Get in Touch With Us
The Secretariat is stationed within the Council of the Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Building 23 and renders secretarial and managerial support to the NACI Council. All correspondence, including to the Chairperson and members of the Executive Committee of NACI should be directed to the Secretariat.
Contact Information
📍 Main Office
CSIR Building 23
Meiring Naudé Rd
Brummeria
Pretoria
0184
📞 Phone
012 844 0252
✉️ Email
Have a Question?
Frequently Asked Questions
What does NACI do and what is the mandate?
National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI) was officially established under the National Advisory Council on Innovation Act No. 55 of 1997. NACI is an entity of the Department of Science Technology and Innovation (DSTI). The mandate of NACI is to provide Evidence-Based advice to the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation and, through this Minister, the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC), the Presidential Plenary and the Cabinet, or any individual Cabinet member, on the role and contribution of science, technology and innovation (STI), including indigenous knowledge systems, in promoting and achieving national objectives; and to monitor and evaluate the national system of innovation (NSI).
How does NACI conduct its evidence-based advice to the Minister?
The Council’s work is grounded in rigorous research and analysis, primarily executed through the NACI Secretariat and by establishing specialised expert committees. These expert committees are established to investigate specific topics related to science, technology and innovation matters. The committees are usually led by NACI Counsil members. The findings and recommendations from these policy investigations inform the development of advice, which is then submitted directly to the Minister of Science Technology and Innovation to support policy development and decision-making.
What is the South African STI Indicators Report, and what kind of information does it contain?
The annual Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators Report is one of NACI’s flagship publications. Its purpose is to provide a comprehensive, data-driven snapshot of the health of South Africa’s National System of Innovation. The report tracks trends over a decade using the 2020 NSI Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, which comprises the STI enablers, flows and linkages, STI outputs and impacts, as well as sectoral and provincial innovation systems. The data is sourced from both local and international sources.
What is National Science, Technology and Innovation Information Portal (NSTIIP)?
The National Science, Technology and Innovation Information Portal is a repository of innovation-related data. It also functions as an observatory, enabling the monitoring, analysis, and interpretation of trends within the National System of Innovation (NSI). The platform was established to:
- support NACI’s evidence-based advisory services.
- consolidates fragmented STI data into a unified repository; and
- address knowledge gaps through targeted data collection.
As a public resource, the portal provides seamless, open access information to NSI stakeholders.