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News in brief - 2006
| NACI staff member presented paper at SASA conference |
November 06
Dr Hermi Boraine, a staff member of NACI, presented a paper at the 49th Annual South African Statistical Association (SASA) Conference, recently held at the University of Stellenbosch. The title of the paper was: "Statistical methodology for science policy evaluation".
The winners of the postgraduate student competition were also announced. |
| NACI staff member presented paper in Sri Lanka |
| November 06
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| Simon Mpele presented and discussed a paper on an international conference on S&T Policy Reseach and Statistical Indicators. The paper was authored by Dr Bok (Hendrik) Marais and titled: "The South African STI policy as an indicator driven one: Approach, nature, size and performance". Both Simon and Bok are from the NACI secretariat. The presentation is available on the web site of the National Science Foundation of Sri Lanka.
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| NACI seminar: Problems of scientific advice to policy making and possible solutions |
October 06
Prof Peter Weingart gave an interesting and very relevant lecture on the problems and possible solutions relating to scientific advice and policy making at a NACI seminar. Prof Weingart is from the Institute of Science and Technology Studies, Bielefeld University in Germany. An abstract of his lecture is attached. |
| Inaugural Address of the New Vice-Chancellor of Rhodes University |
October 06
Dr Saleem Badat, previously the CEO of the Council for Higher education, was inaugurated as the new Vice-Chancellor of Rhodes University at 27 September 2006. In his speech, he declared his commitment to Rhodes University and mapped out the road ahead for the university. Dr Badat stated that the focus must be on three main areas: teaching, knowledge production and community engagement. |
| NACI's Annual Report has been officialy released today |
| October 06 |
| The NACI chair, Prof Calie Pistorius, presented the NACI Annual Report 2005/2006 to Minister Mosibudi Mangena this morning. He was accompanied by Ms Luci Abrahams, an Exco member and Dr Bok Marais, the Head of the NACI Secretariat. The focus of the reporting year was the launching of a series of evidence-generating studies. The report offers an overview of the organisational sub-committe structure, the five strategic thrusts and iniatives launched under each, progress reports and outputs. Abstracts of the Annual Report are provided in each of the eleven official languages. The Minister officially released the report at the meeting. |
| NACI Briefs the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee |
October 06
On the 24th of October, the Chairperson of NACI, Prof. Calie Pistorius, briefed the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Science & Technology on NACI’s 2005/06 Annual Report. Members of the Portfolio Committee on S&T welcomed the interaction with the NACI Councillors and the Secretariat and posed some thought-provoking questions. Mr. E. Ngcobo, the Chair of the Portfolio Committee on S&T, indicated that the NACI presentation was both informative and substantive, both with regards to: (i) explaining NACI’s approach to science advice; and (ii) the modus operandi adopted in advising the Minister of Science & Technology. The Portfolio Committee Chairperson and the majority of the other members of the PPC on S&T were positive about the work that NACI is doing, and complimented the Chair of NACI for his cogent and lucid presentation. |
| NRF Appointed a New Vice Preseident |
September 06
On 19 September the NRF Board announced the appointment of Professor Albert van Jaarsveld as the Vice-President of the NRF as well as Managing Director of RISA (Research and Innovation Support and Advancement). He will start in his new position in January 2007. Prof van Jaarsveld currently is the Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Stellenbosch and holds a professorate in Zoology. |
| Ms Luci Abrahams appointed as CHE council member |
September 06
One of the Executive Committee members of the NACI council, Ms Luci Abrahams was appointed as board member of the Council for Higher Education (CHE), from 2006-2010. She currently is Director of the Learning Information Networking Knowledge centre at Wits. She is also the Chair of the SET4W NACI subcommittee. |
| Prof Gupta presented at NACI lunch time seminar |
September 06
Prof Gupta from the Centre for Management in Agriculture, India, gave a presenation at a lunch time seminar at NACI on innovation at grassroot level (or community-based innovation as it is commonly known). He is dedicated to lifting poor people out of the poverty trap, through grassroots innovation. Since poverty reduction is one of the key missions of the National R&D Strategy, the seminar was highly relevant. Dr Gupta is the recipient of many awards and honours, has published extensively and served as consultant for various organisations.
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| OECD delegation visit concluded |
September 06
The OECD delegation has concluded their visit to South Africa today by meeting with the Minister of Science and Technology, Mr Mosibudi Mangena in Pretoria. They presented a provisional birds eye view of their findings and conclusions to the Minister and senior DST officials. The next step will be the writing of the final report. |
| NACI Seminar on Nanotechnology Policy |
September 06
Arie Rip, who is a Professor of Philosophy of Science and Technology in the Centre for Studies of Science, Technology and Society at the University of Twente (Enschede, The Netherlands), presented a thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating NACI Dinner seminar on “Nanotechnology Policy”. In his presentation Prof. Rip focused on the difficult interaction between societal goals, promises of new scientific and technological options, and governance issues as it pertains to nanotechnology. The seminar was well attended by key science and technology policy experts from academia, government and public research institutions. Prof. Rip argued convincingly that nanotechnology is an example of a technology where one needs to investigate the potential social and ethical impacts at an early stage before it is apparent what can and cannot be achieved by the technology. As such, the emphasis is now on supporting reflection and the articulation of better strategies for developing nanotechnology in relation to society. |
| New CEO of NACI announced' |
| February 06 |
| Dr Phil Mjwara has been appointed as Director-General of the Dept of Science & Technology and thus also CEO of NACI. He currently is the group executive responsible for Research and Development at the CSIR and is likely to start in his new position on 1 April 06.
Dr Mjwara said that he is looking forward to this new challenge. |
| Call for Nominations SET4W |
| February 06 |
| Nominations of suitable candidates for appointment to SET4W are hereby invited. Nominations, accompanied by a detailed and an abridged curriculum vitae and confirmation of the availability of the nominee, should reach the NACI Secretariat on or before Friday, 10 March 2006 |
| 2006 is the International Year of Deserts and Desertification (IYDD) |
| January 06 |
The Fifty-Ninth General Assembly of the United Nations has declared 2006 as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification (IYDD).
Desertification is a global challenge. It affects a third of the earth's surface and more than a billion people. Although the Environmental Action Plan of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) has made the fight against desertification and land degradation a priority, the topic still receives insufficient attention. The general public do not understand the importance of the subject. This year is therefore dedicated to spreading the message strongly and effectively. |
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