Divisions:
HICD
South Africa produces approximately 23 PhD graduates per year per million of the population and this is far below the number required to compete in the global knowledge economy.
The recent Council for Higher Education Higher Education Monitor report published in 2009 indicates that the number of individuals enrolling for research master’s degrees at South African universities has steadily declined over the past five years, and so has the number of graduates and pool of potential doctoral candidates.
In 2007, only 33% of academic staff employed at South African public higher education institutions had doctoral degrees. This impacts on the quantity and quality of postgraduate research training, research outputs and global competitiveness. It also impacts on the international ranking of South African universities.
Over the past ten years, the Institutional Capacity Programme (ICP) has provided in excess of 2 500 research grants totaling more than R485 million, and has provided grant holder-linked scholarships to almost 9 000 students.
To date 80 Chairs in various disciplines have been awarded to 16 South African Universities. Of the 80 Chairs awarded, 69 are operating.
To date, two FirstRand Foundation South African Mathematics Education Chairs have been awarded. The appointment of South African Numeracy and Literacy Chairs and further FirstRand Foundation South African Mathematics Educations Chairs will be announced in 2010. The Mathematics Education Chairs are funded by the FirstRand Foundation and the Departmen of Science and Technology (DST) and the Numeracy and Literacy Chairs are funded by the FirstRand Foundation, the Anglo American Fund and the DST.
Of the 2 129 researchers holding a valid NRF rating, 32% are currently receiving Incentive Funding from the Rated Researchers Incentive Funding (RRIF).
Since the inception of the Strategic Platforms Programme (SPP), in the 2005/06 financial year, up to the 2008/09 financial year, at least 121 grant holders have been supported through the National Nanotechnology Equipment Programme (NNEP) and National Equipment Programme (NEP). The total investment in NEP and NNEP over this period has been R231 million. In addition, R27 million was invested in eight Nanotechnology Flagship projects.
In 2009/10 the acquisition of South Africa’s first High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope (HRTEM), capable of atomic level resolution, was approved at a capital investment of R69 million from the DST and R11 million from industry.
This investment in research infrastructure, over the past five years, has notably enhanced student training and research outputs.