Файл: Na_puti_k_dolgosrochnoy_strategii_stran_BRIKS_angl.pdf

BRICS Long-Term Strategy

144 

|

that manages and promotes the country’s research capabilities. It is responsible for 

grants, partnerships, benchmarking and funding and managing national research 

facilities. The South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement is 

a business unit of the National Research Foundation which aims to increase the 

public understanding of S&T. 

The Technology Innovation Agency was created based on the recommendations 

of an OECD review of the NIS in 2007. As a national coordinating agency, it aims 

to bridge the gap between research institutions and the market, enabling and 

supporting technological innovation in key sectors of the economy. It incorporated 

a number of DST initiatives such as a technology stations programme based in 

the universities of technology, and technology incubators in key fields such as 

biotechnology. However, it has not yet operated successfully, and a review committee 

was established to determine how it may function more effectively in future. 

Higher education system

The education and training system is rooted in the legacy of the apartheid system 

and colonialist traditions, with a majority of universities being founded in the early 

20th century. A major movement to reform the education system in 2004 led to 

mergers to create larger and more relevant types of university: research universities, 

comprehensive universities, and universities of technology (OECD, 2007). 

South Africa has 23 public HEIs. The Department of Higher Education 

and Training manages the policies aimed at the creation of the human capital and 

knowledge needed for the NIS. However, it still has to tackle brain drain

62

 issues and 

the ageing of academic staff, who are not being replaced in sufficient numbers for 

sustainable academic growth in the near future

63

 (Docquier and Rapoport, 2012). 

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme

64

 is a government programme 

that grants student loans and bursaries for students who cannot afford the fees –  

most in undergraduate studies but some graduate students also. It is a major 

instrument for redress and to extend access. The National Research Foundation 

provides bursaries and scholarships to students in S&T. 

Research institutes

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is the main public research 

institute sponsored by the government. It was constituted in 1945 and develops 

multidisciplinary research, technological innovations and industrial and scientific 

62. Emigration of potential scientists, researchers and academic staff.
63. These concerns were addressed in the 2008 National Research and Development Strategy, but they are still a 

problem that needs to be solved.
64. See: <http://goo.gl/e40zAM>. 

Progress through Sharing Knowledge and Innovation 

|

 145

development. The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) is responsible for 

social science research, including data creation and statistical analysis of the inputs 

and outputs of the NIS. It is responsible for the South African Innovation Survey 

and the R&D Survey, on behalf of the DST.

65

There are a number of other mission-oriented science councils that report to 

line departments but are coordinated by the DST. The Medical Research Council 

was established in 1969 to conduct research, development and technology transfer 

to promote the improvement of health and the quality of life of the population. 

The Agricultural Research Council, MINTEK (minerals and mining) and the 

Council for GeoScience are some of the main bodies performing research. Others 

fund research in specific fields, such as the Water Research Commission. There 

have been significant policy attempts to enhance the performance of these actors, 

through a system of national reviews and performance monitoring.

The National Research Foundation hosts a number of centres of excellence 

and National Research Facilities: HartRAO (astronomy), iThemba LABS (nuclear), 

NZG (zoology), SAAO (environment), SAIAB (ichthyology).

66

 Four regional 

biotechnology innovation centres were created and are now under the ambit of 

the Technology Innovation Agency: BioPAD (Pretoria), Life Lab (Durban), Cape 

BioTech Trust (Cape Town) and PlantBio.

Enterprises

“

South Africa has a nucleus of strong, innovation-performing business enterprises, and 

this base appears to be broadening” (OECD, 2007: 10). The results of the Innovation 

Survey of 2008 indicate that 10.3 per cent of South African enterprises made process 

innovations, 8.9 per cent developed product innovations, and 7.9 per cent did both 

(HSRC and DST, 2011). By 2007 the business sector funded a high 45 per cent of 

R&D. There is a need for comprehensive support to innovation in small and medium 

enterprises (SMEs) (OECD, 2007). 

“

Spatial divides and limited opportunities for 

entrepreneurship during apartheid have left a legacy that continues to hinder employment 

and SME development” (International Monetary Fund, 2013: 7). One initiative that 

aims to develop biotechnology enterprises is the eGoLiBio life sciences incubator,

67

also now coordinated under the Technology Innovation Agency.

The Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme has been 

successful in the development of high-level technical skills for industry, in 

collaboration with higher education and public research institutes.

68

65. The 2008 South African Innovation Survey is available at: <http://goo.gl/LXLoIm>. 
66. See: <http://goo.gl/ZqO31s>. 
67. See: <http://goo.gl/n6s1sP />. 
68. See: <http://goo.gl/du6nj0>. 

BRICS Long-Term Strategy

146 

|

The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation SOC Limited (NECSA) is 

responsible for the development of South Africa’s nuclear energy capabilities.

69

A promising nuclear energy innovation project, the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor, 

had its activities effectively shut down following a lack of commercial interest 

and finance.

A major success has been achieved in astronomy and space science, identified 

as a key challenge in the Ten-Year Innovation Plan. South Africa has won the bid 

to co-host the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), a massive global radio astronomy 

project that will encourage innovation and research. Local scientists are already 

involved in a set of global innovation networks. 

Regulatory and policy framework of the National Innovation System

Main recent plans/programmes

The White Paper on Science & Technology: Preparing for the 21

st

 Century

 recognised, as 

early as 1996, the need to embed S&T strategies in a larger drive to achieve an NIS 

and also to create a system of output measures for S&T institutions (Department 

of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, 1996). It lacked a deep understanding 

of the research capacities of the time, aiming for goals that could not realistically 

be met within the system’s growth capacity (Cassiolato and Vitorino, 2009). Other 

programmes related to harnessing STI for economic and social development include 

a National Research and Development Strategy (2002), a National Biotechnology 

Strategy (2002), Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (2006) 

and a National Industrial Policy Framework (2006).

70

In 2007 the DST drafted a ten-year plan for the NIS, aiming to transform 

South Africa into a knowledge-based economy. It recognises the huge gap between 

South Africa and knowledge-driven economies and the inadequate production 

of knowledge workers. It recommends the need to improve access to finance, 

create an innovation-friendly regulatory environment and strengthen the NIS. 

It establishes five key challenge areas: “farmer to pharma” value chain to strengthen 

bio-economy, space science and technology, energy security, global climate change, 

and human and social dynamics.

The National Development Plan was launched in 2011.

71

 It aims to increase 

the quality of life of all South Africans and reduce inequalities. The plan is divided 

into five-year planning cycles. Poverty reduction and the creation of opportunities 

are considered enablers to innovation capacity. The plan promotes these goals by 

69. South Africa’s SAFARI-1 reactor has a global capacity in supplying medical radioisotopes, mainly molybdenum-99, 

with a production capacity up to 25 per cent of the global demand. (Source: World Nuclear Association).
70. For more details on these policies, see Kruss and Lorentzen (2009).
71. See: <http://www.gov.za/documents/detail.php?cid=348761>. 

Progress through Sharing Knowledge and Innovation 

|

 147

aiming to reduce barriers to employment, elevating the standards of education, 

especially in regards to mathematics and science education and promoting the 

creation and improvement of critical infrastructure. It recommends a focus on 

R&D in areas of competitive advantage, such as: high-value agriculture, mining 

inputs and downstream processing, environment and energy, and financial services.

Financial and tax mechanisms 

The National Research Foundation is the main funding agency, although bodies 

such as the Medical Research Council and the Water Research Commission also 

fund R&D. Innovation funding is coordinated through the Technology Innovation 

Agency and the DST. 

There are several incentive schemes for business and enterprises to promote 

investment and innovation: the Enterprise Investment Programme, Black Business 

Supplier Development Programme, Critical Infrastructure Programme, 

Business Process Outsourcing and Offshoring, Sector-Specific Assistance Scheme, 

Co-operative Incentive Scheme, Technological Human Resources for Industry 

Programme and the Support Programme for Industrial Innovation (Kahn, Melo 

and Matos, 2014).

Recently the government issued a tax incentive for organisations to incentivise 

R&D activities. It consists of a 150 per cent tax deduction for R&D costs.

72

Venture capital agencies have been a major gap in the NIS, but investments 

are increasing. A 2013 survey on venture capital in South Africa listed 102 funds as 

participants out of 126 potential participants.

73

Relevant legislation

Patent legislation in South Africa has been lacking in comparison to other BRICS 

countries. Its system does not account for search procedures in patent applications, 

and also allows for weak patent registration. For example, concerns remain over 

the difficulty of producing and marketing generic medicines because of 

slow procedures at the Medicine Control Council and the lack of use of easing 

mechanisms provided under international treaties.

74

In 2013 the Department of Trade and Industry released the Draft National 

Policy on Intellectual Property of South Africa, proposing reforms and interventions 

in the system. In it the Department acknowledged the weakness of the system of 

72. See: <http://goo.gl/VYSxJp>. 
73. The annual Venture Capital and Private Equity Industry Performance Survey of South Africa is available at: 

<http://goo.gl/P68n3G>. 
74. Mainly the TRIPS agreement that provides compulsory licensing and limits to the number of protected years to 

health-related patents. 

BRICS Long-Term Strategy

148 

|

health-related patents and the need for change. The National Intellectual Property 

Management Organisation has been established and monitors new legislation 

regarding the commercialisation of publicly funded research, which also requires 

all HEIs to establish technology transfer units.

1.2 Successful international experiences of cooperation and knowledge sharing

1.2.1 The European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research

The Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development 

(FP7) was the European Union’s (EU) main instrument for funding research in 

Europe and ran from 2007 to 2013. The specific programme on cooperation 

supported all types of research activities carried out by different research bodies 

in trans-national cooperation and aimed to gain or consolidate leadership in key 

scientific and technological areas. The Russian Federation, India and China had 

significant cooperation within the FP7 framework.

The BILAT-RUS-Advance project aims to facilitate STI cooperation between 

Russia and the EU. It will support bilateral STI dialogue between the Russian 

Federation and EU Member States, Candidate Countries and Associate Countries. 

This will also imply support to coordinate EU Member States’ and Associated 

Countries’ research policies and programmes with regard to Russia. The programme 

will further promote bilateral cooperation to the best scientists and organisations 

by increasing awareness on FP7 cooperation opportunities.

75

India in FP7: More than 140 Indian research organisations have been selected 

for funding in over 90 projects. For a complete list, see the Euro India Research 

Centre website.

76

Dragon-STAR supports Sino-European collaboration on four levels: enhancing 

the quality of Chinese participation in framework programmes; supporting 

the reciprocity originating from the signed EU-China Scientific Cooperation 

Agreement; supporting bilateral cooperation in the broader field of innovation and 

especially technological cooperation between industrial players; and supporting 

the ongoing bilateral scientific cooperation dialogue.

The Impact of Networks, Globalisation, and their Interaction with EU Strategies 

(INGINEUS) addresses the impact of globalisation and the rapid growth of 

selected emerging economies in the world on competitiveness strategies of EU 

firms, industries and regions. It is coordinated by Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei 

and brings together researchers from 14 institutions located in Europe, Brazil, 

China, India and South Africa.

75. See: <http://goo.gl/GoeJr9>. 
76. See: <http://goo.gl/pzibNG>.