Programme Director,

The CEO of the NRF, Prof Mzamo Mangaliso,

The Deputy Vice Chancellors,

The Research Chairs,

Members of the Print and Electronic Media,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In 1660, when twelve men founded the Royal Society, it was possible for an educated individual to be perceived as a custodian of all scientific knowledge. But the rapid expansion of new knowledge in the last century, and in particular in the last 50 years, has led to a situation where even the best scientists cannot keep up with frontier discoveries outside their own fields.

Today, developments in ICT have made the convergence of all new knowledge produced globally possible. And this has phenomenally increased the impact of science on our lives. Given the significant advances in recent years, it is easy for those of us who are not working on the coalface of research and development to think that great scientific problems have all been solved; that most of what is being done today is about filling in minor gaps and discontinuities, rather than the exploration of new territories of knowledge, and radical departures from scientific inquiry as we know it.

Ladies and gentlemen, remember that it was only about fifteen years ago when researchers in elementary particle physics were exploring ways in which information could be shared more easily and expediently. Out of this seemingly simple aim, Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web – an internet protocol that revolutionised electronic communication, and ushered in a new beginning; another industrial revolution - this time led by the young - which changed the way the world does business.

In the history of science, nothing is terminal. Everything is transitional, and every end is a new beginning. The Internet protocol, arising out of Berners-Lee’s invention, soon found applications in unlikely areas such as surgery where, for example, the Internet has been used to enable multiple users in remote locations to manipulate three-dimensional anatomical models to simulate surgical operations while sharing a common view of the simulation. This fortunate story about a scientific discovery is also the story of life, in general, and of our own people, in particular.

South Africa’s science and technology system has also embarked on a ‘new beginning’. In the area of space research, we are preparing to establish a South African Space Agency. Our astronomy observation facilities have been greatly enhanced by the launch of the most powerful optical telescope in the Southern Hemisphere - the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), and we are currently one of only two remaining countries bidding for the largest radio telescope in the world, the Square Kilometre Array. We are also preparing to launch South Africa’s own low-earth orbiting satellite, and in partnership with other African countries, we are developing satellites that can play an important role in areas such as disaster prediction and mitigation.

In support of these and other initiatives in the technology and science missions, we are pulling out all stops to increase our investments in Research and Development to compare favourably with international standards. We have recently introduced tax incentives in an attempt to encourage private companies to boost their spending in R&D.

Our National Research & Development Strategy identifies the underlying principle to foster sustainable social and economic development as the development of the human capital in Science, Engineering and Technology (SET). Experience has shown that the successful adaptation of scientific and technological knowledge developed elsewhere often requires the availability of significant national and local capacities. These include qualified human resources with the ability to adapt the knowledge and technologies to local conditions.

Furthermore, many developing countries face ‘indigenous’ challenges such as area-specific diseases or agricultural problems which require suitably qualified human resources. This is the call for both developing and developed countries to work together in generating new knowledge and adapting it to specific fields.

The centrality of the human capital in the generation of scientific and technological knowledge has prompted my department, in partnership with the NRF and other role players, to develop and implement a number of innovative instruments. These instruments are aimed at accelerating the development of the SET human capital. Our specific areas of focus include, but are not limited to:

The Research Professional Development Programme, which affords young SET Masters and Doctoral students opportunities to expand and deepen their knowledge and experience through research work at a science council, university or industrial R&D laboratory. Through this programme, 27 Masters and 35 PhD students have been placed at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Council for Mineral Technology (Mintek), the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) and the Medical Research Council (MRC).

The Post-Doctoral Fellowship Programme, which targets doctoral graduates for post-doctoral fellowships in research and innovation at higher education institutions. The programme currently funds 38 post-doctoral students.

The Centres of Excellence Programme, which has seen the establishment of seven Centres of Excellence that are concentrating on synergizing existing research capacity and resources in research fields such as conservation and invasion biology, biomedical research related to TB, strong materials, tree health, catalysis and epidemiological modelling and analysis. Between them, these Centres support 252 postgraduate students.

With the launch of the South African Research Chairs Initiative, our commitment to renew and rejuvenate higher education research and knowledge in critical areas is being consolidated and advanced. Through this initiative we aim to:

Retain and/or attract qualified research scientists in the National System of Innovation, especially the Higher Education sector,

Reverse the systemic decline in research outputs and knowledge generation amongst our publicly-funded higher education institutions, science councils and research institutions, in order to increase South Africa’s competitiveness in the knowledge economy,

Stimulate strategic research across the knowledge spectrum, and

Create research career paths for highly skilled, young and mid-career researchers, so as to address the historical racial, gender and age imbalances.

Commencing with the 21 Research Chairs during this first round, subsequent rounds are intended to bring a total number of Research Chairs to 56 by 2008. Our ambitious target is to have 210 Research Chairs by the year 2010. We are convinced that this will result in an unprecedented injection of research capacity into the National System of Innovation, specifically at the universities.

Benefits will also accrue to the entire system, as some of these will entail joint appointments by science councils and private sector R&D laboratories. Research Chairs will be tenable for five years, and are renewable based on the incumbent’s performance. We shall also assess the value added by this programme to the science system on an ongoing basis. At the end of the first five years, we expect to see a significant increase in the number of PhD graduates, and in scientific outputs such as patents and articles in scientific journals. In this way, we expect to dramatically improve the capacity of the South African science system to absorb new funds for research and development.

South Africa has to address the challenges of the ageing and demographically unrepresentative cohort of SET professionals, academics and researchers. This reality has influenced the spread and demographics for the Round 1 of the Research Chairs Initiative. I must commend the initiative for identifying and according the Research Chair positions to some young, emerging researchers and academics. It is the explicit intention of the initiative to bring equity and redress in the country’s National System of Innovation.

The Research Chairs about to be announced will assume responsibilities in their host institutions during the course of next year. We commend the candidate institutions for casting their nets wide in search of exceptional and excellently qualified candidates for the Research Chairs positions. The initiative has generated a lot of excitement in our science system as evidenced by the more than 90 pre-proposals that were received. We are pleased and greatly encouraged by this enthusiastic response.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is now my singular pleasure and honour to announce, in no particular order, the names of the first 21 South African Research Chairs. I hope you will join me in congratulating and accepting the following scholars to the eminent seats in our academic and research institutions:

Prof L J Barbour, a Research Chair in Functional Nano-Structured Materials, based at the University of Stellenbosch;

Prof P L Bonner, a Research Chair in Local Histories and Present Realities, based at the University of the Witwatersrand;

Prof F Dakora, a Research Chair in Agrochemurgy, to be hosted by the Tshwane University of Technology;

Dr W J G de Blok from the Netherlands, a Research Chair in AstroPhysics and Space Science, to be hosted by the University of Cape Town;

Dr R J Durrheim, a Research Chair in Exploration Earthquakes and Mining Seismology, based at the University of the Witwatersrand;

Prof A Engelbrecht, a Research Chair in Artificial Intelligence, based at the University of Port Elizabeth;

Prof D Hildebrandt, a Research Chair in Sustainable Process Engineering, based at the University of the Witwatersrand;

Prof S D Johnson, a Research Chair in Evolutionary Biology, based at the University of KwaZulu-Natal;

Prof L Klumperman from the Netherlands, a Research Chair in Advanced Macromolecular Architecture, to be hosted by the University of Stellenbosch;

Prof J Kossmann from Germany, a Research Chair in Genetic Tailoring of Biopolymers, to be hosted by the University of Stellenbosch;

Prof S D Maharaj, a Research Chair in Gravitating Systems, based at the University of KwaZulu-Natal;

Prof T Marwala, a Research Chair in Systems Engineering, based at the University of the Witwatersrand;

Dr E. M. Meintjes, a Research Chair in Brain Imaging, based at the University of Cape Town;

Prof K J Naidoo, a Research Chair in Scientific Computing, based at the University of Cape Town;

Prof P E Ngoepe, a Research Chair in Computational Modelling of Materials, based at the University of Limpopo;

Prof T Nyokong, a Research Chair in Medicinal Chemistry and Nanotechnology, based at Rhodes University;

Prof M I Parker, a Research Chair in Cancer Biology, based at the University of Cape Town;

Prof S G H Philander from the US, a Research Chair in Modelling of the Coupled Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Phenomena Related to Climate, to be hosted by the University of Cape Town;

Prof B D Reddy, a Research Chair in Computational Mechanics, based at the University of Cape Town;

Dr H Schwoerer from Germany, a Research Chair in Photonics, Ultra-fast and Ultra-intense Laser Science, to be hosted by the University of Stellenbosch; and

Prof C D Shearing from Australia, a Research Chair in Security and Justice, to be hosted by the University of Cape Town.

I congratulate you all, and urge you to utilise the opportunities and resources at your disposal to contribute to the social and economic well-being of our people. We have no doubt that your contributions will bring further and more relevant advancements to our science system.

We sincerely thank you for your willingness to become the instruments of change, and assisting government in developing a brighter future for the people of South Africa.

I thank you.