande highlighted his department’s dedication to speeding up the transformation and growth of human resources and the research workforce in STI.
The Minister stated that this commitment includes advancing the Presidential PhD Programme, which was launched in 2023.
“We will scale up the implementation of the Innovation Fund programme. During this financial year, our target is to support between 10 and 15 venture capital funds through strategic partnerships with, among others, our entity, the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA).”
He stressed that the development of critical scientific skills remains central to the department’s mandate.
According to the department, 288 Research Chairs to 22 universities and national research facilities in various research disciplines have been awarded.
“I am, however, deeply concerned that black researchers and historically disadvantaged institutions (HDIs) have not benefited from this initiative in the manner that we had anticipated," the Minister said.
To tackle this issue, his department is collaborating with the National Research Foundation (NRF) to establish Research Chairs aimed at addressing these and other deficits in transformation.
“Further to this, our National System of Innovation (NSI) is still characterised by several other transformation deficits, including the low participation of women at the highest levels.”
The department is also strengthening the coordination and direction of the NSI through the Inter-Ministerial Committee on STI, Presidential Plenary for STI, and policy coordination instruments.
In March this year, South Africa hosted its first NSI Transformation Summit.
The Minister announced that under the leadership of the department’s Director-General, the resolutions of this summit are being incorporated into their strategic plan.
In addition, he has vowed continued support for Palestinian institutions and researchers, adding that this project is making steady progress.
As part of South Africa’s G20 Presidency, the department is committed to advancing STI priorities for both the nation and the African continent.
The department is also working tirelessly to increase the Gross Expenditure on Research and Development to 1.5%.
This includes establishing a strategic agreement among organised business, government, and labour to determine future funding.
In addition, the department is focused on maintaining and upgrading crucial science infrastructure and projects, including the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure (NuMeRi), and the development of reliable pandemic preparedness capacity.
Another priority is to build strategic innovation partnerships, which involves aligning the key focus areas of the STI Decadal Plan with the relevant line function departments and mobilising additional funding and resources.
He said significant programmes in areas such as artificial intelligence, energy security, space exploration, vaccine manufacturing, and indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) will be scaled up.
Nzimande stressed that efforts are underway to raise public awareness about the important contributions of the NSI to human development, supported by a vigorous public engagement and communication campaign. – SAnews.gov.za
