The final reports for the development of a South African Research Infrastructure Roadmap and the establishment of a National Integrated Cyberinfrastructure System have been concluded and presented to the Department of Science and Technology for approval and implementation.
The two reports referred to above were commissioned by the Department to assist it in conceptualising strategic plans for the further development of South Africa’s research infrastructure, including the cyberinfrastructure component. Pre-final drafts of both reports were presented to the Minister in late 2013. In the meantime, these reports were finalised and presented to the Executive Committee, where they were accepted and plans for follow-up activities approved.
In both cases, the reports present a series of concrete but far-ranging recommendations that require more detailed planning, in most cases accompanied by further in-depth consultation with relevant stakeholders in the national science system. It is therefore imperative that the reports be released to that constituency to enable these processes to move forward.
