PROGRAMME 1

PROGRAMME 1A:  INSTITUTIONAL PLANNING AND SUPPORT

Purpose

The Programme is geared towards supporting the high-level policy prioritisation of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) through the following:

• Coordinating the development of strategic plans, annual performance plans and operational plans for the Department.
• Supporting the Department in ensuring good corporate governance in public entities by facilitating public entity board appointments and maintenance.
• Coordinating departmental engagements with the public entities through the Communicators', Chairpersons', Chief Executive Officers' and Chief Financial Officers' Forums.
• Developing and implementing a monitoring and evaluation framework to assess the performance of the Department and its public entities.
• Coordinating in-year reporting and annual performance reviews for the Department and its public entities.
• Developing and implementing frameworks for institutional reviews of public entities.
• Ensuring effective communication between the Department and its key stakeholders, and creating awareness of the Department's key objectives and activities.

 Strategic objectives

• To coordinate the identification, formulation and implementation of strategic initiatives and ensure that the priorities of the DST and its entities are aligned to national priorities.
• To develop and maintain good corporate governance systems for the Department and its entities.
• To proactively position the Department positively both internally and externally to ensure informed employees and citizenry.

 Components

1. The Ministry and Office of the Director-General support the political and executive leadership in order to lead and coordinate the activities within the Department and its entities.  This is to achieve greater impact, cohesion and efficiency within the National System of Innovation (NSI), and to steer the system towards the development of a knowledge-intensive economy with higher productivity levels, coordinating the implementation of the National Research and Development Strategy (NRDS) and the Ten-Year Innovation Plan (TYIP) in line with the Medium Term Expenditure Framework.
2. Enterprise Risk Management ensures that a risk management culture is embedded in the Department by creating risk management awareness, and elevating risk management to a strategic level within the Department in order to improve the DST's risk maturity level.  The directorate's secondary roles are to make fraud prevention an integral part of strategy, operations and administration in the Department, and to ensure that the Department has an effective business continuity management programme to build organisational resilience and safeguard the interests of stakeholders, reputation, brand and value-creating activities.
3. Policy, Planning, Governance, Monitoring and Evaluation supports the DST leadership in steering the NSI, through the following:
   • Coordinating high-level policy priority setting on behalf of the executive leadership.
   • Coordinating the translation of policy priorities determined by the executive leadership into actionable plans with clear objectives, action plans, performance measurements, resource commitments and performance indicators.
   • Facilitating good corporate governance within the Department and its entities
   • Ensuring that monitoring and evaluation activities undertaken in the NSI answer policy questions of economy, effectiveness and efficiency, as well as reinforcingaccountability, transparency and innovation.
   • Coordinate the integration and implementation of the NRDS and TYIP to ensure that the Department delivers on its strategic objectives
4.  Internal Audit Activity (IAA) performs internal appraisal activities to provide assurance on the Department's governance, risk management, and control processes to help the Department achieve its strategic, operational, financial and compliance objectives.  Internal auditing is also a catalyst for improving the Department's effectiveness and efficiency by providing insight and recommendations based on analyses and assessment of data and business processes.  The IAA supports the executive and political leadership in developing and maintaining processes, procedures and systems that enhance good corporate governance, strong internal controls and risk management, through the implementation of a flexible risk-based audit plan.
5. Science Communication is responsible for ensuring effective communication between the Department and its key stakeholders, and creating awareness of the Department's key objectives and activities.  The chief directorate raises the profile of the work done by the Programmes in line with the vision and mission of the Department.  It facilitates the preparation of information that the Minister and the Deputy Minister communicate externally. Its overall focus is to brand the Department and create awareness about the developments, benefits and opportunities within publicly funded science and technology initiatives across the country's science system.  In addition, this chief directorate ensures that information to the public is accessible.

PROGRAMME 1B:  CORPORATE SERVICES

Purpose

The Programme is responsible for the overall management of the Department and providing centralised strategic and administrative support, and an essential strategic partner in the Department's governance, administration and programme delivery.

Strategic objectives

• To provide a seamless service to all customers to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery.
• To make the DST an employer of choice and retain appropriately trained personnel.
• To provide information technology services.
• To build a favourable working environment through effective security and facilities management.
• To provide financial and procurement services.
• To provide legal services.

Components

1. Finance ensures effective, efficient and economic utilisation of financial resources in line with financial prescripts through the development and implementation of financial systems, policies, frameworks and procedures.
2. Human Resources helps the Department to –
   • provide a professional service through accurate, consistent and best  employment practices in all its activities, which are aimed at supporting the achievement of the DST's strategic and operational objectives;
   • attract and retain employees who share the organisational vision;
   • champion site 2016 and transition, with a view to becoming a catalyst in the process of influencing and enabling the transition of people and the organisation to embrace and implement site 2016;
   • set standards of performance and manage against them;
   • promote a personal and career development environment for all employees so that they can reach their potential and therefore contribute fully to the achievement of the strategic objectives and instill a culture of service excellence.
3. Legal Services is responsible for providing legal services to the Department in order to ensure that the interests of the Department are protected against any legal risk.  The chief directorate further provides leadership on all legal matters by having an effective approach to resolving matters that have the potential to give rise to conflict or legal challenges.
4. Information Systems and Knowledge Management is responsible for –
   • supporting the Department's strategic plan and individual units' objectives successfully through the effective use of information technology;
   • developing and administering knowledge and records management strategies, procedures and protocols.
5. Auxiliary Services, which includes Security Services and Facilities Management, is responsible for the maintenance of the Department's premises and security within these premises.