Document Actions
Volume 4 - 10
| Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
10. Excellence Through Research  
Members from various centres of excellence celebrating the
launch. The Minister of Science and Technology, Mr Mosibudi Mangena, together with the National Research Foundation (NRF), recently committed R56 million over the next three years to the Centres of Excellence Programme for the advancement of research. The six Centres of Excellence, situated at various universities, will conduct research in biodiversity, biotechnology, engineering, health and physics. At the programme launch, the Minister said investments made in research and development created advances that literally “change the world”. He added that the idea of strengthening South Africa's science and technology system has been a common thread linking the acceptance of the National Research and Development Strategy by Cabinet in 2002, with the establishment of a distinct Ministry of Science and Technology. “We give expression to this idea through the investments we are making in the development of research and in the education, training and career development of some individuals who possess the most sought-after science, engineering and technological skills in the world,” said Mangena. The Centres of Excellence have been established to enhance the pursuit of research excellence and capacity development. These will be physical or virtual centres of research which concentrate on existing capacity and resources, to enable researchers to collaborate across disciplines on longterm projects that are locally relevant and internationally competitive. The programme is designed to raise the research and capacity development ceiling for top-level scientists and researchers, by emphasising transdisciplinarity and collaborative efforts. The Centre for Invasion Biology led by Professor Chown of Stellenbosch University addresses the biodiversity consequences of biological invasions and focuses on understanding the determinants of invasion success, the impact of invasive alien species from other parts of the world or other ecosystems within South Africa, and on the consequences of remediation attempts. The second centre of excellence in the biodiversity arena is led by Professor Du Plessis of the University of Cape Town, examining birds as keys to understanding and maintaining biodiversity. Professor Mizrahi of Stellenbosch and Professor Van Helden of the Witwatersrand Universities respectively, co-lead the Centre for Post-Genomic Research for the development and evaluation of new tools for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of tuberculosis. South Africa has the third-highest rate of incidence of, and second-highest mortality rate from, tuberculosis in the world and the HIV epidemic has exacerbated the problem enormously. Although some improvements could be made to control TB through the reform of existing control programmes, it is widely acknowledged that a quantum leap is required in the quality of tools utilised for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of TB if there is to be any hope of eradicating this devastating disease. Engineering continues to underpin South Africa's economy and its ability to generate wealth. The Centre for Chemical Processing led by Professor Fletcher of the University of Cape Town, will address the area of catalysis that lies at the heart of almost all chemical transformation processes. The outputs of this centre will be particularly useful to the manufacturing sector, which is the largest contributor to the country's GDP. The Strong Materials Centre of Excellence, led by Professor Comins of the University of the Witwatersrand, is another engineering-focused centre. This centre seeks to understand and improve the properties of strong materials in order to increase their efficiency and reduce costs. Strong materials retain their distinctive properties under extreme conditions, so knowledge and highlevel skills development in this area will result in wide applications for the manufacturing and mining industries throughout the world. The Centre for Tree Health Biotechnology at FABI at the University of Pretoria, led by Professor Wingfield, is the sixth centre and one which is equally vital in a country that depends heavily on agriculture and forestry. The centre seeks to integrate research in the fields of silviculture, agronomy, genetics, plant pathology, microbiology, entomology and molecular genetics. 
Marking the occasion: Centre of Excellence members with Minister
Mosibudi Mangena. The NRF, which has contributed to the realisation of these centres, will be the implementing agency. Together with the science councils, the NRF will now be in a better position to address and reverse the shortcomings in the area of human capital development. The Centres of Excellence represent a concentration of resources, both knowledge and financial, that create an enabling environment for the pursuit of knowledge and the training of a new generation of scientists, engineers and technologists. “These elements are vital in establishing our country as an international investment destination, and enhancing the competitive advantage of South African enterprises. It could be reasonably expected therefore, that this investment will leverage other sources of funds, particularly from industry, in order to increase investment in national research and development, which will be a reliable indicator of the future health of our economy,” said Mangena. “It is also our intention to support the NEPAD Science and Technology plan of action, which envisages the creation of Networks of Excellence across the continent. Together with our partners in NEPAD, we can create momentum to reverse the current brain-drain,” he said. |
Nominations of potential candidates for the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) Board of Directors
