Minister Nzimande to host dinner to discuss investment opportunities in South Africa's STI system

The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande will host a dinner tonight with industry leaders to discuss investment opportunities in South Africa's science, technology and innovation (STI) system.

The gathering emanates from the 2019 White Paper on STI, which introduced a focus on increasing private-sector investment in South African research and development (R&D).  In addition, the Ministerial Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Landscape Review recommended measures to revitalise private-sector investment in R&D, particularly to "bring the state-owned enterprises back into R&D".

The calls for increased private-sector investment in South African R&D should be seen against the long-standing generally poor financial resourcing of the national system of innovation and the fact that the most recent results from the R&D Survey show that private investment has dipped significantly over the recent past.  The target of gross expenditure on R&D at 1,5% of GDP is moving farther out of reach at 0,61% for 2020/21, and industry's share of total investment declined to around 27%, compared to government’s share of around 56% over the same period.

More than 70 guests, including CEOs and senior representatives of about 40 South African companies and the local branches of multinational companies, are expected to attend.

The media are invited as follows:

Date:               Thursday, 10 August 2023

Time:              18:30 – 20:30

Venue:            The Venue at the Houghton Hotel, Lloys Ellis Ave, Houghton Estate, Johannesburg

To RSVP, please contact Julian Leshilo at 060 961 2194 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Issued by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation.

Building 53, CSIR Campus

Meiring Naudé Road

Brummeria

Pretoria

Enquiries: Ishmael Mnisi at 066 037 8859 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.