CSIR asks for more resources as it implements new strategy

Parliament's Standing Committee on Appropriations has undertaken to approach National Treasury to ensure adequate funding for the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), one of the entities of the Department of Science and Innovation.

This follows a presentation to the committee by CSIR Executives last week on the impact of COVID-19 on the CSIR's operations, with the main issues being budget cuts, under-funding, and procurement and tendering for work. 

In the virtual meeting, committee member Ms Dipuo Peters commended the CSIR for the work it had done and would go on doing within the entity's limited budget, particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Peters pointed out that if institutions like the CSIR were not adequately funded, they could not help the country fight poverty.  She said that the Committee needed to engage with National Treasury about the need to increase expenditure on research and development to above 0,83% of GDP, because South Africa depended on proven innovation to move into the "new normal" post-COVID.  She said it was important for the Committee to look at how it could help the CSIR to secure the funding it needed.

The CSIR received the bulk of its income from the public sector and core Parliamentary grants.  About 11% of funding came from the private and international sectors, and two per cent from royalties, licences and other income.  It was important for the CSIR to diversify more for the local and international private sectors, and to commercialise technologies in order to balance its income from the public and private sector.

Ten years ago, the Parliamentary grant made up 29% of CSIR's income, but in 2020 only 26%.  The innovation, commercialisation, technology transfer and diffusion programmes were affected by the R8 million cut. Support portfolios had been impacted by R29,2 million.

The CSIR CEO, Dr Thulani Dlamini, said that the CSIR was facing challenges in delivering on its mandate because of the constraints it experiences with regard to public procurement, the Parliamentary grant and the need for its recapitalisation and investment requirements.

The Chairperson of the CSIR Board, Prof. Thokozani Majozi, told the committee the organisation was implementing a new strategy, which had a stronger focus on industrialisation, compared to its previous emphasis on scientific research.

The CSIR was tasked with conducting directed multidisciplinary research and technological innovation in order to foster scientific and industrial research, with the ultimate goal being to improve the lives of ordinary South Africans.

"The CSIR is mindful of the strong industrial and scientific research component integrated into the new strategy, but it will need more government investment to implement the strategy. If the strategy is well implemented, the CSIR will be self-sustainable in the future," said Prof. Majozi.

The drivers for the successful implementation of this strategy were business development and commercialisation, technology transfer and diffusion, governance, values, ethics, people, culture, the fourth industrial revolution and emerging technologies.

The implementation plan guided the investment of the Parliamentary grant received by the CSIR.  The key pillars of the plan were strategic clusters, capability development, human capital development and strategic infrastructure.

To implement CSIR's strategy, a total of R4,72 billion has been allocated to these four pillars. The investment will support the development of new capabilities and the strengthening of existing capabilities to ensure the CSIR remains globally competitive and relevant.  It will also support investment in infrastructure and the development of human capital.

Dr Dlamini said what had set the CSIR apart from academic institutions was its ability to foster industrial and scientific development, but in recent years this ability had been lost and not enough was being done to rectify the situation.

"The CSIR needs to do more, especially in terms of industrial development. The CSIR wants to accelerate socio-economic prosperity according to its vision by collaboratively innovating and localising technologies, reducing dependence on imported technology. It has also contributed greatly to government and society through knowledge and research," Dr Dlamini told the committee.