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News in brief - 2002
| The role of the patent in the innovation process |
| December 2002 |
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"Innovation is only achieved when the innovation hits the market" - these were the words of Thomas Gering, responsible for setting up spin-offs developed in the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft's Patent Institute, at the Descartes and Archimedes prize giving ceremonies in Munich on 5 December.
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| Latest NACI News now available |
| December 2002 |
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The November/December 2002 issue of NACI News is now available for download. Features in the current issue include a closer look at innovation, who really own new ideas, and how the rest of the world measures up.
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| Call for Nominations for NACI Council Members |
| December 2002 |
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Nominations for suitable candidates to be considered for appointment to NACI are hereby invited. A chairperson and sixteen to twenty members shall be appointed in their personal capacities and serve on a part-time basis. Previously, some members have distinguished themselves in a S&T field or in the context of innovation; others have special knowledge or experience in the management of S&T or innovation, or in the functioning of the NSI, the S&T system, or other aspect of NACI's domain of responsibility; and others have special insight into the role and contribution of innovation in promoting and achieving national and provincial objectives. A call for nominations appeared in the media on 8 December 2002.
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| Rolex Awards for Enterprise - calls for entries |
| November 2002 |
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The Swiss-based Rolex Watch Company stages an international awards programme every two years. It has invited South Africa for paticipation in its forthcoming 2004 Rolex Awards for Enterprise. Individuals, irrespective of age, nationality and background are eligible for entry, which supports innovative projects in the fields of science and medicine, technology and innovation, exploration and discovery, and environmental and cultural heritage.
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| Southern African Regional Poverty Network documents |
| November 2002 |
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The Network has recently released a number of documents on their website of relevance to a wide audience. Some of the material focuses on the core themes of the recent World Summit on Sustainable Development. The documents also cover a large area of interest which includes regional economic issues and a selection of NEPAD documents.
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| More tech investment needed, says minister |
| October 2002 |
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Africa needs to invest more in its science and technology, which have been identified as important elements to help realise the goals set by the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad), says Science and Technology minister Ben Ngubane. Ngubane made the comments in a speech delivered by Roy Marcus, chairman of the National Advisory Council, to a conference in Midrand this morning on the conditions for maximising the contribution of science and technology to the Nepad process."It is not mere rhetoric to assert that science and technology are important for the success of Nepad.
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| South African Science and Technology - Key facts and figures 2002 |
| October 2002 |
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This recently released NACI publication gives easy access to selected key information about the science and technology (S&T) system of South Africa. It summarises policy and strategic issues, and offers data on selected S&T indicators. Such facts and figures, indispensable for monitoring and evaluating the effects of S&T policy on competitiveness and transformation, need regular updating.
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| NEPAD Conference |
| October 2002 |
| Science and Technology (S&T) has played and continues to play a key role in the sustainable development of the core economies of both developed and developing nations. The National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI) has subsequently taken the initiative in organising a conference aimed at addressing conditions that facilitate or inhibit S&T co-operation in Africa. The Conference will be held from 9-10 October 2002, Eskom Convention Centre, Midrand.
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| NACI Seminar: Technological innovation in context |
| October 2002 |
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You are invited to the next NACI seminar that will be led by Prof Arie Rip of the University of Twente in the Netherlands. The seminar will be held in the NRF Auditorium in Pretoria, on 7 October 2002 at 17:00. The presentation offers an analysis of the process of technological innovation and the points at which the process can be influenced. It offers two applications of the perspectives emerging from the analysis, namely of product innovations in industrial firms and low-input agriculture in the Netherlands and South Africa.
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| Summary of the R&D Worker Mobility Project |
| September 2002 |
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NACI in April 2002 commissioned Human Sciences Research Council to undertake a study on the underlying dynamics of R&D Worker Mobility. This mobility issue is of concern to science systems around the world, and manifests itself in a number of ways. Mobility is both a beneficial and a dysfunctional aspect of the increasingly globalised market for scarce R&D skills.
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| NACI Seminar on Science and Sustainable Development |
| September 2002 |
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NACI organised a seminar, entitled The Role of Science as a Bridge between Development and Sustainability, which formed part of the Science at the Summit Conference in Pretoria. This seminar aimed to highlight the role of science and technology in sustainable development.
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| NEPAD Conference |
| August 2002 |
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Science and Technology (S&T) has and continues to play a key role in the sustainable development of the core economies of both developed and developing nations. The National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI) has subsequently taken the initiative to organise a conference aimed at addressing conditions that may facilitate or inhibit S&T co-operation in Africa.
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| NACI Annual Report released |
| August 2002 |
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The 2001/2002 NACI Annual Report has been released. The report is available for viewing in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format.
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| Splitting of the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology |
| August 2002 |
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It was officially announced that as of 1 August 2002 the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology (DACST) no longer exists as such. The Department was split into two departments namely the Department of Arts and Culture and the Department of Science and Technology. Dr Rob Adam will be the Director-General of the Department of Science and Technology and will be acting as Director-General for the Department of Arts and Culture in the interim. Minister Ben Ngubane will remain minister of both departments.
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| NACI Postgraduate Innovation Award |
| July 2002 |
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NACI has launched a Postgraduate Award which will be awarded to exceptional research achievements in the field of innovation by a South African post graduate student/group and will be presented as grant in the form of seed capital and professional business venture advice. The first award is to be made at the end of November 2002.
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| NACI Innovation Award |
| July 2002 |
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Innovation Award forms part of the Technology Top 100 Awards. The award will go to the company that was involved in an outstanding innovation. The innovation must be a product or process that was developed in the company and had significantly benefited the company and also had a radical impact outside the company. An entry form and more details are available at www.dacst.gov.za/tt100. The closing date for entries is 12 August 2002. Contact Carol Varga at savi@yebo.co.za or tel: (011) 900 4466.
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| Search for innovative proposals and projects |
| July 2002 |
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The Centre for Public Service Innovation has recently launched Innovation Search and invites all innovators working to improve the delivery of public services to submit, nominate and register innovative projects.
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| NACI News launched |
| July 2002 |
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The first issue of NACI News was recently released and is also available online. The newsletter provides regular updates on NACI's activities and on topics relating to science, technology, and innovation in South Africa of relevance to policy makers, S&T managers, researchers, and decision-makers in industry and higher education.
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| Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development |
| July 2002 |
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The Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development will be held from 26 August to 4 September 2002 in Johannesburg. The objective of the event is to provide a platform for highlighting the critical contributions of science, technology and innovation to sustainable development. The Pretoria leg of the event, Science at the Summit, will take place at the CSIR Conference Centre and is specifically for the South African community. Attendance of both is free, with compulsory registration/booking.
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| Report on visit to Finland |
| May 2002 |
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DACST initiated a visit to various institutions in Helsinki and Oulu as a follow-up to the Ministerial visit in 2001. A group of 13 participants from various universities, science councils, innovation support mechanisms, the Department of Communications, DACST and NACI spent four days studying the "Oulu phenomenon". View the short report.
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| Report on the "Unlocking NEPAD" Conference |
| May 2002 |
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This conference arose in response to the NEPAD initiative set up in July 2001. As the theme implies, the conference was about looking at ways in which NEPAD could be unlocked by means of addressing issues involved. The conference was focussed on the corporate and private sectors and aimed to get their support for NEPAD and set the foundations for the establishment of partnerships between the State and the private sector.
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| National system of innovation: Seminar on data and statistics |
| April 2002 |
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NACI recently launched a seminar series on the national system of innovation. The first seminar took place on 14 March 2002 at the National Research Foundation and was presented by Prof. Johann Mouton from the University of Stellenbosch's Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies. The presentation focused on the most recent S&T indicators. The presentation reflected on conceptual issues around indicators, presented best available statistics on R&D expenditure and R&D output and concluded with suggestions on the way forward.
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| Call for Participation in the Workshop on Archiving Scientific and Technical Data |
| April 2002 |
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The workshop is being organised by the South African National Committee for CODATA, CODATA Working Group on Data Archiving and the National Research Foundation. The objective of the workshop is to contribute to a better understanding of the requirements of major issues concerning S&T data archiving. The programme includes international speakers. The workshop is being held on 20-21 May 2002, Pretoria, South Africa.
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| Geoff Rothschild appointed to NACI |
| April 2002 |
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Dr Ben Ngubane, Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology has appointed Mr Geoff Rothschild as member of the National Advisory Council on Innovation. Mr Rothschild, a qualified Chartered Accountant, has a distinguished career history. As a stockbroker of note, he has held various senior positions at SG Frankel Pollak Securities (Pty), Ltd. He currently holds the position of Director, Responsible for Strategic Projects and Customer Retention. Geoff also holds various directorships in financial institutions, and is a member of several societies linked to the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE). He has been a member of overseas delegations in his capacity as Chairman of the JSE.
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| Utilisation of Research Findings - Call for Proposals and Terms of Reference |
| March 2002 |
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The innovation policy of South Africa highlights the need for research that addresses challenges facing the country. This study focuses on one dimension of that need, namely the utilisation and implementation of research findings.
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| Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association launched |
| February 2002 |
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On the 14th February 2001 South African research managers established, in Hout Bay, the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA). SARIMA perceives its primary responsibility as the enhancement of research administration, management, transfer of research findings and the creation of intellectual property not only South Africa but also throughout the SADC region. Dr Tony Heher (right) has been appointed President of the Association.
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| Three new appointments at NACI |
| February 2002 |
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Dr Ben Ngubane, Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology has made the following three appointments: Dr Roy Marcus has been appointed as new chairperson of NACI with immediate effect, and Dr Steve Lennon and Thero Setiloane have been appointed members of NACI.
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| Open Standards and Open Source Software in South Africa |
| February 2002 |
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The National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI) has produced, this January 2002, a discussion document called "Open Standards and Open Software in South Africa: A Critical Issue for Addressing the Digital Divide". It "Discusses the nature and impact of Open Software and recommendations for South Africa to take full advantage of this rapidly growing phenomenon in IT." Please read the complete text and submit your response via email to osfeedback@naci.org.za. View the document.
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| European interest in and perception of science |
| January 2002 |
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In May and June 2001, 16 000 people were interviewed in Europe to establish their views on and interest in science and technology. The interviewees were 15 years and older and approximately 1 000 people from each country were interviewed. The results of the survey were compared to the previous results of a similar survey done in 1992.
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NACI in the news
| People drive Nepad success, says Ngubane |
| ITWeb, 11 October 2002 |
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The importance of human resources development in ensuring that the aims of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) are met came under the spotlight at the second day of the National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI) conference in Midrand yesterday.
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| Steady aims to quantify 'brain drain' impact |
| Engineering News, 20 September 2002 |
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A current study undertaken by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) on behalf of the National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI), aims to quantify and understand the impact that the mobility of research and development workers has on the science system, on the economy and on society in general, and to design appropriate strategies to ameliorate the negative effects of this mobility.
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| Logistics-manufacturing link to be beefed up |
| Engineering News, 9 August 2002 |
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An advanced manufacturing and logistics technology strategy (AMLTS), which the government hopes will provide impetus for an improvement in global competitiveness, could be in place as early as next year.
The envisaged strategy is the brainchild of the National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI) which, through the Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, advises Cabinet on the role of science, technology and innovation in promoting and achieving national objectives.
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| Free software for schools still carries a price tag |
| ITWeb, 15 February 2002 |
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The announcement last week that Microsoft plans to donate free software to 32 000 schools in SA has caused a fair degree of debate in both industry and open source circles. Particularly considering the announcement followed just days after the National Advisory Council on Innovation (Naci), a state body, released a document warning against the threats of proprietary software and urging government to adopt open standards and open source software.
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| SA minister's advisory body punts open source software |
| ITWeb, 4 February 2002 |
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Open source software "has the potential to empower people in ways that proprietary software simply does not allow," according to a discussion paper published last week by the National Advisory Council on Innovation (Naci).
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