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The Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor, inaugurated into office the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Institutional Landscape Panel. It has been appointed to review the South African STI landscape.

The members are –

1.         Dr Boni Mehlomakulu (Chairperson)
2.         Dr Thulani Dlamini
3.         Prof. Anne Grobler
4.         Dr Azar Jammine
5.         Prof. Calestous Juma
6.         Dr Rasigan Maharajh
7.         Prof. Bongani Mayosi
8.         Ms Lucienne Abrahams
9.         Prof. Loyiso Nongxa
10.       Prof. Helen Rees
11.       Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi

Background

In July 2010, Minister Pandor commissioned a committee to review the South African STI landscape in respect of its readiness to meet the needs of the country in the coming 10 to 30 years, the extent to which the country was making optimal use of its existing strengths, and how well the country was positioned to respond rapidly to a changing global landscape.

The Ministerial Review Committee was also required to identify what would be required from the state, as well as from other key stakeholders, in order to ensure an adequate and growing investment in innovation that would deliver a sustained and durable knowledge-based economy geared towards advancing the national objectives of economic growth, job creation, better health, quality education and responsiveness to the needs of the most marginalised.

In particular, the Ministerial Review Committee was required to make recommendations on the future structure and governance of the system, including the roles and responsibilities of different actors in the system, the roles and responsibilities of the Department of Science and Technology – including its relationship with other government departments – human resources and other capabilities needed, and recapitalisation and funding.

The purpose of the STI institutional landscape review

The purpose of the review is to establish whether the institutional landscape is able to optimally assist in achieving the objectives of South Africa's National Development Plan (NDP) and socio-economic needs. This includes identifying any gaps in the current institutional landscape.

It is envisaged that the review will propose a model for STI institutions that will be able to promote coherence and optimise integrated mandates in each case, designed within common policy frameworks, so that strategically directed funding can be applied across all these significant components of and contributors to the National System of Innovation(NSI).

The review will take into account the following issues raised by the 2010 Ministerial Review Committee:

●         An institutional model for science councils and public research organisations that is in line with the broad vision of the NSIas envisioned in the National Research and Development Strategy and the Ten-Year Innovation Plan. The institutional model should be benchmarked against international best models, and whether the size of the system is adequate to respond to the NDP (Vision 2030) goals.  The proposed institutional model should also be tested for responsiveness to institutional challenges such as fragmentation and the lack of coherence experienced by these institutions, as identified in the report.

●         The appropriateness of the current STI institutional model.

The review panel will make recommendations to Minister Pandor on all matters related to its terms of reference.

Issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology