Rationale and Scope
Rationale
Given the changing landscape of research within the national System of Innovation (NSI), and given the importance of applied research within the country and internationally (as evident in various strategy documents coming through the DST and international bodies), it is important that the NRF respond to these changes. This, together with recommendations from the recent 5-year review of the NRF, prompted the NRF to revisit the mandate of the then ARI.
The critical question at that juncture was “How can ARIC (and the NRF) through scientific stewardship support scientific integrity, industry needs, government requirements and be socially responsive as well as empower scientists to deliver cutting edge, relevant and innovative problem-solving science?”
South Africa is a country challenged with the realities of its history and uniqueness of its opportunities. The science domain also reflects the complex real world challenges and opportunities. Putting research products into commercial practice and ensuring community adoption remains a challenge. Incorporating local knowledge and global dynamics into science deliverables and practical application remains a challenge that the world of science is becoming more aware of. However, this complex environment of real world science and challenges reflects the complex interactive matrix of boxed traditional science domains. These complex systems represent a microcosm of science that is interactive, interdisciplinary and/or trans-disciplinary with real life feedback loops.
Studying such complex systems requires new methods that can bring together and measure the interactive parts and flow lines as well as assess competency and excellence. The methodology should also measure integration of systems and thinking patterns and enable the establishment of broad inter- and trans-disciplinary chains with a universal language that incorporates specialisation. The importance of developing enabling interfacing mechanisms is crucial and challenges the traditional values of information ownership in scientific domains. The interface mechanism further challenges the cross-border knowledge production and flow, and the complexities associated with intellectual property rights and laws of individual countries. Complex ecosystems in biological, natural, social or economic science require systems that facilitate their working together, measure, evaluate and integrate skills and a commercial knowledge base.
It has been decided that one of the aims of ARIC should therefore be to facilitate use of and critically assess existing tools that can provide an insight into inter- and trans-disciplinary science and thinking and to integrate scientific and traditional knowledge into a practical tool-box system that will take into account the biophysical, social, economic and political challenges of real world science.
Scope
Figure 1 below is an illustration of the general space to be covered by of ARIC within the innovation landscape. In occupying this space ARIC will effectively complement support interventions within this landscape, of institutions and programmes such as the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) and the Support Programme for Industrial Innovation (SPII). This critical programme insertion will ensure that the NSI covers the total innovation landscape and that those issues of environmental, economic, social and political innovation that are unlikely to lead to commercialisation, are also researched effectively. In addition, the NRF feels that it should stimulate some fundamental applied research that can effectively feed into technological innovation via TIA.
Strategic Long-Term Goals (2012-2015)
The following are the strategic long term goals for ARIC:
- Having established at least 2 new collaborative programmes with new partners who may be from the public or private sector.
- Being able to identify at least 2 ARIC-supported projects which have graduated to a supporting instrument further along the innovation value chain (e.g. TIA). This migration should preferably have been facilitated through ARIC.
- Being able to demonstrate at least 2 applications of research outcomes from an ARIC-supported project(s), which are already having a socio-economic impact and a “profitable” return on investment (ROI)
- SANHARP having transformed into a broader energy programme of at least 3X the size of SANHARP of 2011/12 in terms of its inputs as well as outputs.
- A strengthening of the understanding, appreciation and support for the Akili CII.
- Growing THRIP budget to at least 1.5X its 2011/12 size, as well as the size of some of its beneficiaries and outputs.
Relevance of the Long-Term Goals
In succeeding to deliver on its mandate, the ARIC directorate will be contributing to the following strategies:
- NRF’s Vision 2015 – ARIC was established as an outcome of the rollout of this Strategic Plan.
- DST’s Ten Year Innovation Plan – SANHARP specifically responds to the Energy Grand Challenge of this Plan.
- The Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP II) of the dti since THRIP is geared to respond to the objectives and priorities of this Plan.
- The Integrated Growth and Development Plan of DAFF since the RTF priorities are to be aligned to this Plan.
The specific programmes that form part of ARIC:
Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme
The Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme (THRIP) is a programme of the dti, managed by the NRF on a contract basis. While it is guided by the strategic imperatives of the dti, the objectives, priorities and modalities of the programme contribute directly in advancing the objectives and strategic goals of the NRF. THRIP promotes partnerships in pre-commercial research between business and publicly-funded research institutions. The design of the programme is to leverage collaborative partnerships on a cost-sharing basis for research in science, engineering and technology in order to provide technology solutions for industry, and in the process produce a flow of targeted highly skilled human capital for industry.
South African Nuclear Human Asset and Research Programme
South African Nuclear Human Asset and Research Programme (SANHARP) is a programme of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), managed by the NRF through a contract. SANHARP’s role within the NSI is to nurture investment in R&D, human capital and infrastructure within the nuclear sector through a number of funding and support mechanisms. The overall programme objective is to put in place the necessary capacity to meet the human capital, knowledge and innovation requirements posed by the development and growth of the nuclear sector in South Africa.
The DST has decided to essentially expand the modalities of SANHARP to cover energy. Discussions in this regard are in progress and this change is expected to be in place by the 2012/13 financial year.
Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics
The Bioinformatics and Functional Genomics support programme is a DST contract-funded programme whose aim is to support bioinformatics applications in biotechnology projects in line with national priorities as set out in the South African Biotechnology Strategy and the Ten Year Innovation Plan. The programme provides support on an open and competitive basis.
Akili Complexity and Integration Initiative
The Akili Complexity and Integration Initiative (Akili CII) seeks to acknowledge and promote all methods and approaches that facilitate research being effectively implemented to the benefit of human-beings. The initiative seeks to create a network of researchers and practitioners who are interested in the interface of research and its use on the ground. The approach is to acknowledge that “people on the planet” comprise integrated social-ecological systems and therefore to take a trans-disciplinary approach, to apply systems thinking and to acknowledge that social-ecological systems are complex and that an understanding of complexity is fundamental to the practice and implementation of most research processes.
2ENRICH
The 2ENRICH initiative is a cooperative programme being developed between the NRF and its counterpart in the Netherlands (NWO), whose creation was inspired by the exposure of a representative from NWO (Dr Henk Molenaar), to THRIP and Akili CII. The development of the concept plan and other operational documents has mainly been driven out of STW and WOTRO in NWO, and NBD and ARIC in the NRF. Most of these are ready for sign-
The 2ENRICH initiative is focussed on the “bottom of the pyramid” population (+/- 4 billion globally) and specifically in Sub-Saharan Africa which holds the majority of this group. It intends to create products that are really needed and can improve the quality of life of the people from these regions. The choice of name “2ENRICH” tries to convey the duality of prosperity as well as welfare in the Netherlands as well as Africa. The programme's thematic design will be based on the Millennium Development Goals. Recommended sectors for focus include agriculture and water. Once agreed, these will be appropriately refined and detailed in the consequential Call for Proposals.
The programme will be co-managed by the NRF (ARIC) and NWO (WOTRO and STW) with the objective of transferring and exchange of technological knowledge from and between Dutch and African universities, knowledge institutions, private or semi-private enterprises to African partners in sub-Saharan Africa. The parties have set aside €2.5 million (NWO) and R7.5 million (NRF) to rollout the pilot phase over 5 years.
Research and Technology Fund
Discussions resulting in the current discussions with the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) re the establishment of the Research and Technology Fund (RTF), began in 2008 with the then Department of Agriculture. The discussions are at a stage where a draft Concept Plan and Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) have been agreed in principle. The initial indications are that the Department’s kick-off invest commitment will be for a period of three years starting in 2012/13 at a level of R8 million, and expected to increase annually to a total of R24 million for the period.
The investment Fund will be guided by the Integrated Growth and Development Plan (IGDP). In this regard projects to be funded would need to demonstrate contributions to the following:
a) Research and innovation system that supports a growing commercial sector and a needy smallholder sector;
b) Maximizing the benefits flowing from R&D through well-coordinated R&D projects that are aligned to Government and Industry priorities;
c) Addressing capacity constraints in the sector and dealing with difficulties to acquire and retain scientists;
d) Food security / improved production systems to address needs of smallholder farmers;
e) Competitiveness / innovation to address needs of smallholder farmers / product development;
f) Technology transfer and rural development;
g) Market access and profitability;
h) Commercialization, value addition and agro processing; and
i) Protection and enhancement of natural resources