The organisation has reported sustained rapid growth over the last three years, from a base of R6 million through R16 million to the targeted amount of R28 million in 2001/02. This amount represents a 71 percent increase over the previous year.
"These earnings are an essential supplement to our parliamentary grant", said CEO Dr Mark Orkin at the launch of the HSRC's Annual Report in Pretoria on Friday.
"They have enabled us to hire more researchers with improved qualifications and representivity, and thus extend our research services to our public-sector users and other stakeholders".
Orkin added that the HSRC's research earnings for the current year had already exceeded the target of R45 million. This was helped by an increasing proportion of larger projects conducted in collaboration among several research programmes, and with other science councils, tertiary institutions and NGOs in South Africa, the region, and abroad. Several of the projects extended into future years, assuring a sustainable growth path.
A notable example is the R5 million per year research programme into human resources development, awarded by the Department of Science and Technology for three years, and with co-funding from foreign foundations. Based upon an integrated data warehouse, this programme is developing a series of linked analyses – such as student study choices, industry partnerships, and private higher education – for the use of the Departments of Labour, Education, and Trade and Industry.
The turnaround at the HSRC has involved three linked strategies. First, the research components were organised into interdisciplinary, problem-orientated research programmes, focussing increasingly on large-scale projects for government departments and other public sector users. Then energetic research leaders were promoted or recruited, in Cape Town and Durban as well as Pretoria, and given the authority to recruit extra staff against extra income. Finally, the administration was right-sized and its processes restructured and modernised.
Parliamentary funding of approximately R60 million continues to account for the majority of expenditure. The HSRC uses this funding to seed longer-term research, handle tasks for disadvantaged communities of users that cannot afford to commission work, create infrastructure, build external networks and internal capacity, and update skills and technology.
The Parliamentary grant for the current financial year is R61 million.
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