nrf business plan 2009 - 2010
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welcome to tomorrowbusiness plan
2009–2012Corporate Business Plan
of the National Research Foundation
PO Box 2600
Pretoria 0001
Tel: +27 12 481-4000
Fax: +27 12 349-1179
E-mail: info@nrf.ac.za
www.nrf.ac.za
Produced by
www.words-worth.co.za
The National Research Foundation takes pleasure in presenting its Business Plan for 2009/10-2011/12, which outlines the activities of the funding agency, Research and Innovation Support and Advancement (RISA), the Science Advancement Agency (SAASTA) and the National Research Facilities.
isiZulu – I-National Research Foundation inentokozo ngokwethula
Uhlelo Lwemisebenzi (Business Plan) yayo yonyaka ka-2009/10-
2011/12 etshengisa kafushane imisebenzi yenhlangano exhasa
ngezimali (i-RISA), i-Science Advancement Agency (SAASTA), kanye
namaNational Research Facilities.
isiXhosa – I-National Research Foundation inovuyo ukunika uYilo
lweShishini (Business Plan) lwayo luka-2009/10-2011/12, olubeka
imisebenzi ye-arhente exhasayo (i-RISA), i-Science Advancement
Agency (SAASTA), kunye, neNational Research Facilities.
tshiVenda – National Research Foundation i a di hudza musi i tshi
ཋekedza mukumedzo wa Pulane ya Vhubindudzi ha ཋwaha wa
2009/10-2011/12, vhune ha bvisela khagala mishumo ya mulambedzi
(RISA), Science Advancement Agency (SAASTA) na Zwileludzi zwa
ཋhoཋisiso ya lushaka.
xiTsonga – Nhlangano wa Ndzavisiso wa Rixaka wu tsakela ku
nyiketa Pulani ya Migingiriko ya wona ya lembe ra 2009/10-2011/12,
leyi hlamuselaka migingiriko ya muyimeri wo pfuneta hi timali, RISA,
Nhlangano wa Nhluvukiso wa Sayense (SAASTA) ni Swipfuno swa
Ndzavisiso wa Rixaka.
isiswaTi – INhlangano yekuPhenya yaVelonkhe (I-National Research
Foundation) itsandza kutsatsa lelitfuba kutsi yetfule Luhlelo lweBhizinisi
layo lwemnyaka wa-2009/10-2011/12, loluchaza imisebenti ye-
ejensi leyesekela ngetimali (i-RISA), i-Ejensi yekuTfutfukisa teSayensi
(i-SAASTA) kanye netiNsitancanti tekuPhenya taVelonkhe.
seTswana – Setheo sa Ditlhotlhomiso sa Bosetšhaba se motlotlo
go tlhagisa Togamaano ya Kgwebo ya sona ya dingwaga 2009/10-
2011/12, e e thadisang ditiro tsa boemedi jo bo tshegetsang ka
ditšhelete, RISA, le Setheo sa Tsweletso ya Saense (SAASTA) le
Ditlamelo tsa Bosetšhaba tsa Dipatlisiso.
sesoTho – Ba National Research Foundation (Letlole la Diphuputso
la Naha) ba motlotlo ho hlahisa Leano la Kgwebo bakeng sa 2009/10-
2011/12, le hlalosang mesebetsi ya lekgotla le tshehetsang ka
ditjhelete, e leng RISA, Science Advancement Agency (SAASTA) le
National Research Facilities (Menyetla ya Diphuputso ya Naha).
sepedi – Mokgatlo wa Dinyakišišo tša Setšhaba o thabela go
tšweletša Leano la wona la Kgwebo la 2009/10-2011/12, leo le
akaretšago mešomo ya etšentshi ya wona, ya etšentshi yeo e thušago
ka ditšhelete ya RISA, Etšentshi ya Tšwetšopele ya Saense (SAASTA)
le Dinolofatši tša Dinyakišišo tša Setšhaba.
isindebele – IsiKhungo sezamaRhubhululo wesiTjhaba sithabela
khulu ukwethula ihlelo loMsebenzi waso wonyaka ka-2009/10-
2011/12, okuveza okwenziwe basekeli ngeemali,i-(RISA) ,Ikoro
YokuThuthukiswa KweSayensi (SAASTA) kunye nabamaThuba
wezamaRhubhululo wesiTjhaba.
afrikaans – Die Nasionale Navorsingstigting bied met trots hul
jaarlikse Besigheidsplan vir 2009/10-2011/12 aan, wat die aktiwiteite
van die Befondsingsagentskap, RISA, die Wetenskapsbevordering-
agentskap (SAASTA) en die Nasionale Navorsingsfasiliteite in breë
trekke voorlê.
1
2
contents
5 eXecuTiVe summary5 Introduction5 Corporate challenges6 Towards achieving strategic goals8 Main risks8 Structure of the 2009-2012 Business
Plan
9 corporaTe oVerView 10 Short history of the NRF 10 Mandate of the NRF 11 NRF Vision 2015 11 NRF mission statement 11 Corporate values 11 Strategic goals 11 Core competencies of the NRF 11 Composition of the NRF 11 Clustering of NRF business units
and activities 12 Relevance of the NRF in the NSI
17 secTion a: budgeT and cash flow
18 NRF investment principles 18 Budget
23 secTion b: research and innoVaTion supporT and adVancemenT (risa)
24 Purpose and scope24 Sources of funding24 Investment areas27 Bursaries and scholarships28 RISA programmes and activities31 Information Resources and Services32 Challenges: 2009-2012
33 secTion c: souTh african agency for science and Technology adVancemenT (saasTa)
34 Focus and infrastructure 34 SAASTA as science advancement
platform 35 Activities: 2009-201035 Challenges: 2009-2012
36 secTion d: naTional research faciliTies
37 Definition and clustering38 Generic activities39 Challenges: 2009-2012 41 South African Astronomical
Observatory (SAAO) 44 Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy
Observatory (HartRAO) 47 Hermanus Magnetic Observatory
(HMO) 50 South African Institute for Aquatic
Biodiversity (SAIAB) 53 South African Environmental
Observation Network (SAEON) 56 National Zoological Gardens of South
Africa (NZG) 59 iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator
Based Sciences (iThemba LABS)
63 secTion e: nrf corporaTe office
63 Purpose and scope 63 Activities: 2009-201064 Challenges: 2009-2012
65 secTion f: key performance TargeTs 2008/09 – 2010/11
66 Balanced Scorecard approach66 Performance measures: work in
progress66 Structure of the section66 The NRF’s five strategic goals
79 list of acronyms
81 contact details
3
theme
International Year of Astronomy 2009 inspires the thinking behind the NRF Business Plan 2009 – 2012 and provides the opportunity to, quite literally, “reach for the stars”.
The NRF will continue to strive for research excellence in an environment where mediocrity has no currency.
As the intermediary agency between the policies and strategies of government and those institutions that perform research, the NRF harnesses people, programmes and processes to support the National System of Innovation.
The NRF will continue to regard growing South Africa’s base of world-class researchers as the zenith of its achievement.
The organisation’s structure resembles a typical honeycomb, offering it a geometric efficiency, where self-contained units operate individually, yet are capable of greater good through their inter-relatedness.
The NRF will continue to uphold constellations of research groups, infrastructure and operational units that direct their efforts towards a sustainable
environment and an economy capable of eliminating poverty.
5inTroducTion
Subsequent to the appointment of a new
leadership team in 2007, the National
Research Foundation (NRF) developed
a new vision and strategy. In February
2008, the NRF Board approved the
NRF Strategic Plan, NRF Vision 2015.
The 2009-2012 Business Plan is a first
implementation plan for this revised
strategy.
In NRF Vision 2015, the NRF adopted
the following strategic goals:
• Promote internationally competitive
research as a basis for the knowledge
economy;
• Grow a representative science and
technology workforce in South Africa;
• Operate world-class evaluation and
grant-making systems;
• Provide cutting-edge research,
technology and innovation platforms;
and
• Contribute to a vibrant national
innovation system.
corporaTe challenges
leadership team
The resignation of the President of
the NRF at the end of 2008 left a
The NRF will provide cutting-edge research, technology and innovation platforms and contribute to a vibrant national innovation system.
critical leadership position vacant in the
management team. The NRF Board is
attending to this issue as a matter of
urgency. However, Dr Albert van Jaarsveld
is currently filling this position in an acting
capacity. Fortunately, with the appointment
of Dr Gatsha Mazithulela as Vice-
President: Research Infrastructure and
National Research Facilities, the rest of
the leadership team is now in place.
budget constraints
The global economic climate and other
national priorities have affected the funds
available for the support and promotion of
research. This is reflected in government
allocations to science and technology as a
sector, and to the NRF in particular.
Analysis of the budget allocations to the
NRF (as set out in Section A) highlights a
number of important financial realities that
have to be dealt with, including:
• Non ring-fenced funding is again below
inflation as was the case in the 2008-
2009 allocation;
• The total allocation is below inflation for
the second year running; and
• The total NRF increase is effectively
0% while inflation is anticipated to be
in the vicinity of 10% for the second
consecutive year.
A comparison of the movement in the
executive summary
6
02
46
810
1214
16
MTEF allocation Non-ringfenced CPIX
Linear (CPIX)Linear (MTEF allocation)
14,4%
13,87
%4,6
0%
6,72%
6,50%
11,9%
7,5%
5,45%
11,3
9%
-0,6%
2,80%
10%
% M
ovem
ent
2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10
Figure 1: NRF Allocation (MTEF) TrendNRF budget against the Consumer Price
Index (CPIX) for the period 2006-2007 to
2009-2010 is provided in Figure 1.
In view of the limited funding the NRF
will have to:
• Re-prioritise activities according to
available funds while attempting to meet
national and international commitments;
• Manage limited core grant allocations
through appropriate cost savings; and
• Complement core funds with contract
funds and other investments through
fundraising and marketing activities.
In addition, the NRF will have to
retain and recruit skilled employees in
an extremely competitive labour market
where skilled staff is highly mobile due to
unprecedented demand.
Towards achieVing
sTraTegic goals
In terms of the strategic goals of the NRF
the following actions need to be taken:
promote internationally
competitive research
In promoting internationally competitive
research the NRF will have to:
• Facilitateknowledgeproductionin
strategically relevant areas;
executive summary
7• Promoteinstitutionalresearchcapacity;
• Ensurethatexcellenceandquality
remain the basis for funding decisions;
• Lobbycontinuedsupportforvarious
interventions and programmes such as
Centres of Excellence (CoEs) and South
African Research Chairs Initiatives
(SARChI);
• Improvequalityandquantityofresearch
outputs at the National Research
Facilities;
• Developstrong,niche-specifictechnical
competencies at facilities to produce
high-quality instrumentation and
equipment; and
• Provideappropriateresearchinfrastruc-
ture and equipment to researchers at
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
grow a representative science and
technology workforce
In order to grow a representative science
and technology workforce the NRF will
aim to:
• Increasestudentbursaryvalueswhere
possible;
• Recruitseniorscientistsandengineers
to continue with current research
programmes and assist with new
projects;
• Addressthesevereshortageof
competent previously disadvantaged
researchers;
• Providehumanresourcestraininginthe
high-tech environment of the National
Research Facilities;
• Coordinateactivitiesofthescience
awareness platforms; and
• Growthenumberofpostdoctoral
fellowships and research assistant
posts, providing opportunities for young
South Africans to establish themselves
internationally.
operate world-class evaluation and
grant-making systems
The NRF will implement the proposed
changes to the evaluation and rating
system as recommended by the Review
of the rating system 2007/08 through,
for example the gradual linking of funding
with rating over the next three years as the
Focus Area programme is phased out.
The Research and Innovation Support
and Advancement (RISA) funding agency
will continue to:
• Providetheadministrationservice
for the process to evaluate and rate
the research outputs of individual
researchers;
• Facilitatetheappraisal,monitoring,
evaluation and review of internal
and external research and funding
programmes;
• Developandmaintaincost-effective,
efficient and simplified grant
management processes; and
• Promotedataretrievalandreporting
by enhancing the NRF online system
with InfoEd, in line with the national
Research Information Management
System (RIMS)/InfoEd project.
provide cutting-edge research,
technology and innovation platforms
To achieve this goal the NRF will have to:
• Recommissionthe26mdishatthe
Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy
Observatory (HartRAO);
• CompletetheSquareKilometreArray
(SKA) bid process;
• Dealwiththelackofadequatefunds
to upgrade ageing equipment and
infrastructure;
• Managetheimpactofageingand
obsolete equipment and infrastructure
to minimise disruptions in operations;
• Releasefundsfortheplacementofand
access to infrastructure and equipment
at HEIs; and
executive summary8• Maintainthesupportednational
database platforms at RISA.
contribute to a vibrant national
innovation system
To make this contribution, the NRF will:
• Improvemanagementandadministration
of binational and bilateral agreements;
• Engageinrelevantnationaland
international programmes, providing
researchers with world-class
opportunities and potential
collaborations with prominent
international researchers;
• Facilitatenetworkingwithinspecific
research communities;
• LaunchtheStrategicPlatforms
Collaboration Programme;
• PromotecollaborationbetweenHEIs,
National Research Facilities and
industry; and
• ClarifytheroleoftheNRF in the
National System of Innovation (NSI) in
relation to other players, such as the
Technology Innovation Agency (TIA)
and the South African National Space
Agency (SANSA).
main risks
The NRF faces the following risks:
• Increasingpressuretohonourlonger-
term commitments because of budget
limitations;
• Lossoflocalcredibilityandinternational
reputation as a result of inadequate
resources for research, research
infrastructure and research funding
support;
• Erosionofresearchandsupervisory
capacities in the system, adversely
affecting knowledge generation and
human capacity development;
• Theinabilitytoacquiremodern
technology to keep up with the latest
developments, thus slowing down
technological development and
innovation;
• Morefrequentbreakdownsarisingfrom
technical failures at National Research
Facilities; and
• Lossofkeycompetencieswithinthe
organisation and the NSI.
sTrucTure of The
2009-2012 business plan
The 2009-2012 NRF Business Plan
provides a corporate overview which briefly
outlines the history of the organisation,
its mandate, vision, mission, values and
strategic goals. It also describes the core
competencies and composition of the
public entity.
The 2009-2012 NRF Business Plan
contains the organisation’s investment
principles and provides extensive
information on the budget and cash flow.
Separate sections address the purpose
and scope, activities for 2009-2010 and
longer-term challenges (2009-2012)
of the main business units of the NRF,
namely RISA, SAASTA, the National
Research Facilities, and the Corporate
Office.
The final section sets performance
targets for 2009-2012 in the key
performance areas according to the
Balanced Scorecard approach.
10 corporate overview
The NRF has special, targeted interventions and programmes that contribute to achieving the intent of government’s NSI policies and strategies.
corporate overview
shorT hisTory of The nrf
The NRF was established through
the National Research Foundation
Act (Act No 23 of 1998), following a
system-wide review conducted for the
Department of Arts, Culture, Science
and Technology (DACST). The new entity
had to incorporate the functions of the
research funding agencies that were
previously servicing various sections of the
research community, namely the former
Centre for Science Development (CSD)
of the Human Sciences Research Council
(HSRC) and the former Foundation for
Research Development (FRD).
As an independent government agency,
the NRF promotes and supports research
in all knowledge fields. It aims to uphold
excellence in its investments in knowledge,
people and infrastructure.
National Research Foundation
Research and
Innovation Support
and Advancement
(RISA)
National
Research
Facilities
South African
Agency for Science
and Technology
Advancement
(SAASTA)
Quality
of life
Figure 2: The relationships between the NRF Vision and its composition
mandaTe of The nrf
The NRF receives its mandate from the
National Research Foundation Act (Act No
23 of 1998). According to Section 3 of
the Act, the object of the NRF is to:
promote and support research
through funding, human resource
development and the provision of
the necessary facilities in order
to facilitate
the creation of knowledge,
innovation and development in all
fields of science and technology,
including indigenous knowledge,
and thereby to contribute to
the improvement of the quality of life
of all the people of the republic.
11nrf Vision 2015
The NRF has a vision of ensuring research
excellence within a transformed research
workforce that espouses a sustainable
environment not only for the benefit of
the present generation but also for future
generations of South Africans. In short, the
NRF envisages:
• World-class research
• Transformedsociety
• Sustainableenvironment
nrf mission sTaTemenT
To contribute to the knowledge economy
in South Africa by attaining at least 1% of
global research and development (R&D)
output by 2015.
corporaTe Values
The NRF values are:
• Passion for excellence
• World-class service
• Integrity
• Respect
• People-orientation
• Accountability
sTraTegic goals
The NRF adopted the following broad
strategic goals:
• Promote internationally competitive
research as basis for a knowledge
economy;
• Grow a representative science and
technology workforce in South Africa;
• Operate world-class evaluation and
grant-making systems;
• Provide cutting-edge research,
technology and innovation platforms;
and
• Contribute to a vibrant national
innovation system.
core compeTencies of The nrf
The core competencies of the NRF are
embedded in:
• Leading-edge grant management
systems;
• World-class research evaluation and
benchmarking practices;
• State-of-the-art research platforms;
• Specialised research capacity at the
National Research Facilities;
• Strategic information accumulation and
dissemination capability;
• Capacity to catalyse local and
international science cooperation,
networks and partnerships;
• Science advancement expertise for
community engagement; and
• Science and technology management
experience.
composiTion of The nrf
The NRF has three main business units or
pillars:
• Research and Innovation Support and
Advancement (RISA);
• South African Agency for Science and
Technology Advancement (SAASTA); and
• National Research Facilities.
The NRF’s Corporate Office supports
the main business units by overseeing the
following functions:
• CorporateFinance
• CorporateHumanResourcesand
Transformation
• CorporateGovernance
• InternationalAffairs
• NewBusinessDevelopment
• InformationTechnology
clusTering of nrf
business uniTs and acTiViTies
The activities of the NRF are clustered as
follows:
research and innovation support
and advancement (risa)
RISA takes responsibility for:
12 corporate overview
• Programmes and functions largely
supported by the Parliamentary Core
Grant; and
• ProgrammesmanagedbytheNRFasa
service provider.
south african agency for science
and Technology advancement
(saasTa)
SAASTA’s main function is to stimulate
the interface between science and society
and to coordinate science and technology
(S&T) education, communication, outreach
and advancement across the business
units of the NRF.
national research facilities
The facilities are clustered in terms of the
area of knowledge production or of the
national need that is being serviced.
Astro/Space/Geosciences
• South African Astronomical Observatory
(SAAO), also responsible for managing
the Southern African Large Telescope
(SALT);
• HartebeesthoekRadioAstronomy
Observatory (HartRAO); and
• HermanusMagneticObservatory(HMO).
Biodiversity/Conservation
• South African Institute for Aquatic
Biodiversity (SAIAB);
• SouthAfricanEnvironmentalObservation
Network (SAEON), an emerging National
Research Facility; and
• NationalZoologicalGardensofSouth
Africa (NZG).
Nuclear Sciences
• iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator
Based Sciences (iThemba LABS).
releVance of
The nrf in The nsi
position of the nrf in the nsi
The White Paper on Science and
Technology Preparing for the 21st Century
(1996) outlines in broad terms the
responsibilities of the NRF in the NSI.
The NRF is mandated to fulfill a dual
function in the NSI.
In the first instance the NRF is a value-
adding intermediary agency between top-
down steering policies and strategies of
government on the one hand and research
performing institutions (mainly universities)
and researchers on the other hand. In this
function the NRF steers (through funding
and other initiatives) the system according
to strategic policies that are implemented
within the NRF’s sphere of influence
(such as the Higher Education landscape,
Science Councils and industry).
Secondly, the National Research
Facilities are research performers,
conducting and facilitating research. They
provide the infrastructure platform from
which research in areas of priority and/or
geographical advantage can be conducted.
Figure 3 on page 13 indicates the
NRF’s dual role.
The dsT 10-year innovation plan
The Department of Science and
Technology’s 10-year Innovation Plan,
titled Innovation Towards a Knowledge-
based Economy, makes it clear that the
social and economic challenges facing
South Africa need to be addressed
through economic growth that is driven
by innovation. Innovation will change the
economy from being resource-based
to knowledge-based. According to the
Innovation Plan, the pillars of a properly
functional knowledge economy are:
• The economic and institutional regime;
• Education;
• Innovation; and
13Figure 3: The South African science landscape Figure 4: The four pillars of the knowledge economy
Economic and
Institutional
Regime
Information
Infrastructure
Education
Innovation
1. Knowledge capital
2. Human capital
3. Research infrastructure
Knowledge
economy
(Adapted from Department of Science and
Technology: 2007)
14 corporate overview
• Information infrastructure.
These factors are interlinked,
interconnected and interdependent (see
figure 4 on page 13).
The Plan lists knowledge and “high-
end” human capital as key enablers of
innovation.
Knowledge capital
The NRF promotes and supports
internationally competitive research that
expands the knowledge pool in strategic
knowledge areas, such as those listed as
“Grand Challenges”.
Human capital
One of the strategic goals of the NRF
is to grow a representative science and
technology workforce in South Africa.
The NRF has a multi-pronged approach
towards achieving this goal, ranging from
science outreach to the youth, to the
development of emerging researchers
and the support of well-established
researchers. The NRF has a specific drive
to increase the number of PhDs per million
of the population in South Africa.
Research infrastructure
The NRF enables innovation by providing
cutting-edge, large scale knowledge/
research infrastructure and technology
platforms. The organisation affords
researchers the opportunity to access
the unique research infrastructure
and expertise available at the National
Research Facilities. The NRF also funds
the placement of equipment at HEIs.
The nrf and national
strategic imperatives
The NRF takes the following national
imperatives and policies into consideration
for planning purposes:
The Grand Challenges
During 2007, the DST identified the
following critical areas called “Grand
Challenges”:
• Bio-economy;
• Space Science and Technology;
• Energy security;
• Global climate change; and
• Human and social dynamics.
These have the potential to steer the
South African developmental state towards
a knowledge-based economy. The NRF is
already investing in knowledge, people and
infrastructure platforms within these fields
and will sharpen this focus in future.
The Youth into Science Strategy
In March 2007, the DST launched the
Youth into Science Strategy that, firstly,
promotes science and technology literacy
among the public in general and the youth
in particular. Secondly, it encourages
demographically representative youth with
talent and potential to pursue SET-based
careers.
Through SAASTA and the National
Research Facilities, the NRF:
• Advances public awareness of science;
• Supports science and mathematics
education;
• Develops science communication
expertise; and
• Informs learners about careers in SET.
The NRF supports the National Plan for
Competitions, Camps and Olympiads, all
of which aim to identify those who have
talent and potential from an early age,
and support them throughout the human
capacity development value chain.
The National Research and Development Strategy
The National Research and Development
Strategy (NRDS) was published in 2002.
It is a key document in government’s
human capital and transformation agenda
and highlights wealth creation and quality
15of life as important goals for the NSI. The
strategy identifies four innovation missions:
poverty reduction; key technology
platforms (including biotechnology and
information communication technology
(ICT)); advanced manufacturing; and
leveraging resource-based industries.
The NRDS stresses the need to create
“centres and networks of excellence”
in science and technology, including in
the social sciences and humanities. The
NRF is the implementing agency for
this initiative. The DST/NRF Centres of
Excellence stimulate sustained distinction
in research while simultaneously
generating highly qualified scientists.
The NRDS also refers to boosting
areas of knowledge where South Africa
has an obvious or potential geographical
advantage and/or where there is a clear
and established knowledge advantage
(R&D Strategy, 2002:52). The National
Research Facilities fit this bill perfectly.
Skills Development Strategies
Government introduced the Skills
Development Act (Act No 97 of 1998)
to address the severe shortage of skills
required to improve South Africa’s
global competitiveness. In April 2001,
the Ministries of Education and Labour
jointly launched the Human Resources
Development Strategy for South Africa,
entitled A Nation at Work for a Better Life
for All. Its key missions are to:
• Maximise the potential of people in
South Africa through them acquiring
knowledge and skills; and
• Drive productivity and competitiveness
to improve the quality of life of all South
Africans.
The DoL, together with the DoE and
the DST, has to ensure that training in
scarce skills takes place in HEIs and other
training institutions, especially in the fields
of science and technology. To deliver on
this objective, the DoL funds bursaries and
scholarships from the National Skills Fund.
The NRF manages the funds allocated for
this purpose.
Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South
Africa (AsgiSA) and the Joint Initiative for Priority
Skills Acquisition (JIPSA)
AsgiSA was initiated in 2004 with the
aim to reduce the unemployment rate
from 30% to 15% by 2014; reduce
poverty from one-third to one-sixth of the
population by 2014; and to increase the
annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
growth rate from an average of 3% to
4,5% per annum for the period 2005 to
2009 and to 6% for the period 2010
to 2014. The greatest impediment to
AsgiSA’s public infrastructure and private
investment programmes is the shortage
of skills, including professional skills,
management skills and technical skills,
such as artisans and IT technicians.
Cabinet established JIPSA to support
AsgiSA. In 2006 JIPSA identified five
priority skills areas for immediate attention:
• High-level, world-class engineering
and planning skills for the “network
industries” namely, transport,
communications, water and energy;
• City, urban and regional planning and
engineering skills;
• Artisan and technical skills, with priority
attention to infrastructure development,
housing and energy;
• Management and planning skills in
education and health; and
• Mathematics, Science and Language
Competence in public schooling.
In support of the JIPSA initiative, the
NRF is involved in funding research
in areas of scarce skills. The NRF,
in partnership with the DST, runs
the internship programme to equip
16 corporate overview
unemployed graduates with the skills
required in the workplace.
NRF also explores some of the
solutions put forward by JIPSA to alleviate
the skills shortage, such as special training
programmes; bringing back South Africans
and Africans working outside of Africa;
and involving new immigrants where
necessary. It may also include mentoring
and overseas placement of trainees to
fast-track their development.
The South African Nanotechnology Strategy
The Nanotechnology Strategy was
launched in April 2006. Nanotechnology
comprises a wide range of technologies,
techniques and multidisciplinary research
efforts applied to a range of cross-cutting
industries and activities. These include
aerospace, manufacturing and automotive
industries; energy conversion, storage
and distribution; the hydrogen economy;
chemicals; electronics and information
processing; and biotechnology and
medicines.
Areas in the strategy which relate
directly to the mandate of the NRF are:
• Investing in final year undergraduate
and postgraduate bursaries;
• Strengthening human resources capacity
in industry in nanotechnology through
training programmes and internships;
• Encouraging interdisciplinary and inter-
institutional postgraduate programmes
in nanoscience and nanotechnology;
• Promoting collaborative R&D in
nanoscience and nanotechnology; and
• Contributing to the establishment of
strategic support networks in South
Africa and regionally.
The Nanotechnology Equipment
Programme that resides in the
NRF provides the infrastructure for
nanotechnology flagship research projects.
Although funding is limited, the NRF
will place a high resolution transmission
electron microscope (TEM) at Nelson
Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU)
from 2009.
The Millennium Development Goals
The Millennium Development Goals (MDG)
respond to global development challenges.
The development goals are drawn from
the actions and targets contained in the
Millennium Declaration that was adopted
during the UN Millennium Summit in 2000.
The goals are:
• Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and
hunger;
• Goal 2: Achieve universal primary
education;
• Goal 3: Promote gender equality and
empower women;
• Goal 4: Reduce child mortality;
• Goal 5: Improve maternal health;
• Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and
other diseases;
• Goal 7: Ensure environmental
sustainability; and
• Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership
for Development.
The first report of the Gap Task Force
of the MDG published during 2008 states
that while there has been progress on
many fronts, significant gaps remain in
the areas of aid, trade, debt relief, and
access to new technologies and affordable
essential medicines.
The NRF factors the relevance
of research applications in terms
of goals such as the MDG into its
funding decisions and its relationship-
building through bilateral and binational
agreements.
18nrf inVesTmenT principles
The NRF formulated eight principles to
guide its investment approach across
the range of its interventions, functions,
facilities and programmes:
• Competitive funding applies to all types
of funding applications.
• A balanced strategy-driven versus
demand-pull approach is followed.
• Investments are subject to rigorous
merit-based, peer reviews and rating of
the research outputs of individuals.
• The PhD continues to be a critical
systems driver.
• The NRF promotes cross-fertilisation
and rotation of expertise and talent
between itself and other entities in the
NSI.
• The NRF strives to appropriately
allocate resources throughout the
organisation for efficient delivery of
services and strategic goals.
budget and cash flow
The global economic climate and urgent national priorities have affected the funds available for the support and promotion of research.
• Core principles of fairness, transparency
and accountability apply to all
investment processes.
• Transformation is considered at all times.
budgeT
The NRF receives its resources
annually from the DST after a Medium-
Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF)
submission for science and technology to
the National Treasury.
The NRF budget allocation from the
DST for the year ending 31 March 2010 is
indicated in Table 1 on the next page.
section a
19Table 1: Abridged budgeted income statement for the year ending 31 March 2010 (including Innovation Fund and THRIP)
Budgeted 2009/10Projection
2008/09RISA iTHEMBA SAAO HartRAO SAIAB HMO SAASTA NZG SKA NRF NRFR’000 R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000
Goverment grant 471 028 117 323 28 597 18 733 10 922 8 767 15 036 44 871 13 322 728 599 762 968
Deferred income – depreciation portion only 2 000 22 155 1 600 1 200 850 791 541 2 186 1 800 33 123 32 097
Contract income 718 344 2 000 13 200 39 8 749 7 060 20 500 – 276 651 1 046 543 1 146 153
Interest received 32 700 – 150 750 339 600 600 15 000 50 139 60 704
Internal transfers 17 750 17 349 1 090 6 400 200 1 230 – 44 019 58 470
NZG entrance fees – 18 578 – 18 578 16 888
Other income – 21 756 800 10 000 4 701 2 461 2 970 15 763 4 000 62 451 30 853
Total income 1 241 822 180 583 45 437 29 972 32 372 19 618 40 877 81 998 310 773 1 983 452 2 108 133
Salaries 103 988 87 308 33 305 11 239 12 960 9 904 11 829 53 418 26 714 350 665 327 425
Running expenses 120 058 67 975 12 132 14 095 15 200 6 958 18 736 28 580 74 018 357 752 403 828
Grants and bursaries 1 023 776 3 969 100 1 923 8 000 – 13 099 1 050 867 1 116 300
Capital expenditure 5 000 20 431 4 638 4 112 3 485 820 – 196 942 235 942 395 453
Total expenditure 1 252 822 179 683 45 437 29 972 32 372 22 270 39 385 81 998 310 773 1 994 712 2 243 006
Net budgeted unspent funds/(deficit)
for the year(11 000) 900 – – – (2 652) 1 492 – – (11 260) (134 873)
Projected unspent funds/(deficit) excl. *PRMB 11 000 (900) – – – 2 652 (1 492) – – 11 260 134 873
Budgeted unspent funds excluding *PRMB – – – – – – – – – – –
* Post Retirement Medical Benefit
20 section a
Table 2: Three-year projection of the NRF 2009/10 MTEF allocation
NRF2009/10 2010/11 2011/12
R’000 R’000 R’000
Baseline
RISA 337 021 354 821 372 314
National Research Facilities 220 168 233 378 244 347
SAASTA 14 244 15 099 15 809
Inflationary adjustment 3 913 4 786 3 055
Ring-fenced funding (Table 3) 153 254 186 229 216 248
Total 728 600 794 313 851 773
Year on year movement -0,6% 9,0% 7,2%
Table 3 sets out the ring-fenced allocation included in the NRF allocation.
Table 3: Ring-fenced allocation for 2009/10 MTEF
NRF2009/10 2010/11 2011/12R’000 R’000 R’000
Science and Technology Agreements Fund (STAF) 56 371 58 020 71 955
Centres of Excellence 44 689 47 370 49 596
Key International Science Capacity 3 885 4 118 4 312
Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) 5 600 6 000 6 282
High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS) 266 284 295
South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) 15 000 17 000 18 799
Innovation Honours Bursaries/Scholarships 1 571 24 066 34 257
Square Kilometre Array (SKA) 13 322 14 121 14 785
Wildlife Biological Resource Centre (WBRC) 1 800 2 000 2 094
South African Biosystematics Initiative (SABI) 3 250 3 250 3 403
Human Capacity Development Research Chairs 7 500 10 000 10 470
Total 153 254 186 229 216 248
21Table 4: NRF sources of funding for the year ending 31 March 2009/10
NRF
Actual
2007/08
R’000
Projection
2008/09
R’000
Budget
2009/10
R’000
RISA DST RISA core grant and ring-fenced 407 641 505 440 456 028
DST Innovation Fund 256 795 139 499 152 295
the dti THRIP 144 967 161 982 169 978
DoL Scarce Skills Development Fund 38 809 44 233 15 000
RISA contracts and other 111 811 486 422 433 521
SAASTA SAASTA MTEF 13 134 13 922 15 036
SAASTA contracts and other 22 009 34 543 25 841
National Research Facilities iThemba MTEF 103 732 110 796 117 323
iThemba contracts and other 42 323 59 235 63 260
SAAO MTEF 25 122 26 479 28 597
SAAO contracts and other 17 314 24 764 16 840
HartRAO MTEF (incl. SKA) 28 456 26 645 32 055
HartRAO contracts and other (incl. SKA) 130 650 305 454 308 690
SAIAB MTEF 9 595 10 113 10 922
SAIAB contracts and others 14 061 21 422 21 450
HMO MTEF 6 754 8 112 8 767
HMO contracts and others 7 527 12 043 10 852
NZG MTEF 44 406 46 461 44 871
NZG contracts and others 43 900 55 571 37 127
SAEON SAEON MTEF 11 972 15 000 15 000
SAEON contracts and others 29 – –
Summary Total NRF Science Vote Funding 650 812 762 968 728 599
Contracts and others 830 195 1 345 168 1 254 854
Total funding 1 481 007 2 108 136 1 983 453
Figure 3: Comparison of sources of funding
2008 2009 2010
Contract and other Ring-fenced grant from DSTCore grant from DST
R m
illio
n
0
500
1 000
1 500
2 000
830
495
156
1 345
179
566584
163
1 255
22 section a
Income Statement
Category 2009/10 R’000
2010/11 R’000
2011/12 R’000
Government grant 728 599 794 313 851 773
Contract income 1 046 543 1 394 661 1 260 091
Interest received 50 139 20 000 22 000
Other income (sales and transfers) 136 308 69 078 67 621
Total income 1 961 589 2 278 052 2 201 485 Deferred income (202 305) (437 978) (241 530)
Net income 1 759 284 1 840 074 1 959 955 Salaries 350 665 393 196 412 099
Running expenses 357 752 386 793 424 077
Grants and bursaries 1 050 867 1 060 085 1 123 779
Total expenditure 1 759 284 1 840 074 1 959 955 Net unspent funds/(deficit) for the year – 0 0
Balance Sheet Property, plant and equipment 794 766 1 232 744 1 474 274
Inventory 3 500 3 500 4 000
Receivables 300 000 350 000 375 000
Cash and investments 430 000 400 000 350 000
Total assets 1 528 266 1 986 244 2 203 274 Accumulated funds 70 558 77 558 85 558
Post-retirement medical liability 99 612 102 580 105 431
Payables and provisions 1 358 096 1 806 106 2 012 285
Total liabilities 1 528 266 1 986 244 2 203 274
Table 5: Abridged Financial Statements 2009/10 to 2011/12
Cash Flow Statement
Category 2009/10 R’000
2010/11 R’000
2011/12 R’000
Cash flow from operating activities 375 326 890 373 486 627
Cash flow from investing activities (224 412) (482 395) (295 097)
Cash flow from financing activities (191 444) (437 978) (241 530)Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
(40 530) (30 000) (50 000)
24 section b
purpose and scope
RISA promotes and supports research
and research capacity in all fields of
research and technology. This is achieved
through investing on a competitive basis in
research, people and infrastructure.
sources of funding
RISA disburses funding from various
sources, including:
• Funds allocated to the NRF via the
Parliamentary Science Vote (core grant);
and
• Funds received from government
departments, for example:
– Department of Science and
Technology (DST);
– Department of Labour (DoL);
– Department of Trade and Industry
(the dti); and
– Department of Environmental Affairs
and Tourism (DEAT).
These ring-fenced and contract funds
are disbursed according to strict criteria
laid down by the respective sponsors.
inVesTmenT areas
RISA has identified seven broad
investment areas. They are listed in
Table 6 together with an indication of the
RISA is the funding agency that translates government strategies into funding offerings and development programmes for the benefit of institutions and researchers.
research and innovation support and advancementproportion of the total NRF grant budget
presently set aside for each investment
area. Resources will be allocated
according to the priorities set in the NRF
strategy. Investments are therefore driven
by strategy and not simply by demand.
Table 6: RISA’s seven investment areas
NRF CoreContract and Ring-fenced
Total
Investment area R’000 % R’000 % R’000 %
Established researchers (SARChI and incentive funding for rated researchers)
29 900 11 337 071 36 366 971 30
Human capital development (Thuthuka; research niche areas; free-standing support and support for unrated researchers)
102 338 37 87 000 9 189 338 16
Strategic knowledge fields (many varied opportunities; and CoE) 11 300 14 111 892 12 123 192 10
Applied and Industrial Research and Innovation; and THRIP 250 0 160 000 17 160 250 13
Strategic platforms (equipment; flagship projects; and programmes directed by the NRF)
14 300 5 112 500 12 126 800 10
International initiatives (including bilateral and binational agreements) 5 964 2 120 800 13 126 764 10
Community engagement research 1 300 0 – 0 1 300 0
Focus area programmes (existing commitments) 113 969 41 – 0 113 969 9
279 321 100 929 263 100 1 208 584 100
25Table 7: Current major funding opportunities managed by the NRF
Preliminary Call Schedule for 2009 2008 2009 2010
Investment area Funding Programme Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr
Established researchers
South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) 2010 X
Incentive funding for rated researchers - for newly rated researchers 2010 X
Human and Institutional Capacity Development (HICD) and unrated researchers
* Thuthuka 2010 X
* Research Niche Areas 2010 X
Competitive Support for Unrated Scientists 2010 X
Royal Society No call expected
NRF/DoL/SABI Master’s and Doctoral (subject to DoL funding) 2010 X
Disabled (M, D)* 2010 X
Postdoc #1 2009 X
Postdoc # 2* 2010 X
NRF/DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austrauschdi-enst) for Master’s and Doctoral 2010 X
Honours Block Grant 2010 X
Master Block Grant 2010 X
Strategic knowledge fields
Centres of Excellence (CoE) of Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) 2009 X
(POSSIBLE) CoE call for DST 2009 X
Blue Skies 2010 X
* Marine and Coastal Management (MCM) 2010 X
* South African Biosystematics Initiative (SABI) 2010 X
* Society, Ecosystems and Change (SEAChange) 2010 X
South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP) – closed call – date pending approval by DST 2010 X
African Origins Project (AOP) No call expected
African Coelacanth Ecosystems Programme (ACEP) No call expected
Applied & industrial research & innovation THRIP 2010 X
26 section b
Table 7: Current major funding opportunities managed by the NRF (continued)
Preliminary Call Schedule for 2009 2008 2009 2010
Investment Area Funding Programme Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr
Strategic platforms
Research Infrastructure Support Programme (equipment) 2009 X
Research and Innovation Reward Programme 2009 X
Competitive support for collaborative research with National Research Facilities 2010 X
Nanotechnology Flagships Programme No call expected
Knowledge Interchange and Collaboration (KIC) Open call - applications received at any time
Synchrotron/Mobility Grants No call expected
International initiatives
Binationals (SA) It is difficult to plan these calls as they depend on international partners
Bilaterals (NRF) It is difficult to plan these calls as they depend on international partners
Key International Science Capacity (KISC) 2009 X
Community engagement research Community engagement research 2010 X
Individual evaluation and rating 2009 X
Key• Shaded bars represent call periods.• The year in the shaded bar refers to the funding year. * = If funding is made available X = Expected date for announcing results
27bursaries and scholarships
Due to funding constraints the bursaries and scholarships for
2009/10 will remain as follows:
free-standing scholarships and fellowships
Prestigious and Equity Scholarships (full-time study/research only)
Honours/BTech (final year) – block grant R15 000 p.a.
Master’s degree – block grant R33 000 p.a.
Doctoral degree (in South Africa) R55 000 p.a.
Doctoral degree (abroad) US$12 000 p.a.
Postdoctoral Fellowship (in South Africa) R90 000 p.a.
Postdoctoral Fellowship (abroad) US$16 500 p.a.
Once-off travel grant during tenure of
Master’s, Doctoral, Postdoctoral award R5 000
Department of Labour Scarce Skills Development Fund and scholarships for
students with disabilities
Honours (full-time) – block grant R30 000 p.a.
Master’s (full-time) R50 000
Doctoral (full-time) R75 000
Postdoctoral R100 000
Disabled students qualify for a further R15 000 for assistive
devices on request.
Innovation Scholarships
Honours Fellowship: Bursary – block grant R 35 000 p.a.
Master’s Fellowship: Bursary – block grant R 60 000 p.a.
Postdoctoral Fellowship:
Stipend R150 000
Contribution towards running expenses R 30 000
Total R180 000
grantholder-linked bursaries
Focus Area Programmes, Thuthuka and Research Niche Areas, and the new
programmes, eg, Blue Skies, and Competitive Support for Unrated Scientists
Student Assistantships Annual amount
Final year undergraduate (full-time) R 8 000
Honours/BTech (full-time) R15 000
Bursaries and Fellowships
Master’s degree (full-time) R30 000
Master’s degree (part-time) R10 000
Doctoral degree (full-time) R45 000
Doctoral degree (part-time) R12 000
Postdoctoral (pro-rata per month) R80 000
South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP) and African Origins
Project (AOP)
Student Assistantships Annual amount
Final year undergraduate (full-time) R8 000
Honours/BTech (full-time) R25 000
Bursaries & Fellowships
Master’s degree (full-time) R40 000
Master’s degree (part-time) R10 000
Doctoral degree (full-time) R65 000
Doctoral degree (part-time) R12 000
Postdoctoral (pro-rata per month) R90 000
South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI)
No part-time bursaries are awarded.
28 section b
Student Assistantships Annual amount
Honours/BTech (full-time) R15 000
Bursaries & Fellowships
Master’s degree (full-time) R33 000
Doctoral degree (full-time) R55 000
Postdoctoral (pro-rata per month) R120 000
grantholder-linked staff development grant (bursary)
The value of these awards is R25 000.
risa programmes and
acTiViTies
This section provides a short overview
of the programmes offered by RISA
in support of the research community
according to the NRF strategic goals.
promote internationally
competitive research
Knowledge Field Development
The broad aim of Knowledge Field
Development (KFD) is to facilitate the
creation of new knowledge and research
capacity within the context of national
research and developmental challenges.
This is achieved by pushing back the
frontiers of existing knowledge and
expertise, and developing new fields
of knowledge and associated research
capacity.
KFD achieves these goals by:
• Investigating, mapping and analysing
research interests and trends within and
across disciplines and knowledge fields;
• Promoting active interaction between
researchers within and across
disciplines and knowledge fields;
• Strengtheningscientificand
professional organisations in the South
African research community; and
• Refiningandredefiningresearchcalls
in view of the above developmental
interventions.
grow a representative science and
technology workforce in south africa
Human and Institutional Capacity Development
Human and Institutional Capacity
Development (HICD) develops institutional
research capabilities and the appropriate
human capital at HEIs. Five HICD
programmes support the development
of researchers across the spectrum from
pre-doctoral to emerging and established
NRF-rated researchers.
The programmes aim to:
• Increase the number of qualified
South Africans for critical positions in
academia, and in the public and the
private sectors;
• Providesupportforhonours,Master’s,
doctoral and postdoctoral level training
of researchers by providing bursaries,
scholarships and fellowships;
• Supportinternshipsforunemployed
Science, Engineering and Technology
(SET) graduates;
29• Supportdirectedfundingand
interventions through the Thuthuka/
University Partnership Programme. The
programme assists university academic
staff to advance their academic
credentials and develop black and
female researchers and researchers
with disabilities;
• Develop institutional research capacity
through establishing Research Niche
Areas (RNAs) at universities in
partnership with the institutions;
• Providecompetitivefundingforunrated
researchers not receiving any NRF core
research grants; and
• Support all categories of NRF-rated
researchers with rating-linked core
grants.
Scarce Skills Development Fund
The Scarce Skills Development
Fund (SSDF) aims to accelerate the
development of the scarce, high-level
human resources needed in areas that
are critical as drivers for economic
development in South Africa.
The NRF has been the implementing
agency for the SSDF on behalf of the
DoL and DoE since 2002. The target
groups are honours, Master’s and doctoral
students and postdoctoral researchers.
Persons with disabilities, female and black
students are specifically targeted.
Technology and Human Resources for Industry
Programme (THRIP)
THRIP is a partnership programme funded
by the dti and managed by the NRF.
It aims to improve the competitiveness
of South African industry by developing
technology and highly skilled human
resources. Through THRIP, on a cost-
sharing basis with industry, government
helps to create long-term partnerships
between HEIs and industry. These
combine industry’s need to find solutions
to identified technological problems
with the need to produce highly skilled
researchers and technology managers.
THRIP’s objectives are to:
• Promote increased interaction among
researchers and technology managers in
industry, HEIs and Science, Engineering
and Technology Institutions (SETIs),
with the aim of developing skills for the
commercial exploitation of science and
technology (S&T);
• Encourageindustryandgovernmentto
increase their investment in research,
technology development, diffusion and
the promotion of innovation;
• Promoteincreasedcollaboration
between large and small enterprises,
HEIs and SETIs by conducting research
and development activities leading to
technology transfer and product or
process development; and
• Promotelarge(thematic)collaborative
research and development projects in
the dti priority areas.
operate world-class evaluation and
grant-making systems
Monitoring and Evaluation
The Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)
division of the directorate for Knowledge
Management and Evaluation is responsible
for:
• Facilitating the appraisal, monitoring,
evaluation and reviews of internal
and external programmes and their
processes and benchmarking research
performance; and
• Providingtheadministrationforthe
evaluation and assessment services
to appraise and evaluate the research
outputs of individual researchers.
The purpose of M&E is achieved through:
• Usinginternationalbestpractice
30 section b
in monitoring and evaluation and
continuously review and improve the
integrity and validity of processes;
• Consultingwiththestakeholder
community; and
• Implementingproposedchangestothe
evaluation and rating system as recom-
mended by the Review of the rating
system 2007/08, such as the relinking of
rating with funding by the NRF.
Grants Management and Systems Administration
The Grants Management and Systems
Administration (GMSA) Directorate
implements grant management in
partnership with and on behalf of the
funding directorates of RISA, namely
Knowledge Fields Development (KFD),
International Science Liaison (ISL), Human
and Institutional Capacity Development
(HICD) and Applied and Industrial
Research and Innovation (AIRI). Grant
management can broadly be divided into
pre- and post-award activities.
GMSA aims to:
• Developandmaintaincost-effective,
efficient grant management processes;
• Simplifybusinessprocessesand
interfaces;
• ImprovetheITsystemscriticaltoGMSA
Choose strategy
and set criteria
Make call
Screen
applications
Assess and review
applications
Make
recommendations
Monitor progress
Funding
decisions
Monitor progress
Financial
management
Communicate
decisions
GMSA RISA Programme GMSA
Pre-award Award Post-award
Figure 5: Grant Management Process
business; and
• Simplifydataretrievalandreporting.
The NRF online and Phoenix systems are
critical to the efficacy of GMSA. The long-
term vision is to replace the NRF online
system with InfoEd, in line with the RIMS/
InfoEd project.
provide cutting-edge research,
technology and innovation platforms
Strategic Platforms Programme
The Strategic Platforms Programme (SPP)
supports research and innovation through:
• Developingenablinginfrastructure,
including state-of-the-art research
equipment and national facilities;
• Providingaccesstoresearchequipment
and facilities through mobility and
research grants;
• Supportingresearchprojectsinstrategic
areas; and
• Developingspecialisedtechnical
expertise for knowledge generation
within existing and developing strategic
platforms.
31National Research Facilities
The SPP will incentivise researchers at the
National Research Facilities to produce
quality research publications. This will
take the form of a monetary award in line
with the publication funding formula for
researchers at HEIs.
Researchers from the HEIs will, in
turn, have greater access to specialised
equipment through collaborative grants
allowing them to undertake research at a
National Research Facility.
Infrastructure and equipment
The NRF, in partnership with the DST,
supports the following:
• NationalEquipmentProgramme;
• NationalNanotechnologyEquipment
Programme; and
• NanotechnologyFlagshipsProjects
(NFP) to establish state-of-the-art
research platforms.
The purpose of the infrastructure and
equipment initiatives is to:
• Provideinfrastructureforresearchca-
pacity development, mainly postgraduate
student training and staff development;
• Createalong-rangeplanningculture
around research equipment;
• Promote,throughtheplacementof
research equipment, the development of
research collaboration; and
• Supportandpromotenational,regional
and institutional research priorities.
Mobility grants
Mobility grants for local and international
travel enable researchers and students to
access research equipment not available
to them at their home institution or region.
The programme aims to ensure optimal
utilisation of state-of-the-art research
equipment through promoting accessibility,
networking and the availability of trained
researchers, operators and technical
personnel for diagnosis and maintenance
of the equipment.
informaTion resources and
serVices (irs)
IRS as a division of the Knowledge
Management and Evaluation Directorate,
provides a national platform for and access
to information and data on research. IRS
operates on open access principles. It
enhances international collaboration and
contributes to the advancement of science
by providing data to the NSI.
IRS achieves its objectives through:
• Beingcustodianof,andimplementing,
knowledge management processes and
principles primarily within the NRF and
generally in the wider NSI context;
• Providinginformationmanagement,
services and advice;
• Providingaplatformforsharing,learning
and transfer of knowledge for external
Communities of Practice, including the
South African Network of Skills Abroad
(SANSA) infrastructure and networking
facility;
• ManagingtheNEXUSDatabase
System; and
• Takingtheleadnationallyin
implementing a leading-edge research,
technology and innovation platform
RISA’s objective is to ensure appropriately qualified people and high-level infrastructure to produce the knowledge that makes South Africa a global competitor.
32 section b
through projects such as the Carnegie/
NRF Digitisation and Preservation
project, the National Network of Data
and Information Curation Centres
(NeDICC), World Data Systems (WDS),
and the National Electronic Theses and
Dissertation (NETD) project.
contribute to a vibrant national
innovation system
Science and Technology Agreements Fund (STAF)
Within government, the DST is
custodian of advancing international
science cooperation, agreements and
memberships. The DST assigns the NRF
as the implementing agency for these
Science and Technology Agreements and
memberships. The NRF is drawn into the
process at a relatively early stage to:
• DeveloptheScienceandTechnology
Cooperation Agreements;
• Drafttheprogrammeofcooperation
which generally details modalities,
criteria, priorities and conditions; and
• Negotiatefundinglevels.
Science and Technology Agreements
develop scientific relations
between research communities of
intergovernmental signatories and
establish long-term, sustainable scientific
cooperation and networks. The main
purpose of cooperative research
is to support projects of scientific
excellence by promoting the exchange of
researchers and stimulating interaction
between scientific communities.
Emphasis is placed on training. The
agreements also encourage the inclusion
of PhD students and the exchange of
postdoctoral fellows within approved
projects.
The NRF may enter into cooperation
agreements with counterpart
organisations, independent of the
overarching intergovernmental
agreements.
Membership of international science
bodies provides South African scientists
access to knowledge, data and networking
opportunities.
challenges: 2009-2012
RISA faces the following challenges over
the next four years:
• Raiseadditionalfundstocomplement
funding allocations received via DST;
• Managecontractsefficientlyandcost-
effectively;
• Increasestudentbursaryvalueswhere
possible;
• ContinuesupportforCoEsandSARChI;
• LaunchtheStrategicPlatforms
Collaboration Programme;
• Establishproperinternalandexternal
information systems through the
Research Information Management
Systems (RIMS) and appropriate
business information systems; and
• Improvemanagementandadministration
of binational and bilateral agreements.
34 section c
focus and infrasTrucTure
The objective of SAASTA is to expand
the public awareness of and the human
resource capacity for science. SAASTA
achieves this by exposing people to
the wonders of science and informing
them about the relevance of SET in their
everyday lives. SAASTA pursues its goals
through:
• Science engagement – offering
opportunities to learners, educators
and the public to engage with science
and its applications through exhibitions,
science shows and hands-on
experiences;
• Science platforms – providing multi-
user science advancement platforms in
collaboration with the National Research
Facilities, a network of science centres,
higher education institutions and
Science Councils;
• Science education – curriculum
support and materials development
for educators and learners mainly in
mathematics and science; and
• Science communication –
publicising South Africa’s SET
achievements.
south african agency for science and technology advancement
SAASTA provides the infrastructure and competency platform to spread the message about science to learners, educators and the public.
saasTa as science
adVancemenT plaTform
SAASTA occupies two sites, namely the
Didacta Building in Pretoria that serves as
its headquarters and the Observatory in
Johannesburg.
The Didacta Building includes a fully
fitted workshop where exhibitions are
built. The Johannesburg Observatory can
host exhibitions on engineering, optics,
astronomy, astrophysics and space
science. Learning facilities include the
infinity room, telescopes and the TRAC
laboratory.
The Johannesburg Observatory also
has the following resources available
for learners, educators and the public:
forensic science laboratories; a computer
laboratory; a library; several telescopes; 19
exhibits in the form of interactive hands-
on models; and travelling exhibits such as
SciQuest and StarLab.
35acTiViTies: 2009-2010
Among others, SAASTA will present SET
awareness campaigns; role modelling
campaigns, science camps, the National
Science Olympiad; the National Science
Week; and primary science days for
schools, educators and learners. Internally,
SAASTA will create stronger links with
other NRF business units.
challenges: 2009-2012
Depending on the availability of funds,
the following long-term challenges will be
addressed:
• DevelopingtheJohannesburg
Observatory site in line with the phased
approach;
• Expandingthereachofcurrent
successful interventions;
• Improvingthesciencecommunication
division through national cross-sectoral
collaboration to drive a central science
communication service; and
• Expandingthefundingforresearch
on science education and community
engagement research.
SAASTA exposes people to the wonders of science, making them aware of how relevant science, engineering and technology are for their everyday lives.
37definiTion and clusTering
According to the White Paper on Science
and Technology (1996), an institution
qualifies as a National Research Facility
when it has:
• AuniquepositioninSouthAfrican
knowledge production;
• Coretechnologies,researchmethods
or data pools/collections that live up to
international standards;
• Goalsthatarealignedwiththeoverall
objectives of the NSI;
• Criticalmassofequipment,skillsand
users;
• Potentialfornetworkingandattracting
international collaborators; and
• Opportunitiesforhumanresource
development, with special efforts to
involve researchers from formerly
disadvantaged communities.
The education and training focus of the
facilities enrich and empower individuals to
function as productive knowledge workers.
In alignment to the science missions
identified in the National Research and
Development Strategy (NRDS) of August
2002, the seven National Research
Facilities are clustered into three broad
categories according to their areas of
specialisation:
The National Research Facilities provide “big science” platforms to researchers and research institutions. Thanks to these national assets, South Africa is an international role player in strategically important research areas.
national research facilities
astro/space/geosciences
• TheSouthAfricanAstronomical
Observatory (SAAO) performs
fundamental research in astronomy
and astrophysics at a national and
international level. SAAO is the National
Research Facility for optical and
infrared astronomy. It is also responsible
for managing the operations of the
Southern African Large Telescope
(SALT).
• HartebeesthoekRadioAstronomy
Observatory (HartRAO) was established
as the national facility for radio
astronomy research in South Africa.
Today its primary function is to support
research in radio astronomy, space
geodesy and spin-off functions.
• HermanusMagneticObservatory
(HMO) is part of a worldwide network
of magnetic observatories that monitor
and model variations of the Earth’s
magnetic field. HMO’s activities include
fundamental and applied space physics
research and it provides geomagnetic
field-related services on a commercial
basis.
biodiversity/conservation
• TheSouthAfricanInstituteforAquatic
section d
National Research Facilities
SAIAB
NZG
SAEON
HartRAO
SAAO
HMO
iThemba LABS
Figure 6: Structure of the National Research Facilities
Nuclear
SciencesAstro/Space/Geosciences Biodiversity/Conservation
38 section d
Biodiversity (SAIAB) serves as a
research hub for aquatic biodiversity
in southern Africa. It houses and
develops the National Fish Collection
and associated resource collections as
research tools and sources of aquatic
biodiversity data. It also generates
knowledge through interactive and
collaborative scientific research, and
disseminates scientific knowledge at
all levels.
• TheSouthAfricanEnvironmental
Observation Network (SAEON) is
an emerging research facility that
establishes and maintains nodes
(environmental observatories,
field stations or sites) linked by an
information management network.
These nodes serve as research
and education platforms for long-
term studies of ecosystems that
will incrementally advance our
understanding of ecosystems and our
ability to detect, predict and react to
environmental change.
• TheNationalZoologicalGardensof
South Africa (NZG) is the facility for
research in terrestrial biodiversity. The
NZG houses one of the largest animal
collections in the world, operates three
breeding centres and has approximately
8 000 hectares available at different
locations for its various activities.
nuclear sciences
• iThembaLaboratoryforAccelerator
Based Sciences (iThemba
LABS) provides advanced, viable,
multidisciplinary facilities for training,
research and services in the fields of
sub-atomic nuclear science and applied
radiation medicine.
generic acTiViTies
The National Research Facilities (within
the limitations of their budgets) provide
the infrastructure required to generate
and support internationally competitive
research. The facilities have the mandate
to:
• Ensureaccesstostate-of-the-art
infrastructure;
• Improvethequalityandquantityof
research outputs;
• Coordinateandmanagelarge
international projects;
• Providehumanresourcestrainingin
a high-tech environment by providing
lectures, student supervision and
experiential training in collaboration with
heis;
• Usemultidisciplinaryandmulti-
39institutional programmes as platforms
for the training and education of
students;
• Developstrongnichetechnical
competencies to produce high-quality
instrumentation and equipment;
• Growscientificandtechnical
collaborations with HEIs locally; and
• Buildsustainableinternational
collaborations (particularly in Africa) and
enhance the science and technology
profile of South Africa internationally.
As science awareness platforms, the
national research facilities strive to:
• Improvethescientificandtechnological
literacy and awareness of South
Africans;
• Encourageinclusionofscienceand
technology content in educational
programmes and curriculum activities;
• Hostregularscience-relatedactivities
and national events, such as national
science week and national quiz
activities;
• Runeducatorworkshopsforimproving
understanding and delivery of science
concepts; and
• Presentsummerandwinterschoolsto
prospective postgraduate students.
The education and training focus of the National Research Facilities enrich and empower individuals to function as productive knowledge workers in society.
challenges: 2009-2012
The challenges facing the National
Research Facilities are interrelated. The
essential elements for a successful
platform are adequate capital, sufficient
and effective human resources and
leading-edge infrastructure.
In terms of four of the five strategic
goals of the NRF, the National Research
Facilities have to deal with the following
challenges:
goal: promote internationally
competitive research
• Improvequalityandquantityofresearch
outputs; and
• Provideessentialengineeringsupportto
user groups internally and externally.
goal: grow a representative science
and technology workforce
• Recruitseniorscientistsandengineers
to continue with current research
programmes and assist with new
projects;
• Addressthesevereshortageof
competent, previously disadvantaged
researchers;
• Recruitandretainskilledemployees
within an extremely competitive labour
market where black staff are in high
demand and very mobile;
• Coordinateactivitiesasscience
awareness platforms;
• Growtrainingcapacityoffacilities;and
• Expandthenumberofpostdoctoral
fellowships and research assistant
posts to provide opportunities for young
South Africans to establish themselves
internationally.
goal: provide cutting-edge research,
technology and innovation platforms
• Dealwiththelackofadequatefunds
40 section d
to upgrade ageing equipment and
infrastructure;
• Manageageingandobsoleteequipment
and infrastructure to minimise
disruptions in operations;
• Acquirethenecessarybreadthand
depth of state-of-the-art equipment to
meet commitments and mandates; and
• Maintaintheinfrastructuretokeepup
with advancing technology.
goal: contribute to a vibrant national
innovation system
• Engageinrelevantnationaland
international programmes to
provide researchers with world-
class opportunities and potential
collaborations with prominent
international researchers;
• Embracetheconceptofbeinga
local and global hub that facilitates
and utilises the interaction between
all parties participating in a specific
research community network;
• ClarifytheroleoftheNRFintheNSIin
relation to other players such as the:
– South African National Biodiversity
Institute (SANBI);
– South African National Antarctic
Programme (SANAP);
– African Centre for Climate and Earth
System Science (ACCESS); and
– South African National Space
Agency (SANSA). A number of
crucial competencies and capabilities
envisaged for the new Space Agency
are already embodied within the three
national facilities that form the Astro/
Space/Geosciences cluster;
• Reprioritiseactivitiesinlinewith
available funding; and
• Meetnationalandinternational
commitments.
Risks facing the National Research
Facilities include:
• Lackoflocalcredibilityandlossof
international reputation as a result of
inadequate resources for infrastructure
repairs and replacements and key
projects;
• Aninabilitytoacquiremodern
technology to keep up with the latest
developments thus slowing down
technological development and
innovation;
• Morefrequentbreakdownsarisingfrom
technical failures; and
• Lossofkeycompetencies.
research focus and
infrasTrucTure plaTform
SAAO is the National Research Facility
for optical and infrared astronomy, with
headquarters in Cape Town. The research
telescopes are located 360km away
outside Sutherland in the Northern Cape,
where they explore the dark clear skies
from the observing plateau.
SAAO is responsible for managing the
operations of the 10m-class Southern
African Large Telescope (SALT) on
behalf of an international consortium.
South Africa is the leading partner with
approximately 33% shareholding. Other
partners include the USA, Germany, India,
Poland, the United Kingdom and New
Zealand.
SALT is the largest single telescope
in the southern hemisphere, and
is equipped with state-of-the-art
imaging, spectroscopic and polarimetric
instruments. Although very similar to the
Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) in Texas,
SALT has a redesigned optical system,
providing greater throughput, larger field-
of-view and improved image quality.
SAAO also operates the existing suite
of small telescopes at Sutherland, which
include:
south african astronomical observatory
SAAO’s research telescopes raise awareness of the
universe in which we live.
By promoting astronomy and astrophysics, the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) raises South Africans’ awareness of the universe in which we live and its importance as a driver of fundamental science.
41
42 section d
• the0,5mand0,75mtelescopes
redeployed for public outreach and
student training; and
• the1,9mand1mtelescopesused
for competitive research projects,
and to support SALT’s operations
by complementary imaging and
photometric calibration observations.
SAAO also hosts a half-dozen
international specialist telescopes which
conduct infrared surveys, searches for
exoplanets and near-Earth asteroids, and
oscillations on the Sun. The majority of
these facilities are robotic.
acTiViTies: 2009-2010
In support of four of the NRF’s five
strategic goals, SAAO plans the following
activities:
goal: promote internationally
competitive research
• GenerateanarchiveofprocessedSALT
data and implement its subsequent
distribution;
• Providetheacademiccommunitywith
access to SAAO facilities and SALT
expertise; and
• Provideaccesstointernational
databases through an African Virtual
Observatory (VO) and educate users in
the use of VO tools.
goal: grow a representative science
and technology workforce
• SupporttheNationalAstrophysicsand
Space Science Programme (NASSP).
This flagship training programme in
astronomy is run by a consortium of nine
South African universities and three
National Research Facilities to enable
South Africans to maximise their share
of time on SALT, HESS (High-Energy
Stereoscopic System) and the new
facilities for radio astronomy (such as
KAT, MeerKAT and SKA);
• Redesignandre-establishthestrategy
to encourage PhD graduates as
part of the Astronomy Geographical
Advantages Programme (AGAP);
• RuntheSALTCollateralBenefits
Programme with specific emphasis on
the International Year of Astronomy
2009 (IYA2009) through networks
and partnerships to stimulate “training
trainers”; and
• Createawarenessoftheeconomic
benefits of science to the Northern
Cape through astro-tourism.
goal: provide cutting-edge research,
technology and innovation platforms
• OperateSALTonbehalfoftheSALT
international partnership;
• Developandtransfercorecompetencies
in electronic, optical and mechanical
high-precision design and manufacture
as well as expertise in charge-coupled
device (CCD) engineering; and
• IntegrateSALTandthesmalltelescope
operations.
goal: contribute to a vibrant national
innovation system
• AdvancetheAstronomyGeographical
Advantages Programme (AGAP)
strategy to provide a holistic long-term
plan for optical, radio and gamma-ray
astronomy;
• HosttheSpaceSecretariatoftheinter-
departmental National Working Group
on Space Science and Technology;
• Provideleadershipregardingthe
scientific component of the South
African Space Agency;
• SupporttheestablishmentoftheAfrican
Institute of Space Science (AISS)
through the Space Secretariat that will
drive initiatives to set up networks for
AISS;
43• PromoteastronomyinAfricabyhosting
research visits and representing the
International Astronomical Union in visits
to African countries;
• EnsureSouthAfricanparticipationin
the next two International Astronautical
Congresses to build capacity to organise
the 62nd International Astronautical
Congress in Cape Town in 2011 for
which South Africa won the bid in 2008;
and
• Consolidatecapabilitiesinspace-
related activities in the Western Cape by
establishing an interdisciplinary platform.
challenges: 2009-2012
SAAO faces the following challenges in
the next four years:
• WorktowardsaSutherland-CTfast
data link for (near) real-time processing
of SALT data, transforming it into
immediately scientifically valuable
material. This link will also reduce data
bulk;
• LinkSALTasaremotesoftware-driven
facility into the International Virtual
Observatory – a global development
that will enhance the provision of
fully reduced online archival data for
scientific use;
• Coordinate(throughAISS)international
support for regional and African
space science and technology around
largescale facilities such as SALT,
HESS, SKA, KAT, Sumbandila-SAT
and the proposed African Resource
Monitoring Constellation.
44 section d
research focus and
infrasTrucTure plaTform
Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy
Observatory (HartRAO) provides access
to a 26m diameter radio telescope that
is used for research in radio astronomy,
astrometry and space geodesy.
The 48-year-old radio telescope is
available as a stand-alone, independent
instrument, or in global networks of radio
telescopes using the very long baseline
interferometry (VLBI) technique. VLBI
provides high-resolution astronomical
measurements as well as measurements
of the Earth’s crustal dynamics.
HartRAO occupies an unique
geographical position in VLBI. It forms
part of the European VLBI network
and operates with the American Very
Long Baseline Array and the Southern
Hemisphere Long Baseline Array in
collaboration with Australian telescopes.
The high angular resolution obtained by
these arrays allow them to function as true
state-of-the-art research platforms.
Astronomy activities are based on
detecting electromagnetic radiation
from celestial objects. As part of this
multi-wavelength discipline, the Radio
Astronomy programme utilises the 26m
radio telescope to conduct research on
radio-emitting astronomical objects, using
Research in radio astronomy and geodesy find application in a range of human activities, from monitoring the technical construction of bridges and dams to monitoring natural phenomena, such as volcanoes and earthquake hazards.
hartebeesthoek radio astronomy observatory
HartRAO’s research in radio astronomy and geodesy help
detect and monitor changes in natural phenomena.
45the techniques of Continuum Radiometry,
Spectroscopy, Pulsar Timing and VLBI.
Space geodesy uses the radio telescope
in an inverse sense. Instead of investigating
the properties of radio sources in the sky,
selected point-like sources are used as
precisely located beacons in the sky to
facilitate the study of the Earth and its
crustal motions. This technique is used
to develop and maintain the International
Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF) used
by astronomers to locate objects precisely,
and the International Terrestrial Reference
Frame (ITRF) for accurately locating
positions on Earth. A Satellite Laser
Ranger (SLR) and a Global Positioning
System (GPS) network also form part of
the infrastructure platform of the Space
Geodesy Programme.
HartRAO is one of only five permanent
fundamental space geodesy stations in the
world and participates in:
• geodeticVLBI,throughtheInternational
VLBI Service (IVS);
• satellitelaserranging(SLR),through
the International Laser Ranging Service
(ILRS); and
• theGlobalPositioningSystem(GPS),
through the International GPS Service
(IGS).
Data products from these services are
available to the international community.
acTiViTies: 2009-2010
In support of three of the NRF’s five
strategic goals, HartRAO plans the
following activities:
goal: grow a representative science
and technology workforce
• Provideteachingandstudent
supervision at the University of the
Witwatersrand, the University of Pretoria
and UNISA;
• Increasethenumberofradio
46 section d
astronomers in South Africa to be
recruited into the facility programmes
through, for example, the NASSP
programme;
• Developawarenessatdisadvantaged
HEIs of the work of the facility to
encourage secondment of staff to the
facility; and
• Conductscienceoutreachactivitiesin
collaboration with the SKA outreach
programme.
goal: provide cutting-edge research,
technology and innovation platforms
• Repairthe26mantennawhichhas
a broken bearing on its main axis, or
acquire a new 25m class telescope;
• Complete/continuethefirst-phase
development (KAT-7) of the MeerKAT
interferometer array;
• DeveloptheSouthAfricanSquare
Kilometre Array (SKA) Pathfinder
telescope array, MeerKAT, which is the
South African SKA demonstrator;
• Hostandtestthefirstprototype
antenna for MeerKAT and advise the
MeerKAT project team;
• Adaptthe15mXperimental
Development Model (XDM) telescope
demonstrator for the Karoo Array
Telescope (KAT) to carry out geodetic
VLBI in partial replacement of the failed
26m telescope;
• Developandtestantennaeand
equipment for measuring the reflector
surface profile of the KAT-7 antennas
by microwave holography;
• Refurbishmentandrelocatetothe
Karoo the 7,6m antenna (donated by
Telkom) for the international C-Bass
(C-band all sky survey) programme;
• Developanewandmorepowerfullaser
ranging system based on a larger (1m)
optical telescope; and
• ExtendthegeodesyGPSnetworkby
placing receivers in different parts of
Africa.
goal: contribute to a vibrant national
innovation system
• ParticipateintheSouthAfricanRadio
Astronomy initiative to bid for the SKA;
• Playaleadingroleindefiningthe
MeerKAT scientific programme and in
setting up an International Scientific and
Engineering Advisory Group; and
• Recruitandtrainoperationstechnical
staff for the first-phase development
(KAT-7) of the MeerKAT interferometer
array for later deployment on-site in the
Karoo.
challenges: 2009-2012
HartRAO faces the following challenges in
the next four years:
• DefineoperationalroleinKAT-7andthe
build-up to MeerKAT;
• Defineoperationalresponsibilityofthe
MeerKAT array on completion; and
• Recruitseniorscientistsandengineers
to continue with current research
programmes and assist with new
projects.
47
HMO focuses on the physical Earth system, from core to
space, and its research plays an important role in naviga-
tion and air traffic safety.Geomagnetic field models provide
information for navigation to the South
African National Defence Force (SANDF)
during peace-keeping missions in Africa.
The information is also used by agencies
responsible for air traffic safety at national
airports.
Ionospheric characterisation
benefits users of High Frequency (HF)
communications, such as the military,
navy and aviation industries. In addition,
communication via the ionosphere plays a
crucial role in disaster management.
research focus and
infrasTrucTure plaTform
HMO conducts research in the Earth’s
geomagnetism, atmosphere, ionosphere,
plasmasphere, and magnetosphere. The
HMO’s unique focus on the physical
Earth system from the core to space
makes a crucial contribution to the South
African Earth Observation Strategy
(SAEOS) and the South African space
programme. Through its geographically
wide and multi-function observational
network, the HMO contributes Earth and
hermanus magnetic observatory
Hermanus Magnetic Observatory (HMO) plays a very important role in understanding the physical universe and the physical earth system, and has numerous practical benefits.
48 section d
space data to various global networks,
including International Real-time Magnetic
Observatory Network (INTERMAGNET),
Digital Ionogram DataBase (DIDBase),
Super Dual Auroral Radar Network
(SuperDARN), and the World Wide
Lightning Location Network (WWLLN).
HMO is also the space weather Regional
Warning Centre (RWC) for Africa under
the International Space Environment
Service (ISES).
HMO conducts observations and
simulates the variations of the Earth
and space environments using a wide
network of instruments around the
southern African region and as far south
as Antarctica. These instruments include
fluxgate and Overhauser magnetometers,
digital pulse ionosondes, ionospheric
scintillation monitors, an HF radar as well
as narrowband and wideband Very Low
Frequency (VLF) receivers. The HMO also
offers technological services to public
and commercial clients in the defence
and aerospace sectors. State-of-the-art
equipment and infrastructure for this
purpose include a non-magnetic, wide
temperature climatic chamber, a large
(2,5m) three axis Helmholtz coil, magnetic
shielding chamber, an HMO-invented
magnetic test bench, DQ declinometers
and two 4T30 theodolites. The HMO also
has a science centre with exhibits that
stimulate an interest in science among
learners.
acTiViTies: 2009-2010
In support of four of the NRF’s five
strategic goals, HMO plans the following
activities:
goal: promote internationally
competitive research
• TakepartintwoDSTGrandChallenges,
namely Space Science and Global
Change. This will be accomplished
through HMO’s participation in the
space science programme of the
South African National Space Agency
(SANSA) as well as in the South African
Earth Observation Strategy (SAEOS).
Both of these link South Africa to
strategic international initiatives, such
as Global Earth Observation System of
Systems (GEOSS);
• Conductcutting-edgemonitoring,
simulation and research in
geomagnetism as well as atmospheric,
ionospheric, magnetospheric, and
theoretical plasma physics;
• Distributequalitydatatoglobal
networks and international agencies,
such as the World Data Centres (WDC)
in Kyoto, Japan, and Boulder, USA;
• Conductintensivevalidation,analysis,
interpretation and publication of
International Polar Year (2007-09)
results;
• Collectanddistributehigh-quality
ionospheric data that is important for
communication; and
• IncreaseHMO’sground-based
infrastructure to maximise use of current
and future space missions.
goal: grow a representative science
and technology workforce
• Increasethenumberofstudents
from historically disadvantaged
backgrounds;
• IncreasenationalusageoftheHMO
through establishing partnerships
with two historically black universities
that have been identified as strategic
partners;
• UsetheHMOScienceCentreto
expose learners (primarily from rural
and township schools) to basic space
science and technology and its
application in everyday life; and
49• StartasupplementaryGrade12support
programme.
goal: provide cutting-edge research,
technology and innovation platforms
• Design,developandoperatesecondary
space science research payloads under
the SANSA space science programme;
• Providegeomagneticdataandmodels
for SANDF usage, navigation and
mineral exploration;
• Providespaceweatherproductsand
services to, among others, SANSA,
communication and navigation
companies and Eskom;
• Providemagnetometer-basedsatellite
navigation technology similar to that
done for two SA micro-satellites
(SUNSAT and SumbandilaSAT);
• Provideelectricandmagneticsignature
management, de-perming and cathodic
(rust) protection to the South African
Navy (SAN); and
• Providenavigationsystemsupport
services and integration to the SA
Air Force (SAAF) and private aviation
companies.
goal: contribute to a vibrant national
innovation system
HMO has a well-defined niche area
within the NSI which focuses on the
Earth system from the core to space.
Taken together with the work done by the
astronomical facilities and the Council
for Geosciences, this work provides a
seamless perspective of the universe.
challenges: 2009-2012
HMO faces the following challenges in the
next four years:
• ObtainfundsfortheIhlabathi:Core
to Space project. The central theme
of Ihlabathi is the rapid change in the
geomagnetic field in the vicinity of
South Africa;
• AssisttheSouthAfricanNational
Antarctic Programme (SANAP) that
is experiencing problems with ageing
equipment and the scaling down of
the programme due to the retirement
of eminent scientists and the lack of
obvious successors;
• Consolidatetechnicalservicesin
navigation, signature management,
magnetometer system integration and
cathodic protection, especially also for
the South African Navy System Support
Centre (SSC) in Simon’s Town; and
• Commencewithestablishingthe
International Space Environment Service
(ISES) space weather Regional Warning
Centre (RWC) for Africa.
50 section d
research focus and
infrasTrucTure plaTform
The South African Institute for Aquatic
Biodiversity (SAIAB)’s research scope
spans aquatic biodiversity from genes
to ecosystems. Disciplines include
systematics and taxonomy; phylogenetics
and phylogeography; ecology; physical
and biological oceanography; marine
palaeo-climates; remote sensing; coastal
biodiversity; conservation planning;
environmental education; and deepwater
biodiversity. The geographical focus of
projects extends with declining priority
from South Africa through southern Africa
to the African continent.
The specialised research facilities
at SAIAB include a molecular (DNA)
preparation laboratory, an X-ray unit and a
state-of-the-art micro-otolith preparation
laboratory. The National Fish Collection
is housed in a controlled-environment
providing 1 835m2 mobile shelving and
216m2 fixed shelving for large tanks.
Back-up support includes a separate
ultra-cold storage tissue biobank and
preparation room; a bulk inflammable
liquid storage chamber with automated
preservative mixing and delivery;
specialised specimen preservation
SAIAB’s research into aquatic biodiversity ensures that
precious marine resources are revitalised.
Biodiversity ensures that life on Earth endures and forms the basis of essential life-renewing processes that a living planet and humanity require.
south african institute for aquatic biodiversity
51laboratories and glass storage; and an
isolated dermestarium for the preparation
of vertebrate skeletal specimens.
A collection management centre for
servicing the off-site collection facility
provides three sorting benches and
space for up to 12 visiting scientists
simultaneously.
SAIAB manages and stores the leading
African aquatic research library (Margaret
Smith Library).
It also hosts the SAEON Elwandle Node
for long-term monitoring and research on
coastal and inshore marine ecosystems.
The Node provides long-term monitoring
and research sites and data sets as well as
an outboard-driven marine research boat.
In 2009 the marine flagship programme,
the African Coelacanth Ecosystem
Programme (ACEP), will have a 13m
catamaran research vessel and a Remote
Operating Vehicle (ROV) (an underwater
observation instrument) capable of diving
to 300m depth. ACEP also provides
access to the Marine and Coastal
Management (MCM) ROV, Algoa, for
research cruises and for the Agulhas
Somali Currents Large Marine Ecosystem
Programme (ASCLME).
acTiViTies: 2009-2010
In support of three of the NRF’s five
strategic goals, SAIAB plans the following
activities:
goal: promote internationally
competitive research
• Undertakeprojectsprovidingdata
relevant to African and especially
southern African situations;
• HosttheSAEONElwandleNodeand
the ASCLME management office;
• DrivetheACEPprogramme;and
• Provide,throughACEP,theSouth
African commitment to the international
ASCLME, funded by the Global
Environmental Facility (GEF).
goal: grow a representative science
and technology workforce
• ContinuewiththepostdoctoralandDST
internship programmes;
• Introduceaninternshipprogrammefor
black South African researchers;
• EncourageSAIABresearcherstoapply
for an NRF rating;
• Renovatethefacilitytoaccommodate
short- and medium-term visiting
researchers, students and interns;
• Continuewithprojectssuchas“Bright
Sparks” for identifying black researchers
from impoverished, under-resourced
rural schools;
• PresenttheBiosystematicsWinter
School to postgraduate students; and
• ExposeGrade10learnerstoscience
careers through a guided tour to the
Western Cape or Gauteng.
goal: provide cutting-edge research,
technology and innovation platforms
• AcquiretheROVandadedicated13m
research vessel;
• ReplacetheoutdatedX-raysystem
with a fully mobile system, including
an integrated CR-reader providing
instant image access linked to the
internal Local Area Network (LAN) and
workstations;
• RefurbishtheSAIABbuildingforthe
new collection management centre,
technical workshop and scientific
equipment stores;
• Completerenovationsforthenew
library;
• Provideaworkingenvironmentand
facilities for the ASCLME management
team;
• IntensifydevelopmentoftheDNAtissue
bank; and
52 section d
• TakeresponsibilityforITaccording
to the broadband provision of Tertiary
Education Network (TENET)/South
African National Research Network
(SANReN).
goal: contribute to a vibrant national
innovation system
• Continuetoworkwithnational
institutions, such as SAEON, SANBI,
CSIR, HEIs, museums, Bayworld, the
Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI)
and the NRF Centre of Excellence for
Invasion Biology (CIB);
• Remaindirectlyinvolvedwithmajor
international initiatives, such as the
International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN) Pan African assessment
of freshwater aquatic biodiversity, the
International Barcode of Life (provides
the co-Chairs for the African regional
Fish Barcode of Life (FishBOL)), the
MUGIL project (Main uses of the
Grey Mullet as Indicators of Littoral
Environmental Changes) and the Ocean
Tracking Network;
• Conductfreshwaterfishsurveysofthe
Kwanza River to train Angolan scientists
in aquatic biodiversity in partnership with
INIP in Luanda, Angola; and
• Maintainlargermulti-institutional
research projects.
challenges: 2009-2012
SAIAB faces the following challenges in
the next four years:
• Provideresearchleadershiptothe
marine community through the ACEP
and the ASCLME partnership;
• Manageanddisseminateknowledge
generated in SAIAB by establishing a
bioinformatics centre and system; and
• Developessentialmoderncollection
and research infrastructure/support
resources, such as a tissue biobank,
X-ray facilities and an IT network.
53
SAEON’s nodes facilitate long-term research to help us
understand ecosystems and enhance our ability to detect,
predict and react to environmental change.
The South African Environmental
Observation Network (SAEON) links
existing and new environmental research
and monitoring programmes. This is
achieved through its research and
monitoring platforms and programmes.
research focus and
infrasTrucTure plaTform
SAEON consists of six operational units
and a coordinating unit or national office.
The operating units are geographically
dispersed environmental observatories
(field stations and research sites)
covering diverse landscapes, coastal
areas, and off-shore marine environments
in South Africa. The observatories
are officially known as nodes. These
nodes run and facilitate long-term
research and monitoring programmes,
and environmental science education
programmes. They are linked by an
information management system, and their
activities are coordinated by the national
office in Pretoria.
Table 8 on page 54 describes the six
SAEON nodes.
The overall research programme aims
Knowledge of ecosystems and environmental change contributes to environmental policies and management plans to counter climate change and to ensure a productive and quality environment.
south african environmental observation network
54 section d
to distinguish between anthropogenic and
natural change, and the relations between
social change and ecosystem change.
SAEON draws on research
competencies in hydrology, water quality,
eco-physiology, soil sciences, conservation
biology, botany, zoology, marine sciences,
limnology, climatology and meteorology,
fresh water ecology, human ecology,
environmental information systems,
palaeo-ecology, biogeography, pollution
and environmental modelling.
Research facilities available at the
nodes include field-based apparatus for
assessing and monitoring flora, fauna,
soil and the atmosphere. There are also
laboratories for conducting bio-physical
and chemical tests on environmental
phenomena. Other facilities include
hardware and software for data
processing, generating data products for
stakeholders, and data archiving.
SAEON provides a shared spatial data
portal in collaboration with the CSIR.
acTiViTies: 2009-2010
In support of three of the NRF’s five
strategic goals, SAEON plans the
following activities:
goal: promote internationally
competitive research
• Reviewcorescienceplan;
• Facilitatereliableenvironmental
research that informs decision-making
for improved quality of life by acquiring,
processing, archiving, supplying and
using long-term environmental data; and
• Increasethenumberofcooperation
agreements with South African
universities and the Science Councils
that have internationally recognised
research performance credentials.
goal: grow a representative science
and technology workforce
• Provideaccesstoavailabledatato
researchers from Science Councils,
postdoctoral fellows, academics and
students locally and internationally;
• SupporttheGraduateStudents’
Network;
• ParticipateintheDSTinternship
programme; and
• Runaneducatorsupportprogramme
and related outreach activities.
goal: provide cutting-edge research,
technology and innovation platforms
• Coordinateandsupportnodes,research
sites, equipment, infrastructure and
information management systems;
• Archiveandmakeaccessiblelong-term
environmental data for extrapolation and
large-scale interpretation;
• ParticipateintheInternationalLong-
Term Ecological Research (ILTER), the
Environmental Long-Term Observatories
Table 8: Basic facts on the SAEON nodes
Name of node Eco-region Location of node offices Host organisationArid* Arid and semi-arid Kimberley South African National ParksEgagasini Marine off-shore Cape Town Marine and Coastal ManagementElwandle Coastal and marine in-shore Grahamstown SAIABFynbos Cape Floral Kingdom Cape Town South African National Biodiversity InstituteGrasslands* Grassland, forests & wetlands Pietermaritzburg Ezemvelo Kwazulu-Natal WildlifeNdlovu Savannah Phalaborwa South African National Parks
* indicates interim names
55of Southern Africa (ELTOSA), ASCLME,
ACEP and SANAP programmmes and
organisations;
• Facilitatenetworkingthroughthe
stakeholder relations portfolio; and
• Providefinancialsupporttodata
centres, including the South African
Data Centre for Oceanography
(SADCO) and the African Ocean
Biogeographic Information System
(AFROBIS).
goal: contribute to a vibrant national
innovation system
• Growcapacitybyattractingpostdoctoral
fellows;
• Contributetothedevelopmentand
implementation of the Global Change
Science Plan for South Africa;
• Participateinnationalscience
communication programmes; and
• Publishmaterialonenvironmental
change in South Africa for decision- and
policymakers.
challenges: 2009-2012
SAEON faces the following challenges in
the next four years:
• Establishcohesionbetweenfragmented
environmental research activities;
• PromoteLong-termEcologicalResearch
(LTER) as opposed to small-scale, short-
term studies;
• Improvecost-effectivenessby
expanding the scope of research
programmes over space (eco-regions
and covering terrestrial, atmospheric
and oceanic systems) and time (longer
periods) and improving quality of data;
• Establishinnovativeinformationmanage-
ment systems through IT platforms; and
• ContributetotheSouthAfricanEarth
Observation Strategy (SAEOS).
section d56
research focus and
infrasTrucTure plaTform
The NZG provides a facility for research,
training and science advancement. To this
end, it manages an animal collection of
more than 10 000 specimens and 600
species in four Biodiversity Conservation
Centres (BBCs) in Gauteng, Limpopo and
North West, covering a total area of almost
8 000 hectares.
NZG research focuses on conservation,
especially on ex-situ care of Africa’s
wildlife and in-situ conservation of
biodiversity in general. Important research
areas include conservation/biodiversity
and conservation medicine.
The NZG provides the following
infrastructure and collections:
• TheCentreforConservationScience
researches the conservation of species
and their habitats. The research covers
the interface between in-situ and ex-situ
research, sustainable wildlife population
management and scientific services
provision to the wildlife conservation
system locally and globally.
• TheCentreforConservationMedicine
and Research explores the interface
between wildlife, domestic animal and
human health on the one hand, and
NZG research focuses on conserving Africa’s wildlife and
biodiversity in general.
national zoological gardens of south africa
The National Zoological Gardens of South Africa (NZG) aims to foster a generation that respects nature, and is aware of and engaged with biodiversity, conservation and environmental sustainability.
57the health of ecosystems on the other.
Its activities include clinical services
for the animal collection programme;
veterinary science research for species
conservation; wildlife disease monitoring
and surveillance (bio-security), with
some focus on zoonotic disease; and
reproductive physiology/biology for
managing the genetic integrity in animal
collections and breeding.
• ThePublicInterfaceResearch
Programme undertakes visitor and
audience research. The programme will
be housed within the NZG Academy
Framework, which integrates staff
development and learning opportunities
for the public. The NZG receives
600 000 visitors annually, 60% of whom
are learners.
• TheBiomaterialsBankspecialisesin
wildlife biomaterials from the NZG’s own
animal collection and from materials
donated to the bank by stakeholders.
• NZGprovidesaccesstotheglobal
zoo and aquarium fraternity through
its membership of the Pan African
Association of Zoos and Aquaria
(PAAZAB) and the World Association of
Zoos and Aquaria (WAZA).
acTiViTies: 2009-2010
In support of four of the NRF’s five
strategic goals, the NZG plans the
following activities:
goal: promote internationally
competitive research
• Generateknowledgeforconservationof
species and their habitats;
section d58• Refineresearchprogrammesunderthe
new NZG strategic approach;
• Developanin-situ conservation strategy;
and
• Continuewiththeex-situ breeding
programme.
goal: grow a representative science
and technology workforce
• Recruitresearchcapacitydependingon
budget;
• Improvepublicamenitiesandvisitor
offerings; and
• AdvancetheimplementationoftheNZG
Academy Framework.
goal: provide cutting-edge research,
technology and innovation platforms
• LaunchtheCentreforConservation
Science;
• Hostaninternationalseminarforfuture
planning of the work of the Centre for
Conservation Medicine;
• Establishnutritionandparasitology
laboratories; and
• Improvefacilitiesforanimalcollection.
goal: contribute to a vibrant national
innovation system
• AdvancetheimplementationoftheNZG
Academy Framework;
• Maintainlinkageswithconservation
agencies in Africa, such as those in
Botswana, Angola, Mozambique, Malawi,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory
Coast, Nigeria and Algeria; and
• Consolidatecollaborativearrangements.
challenges: 2009-2012
The NZG faces the following challenges in
the next four years:
• Obtainfundingtoreplenishtheanimal
collection and execute infrastructure
upgrades;
• Acquirespecialistcapacityinaquarium
management, veterinary nursing,
landscaping, curriculum development,
science writing, engineering, marketing
and finance;
• Installanewgatemanagementsystem;
and
• Adheretozooandaquariumindustry
standards, relevant accreditation and
legal requirements.
59
research focus and
infrasTrucTure plaTform
iThemba LABS provides highly specialised
facilities and skilled scientific and technical
personnel for research, development and
training in pure and applied sub-atomic
sciences and associated technologies.
The latter includes fundamental studies
of nuclear phenomena; applications of
ion beams in materials research; the
production of radionuclides; radiation
biology and particle therapy; medical
physics; atomic mass spectroscopy and
environmental isotope studies.
iThemba LABS also houses a 27-bed
hospital where cancer is treated using
proton and neutron beams.
iThemba LABS has two sites, one in
Faure (Cape Town) and the other at the
University of Witwatersrand campus in
Johannesburg, Gauteng. Infrastructure
includes:
• AvariableenergySeparatedSector
Cyclotron (SSC) which produces
high-energy particle beams (protons)
between 66 MeV and 200 MeV. The
SSC is augmented by two additional
injector cyclotrons;
• A6MVVandeGraaffAccelerator
equipped with a Nuclear Microprobe is
Worldwide, nuclear science research is growing exponentially. Training programmes at iThemba LABS are essential to grow the skills required to build a successful economy.
ithemba laboratory for accelerator based sciences
iThemba LABS is a world leader in nuclear science and it
is continuously looking to develop new radiopharmaceuti-
cal products.
60 section d
used primarily for materials and biological
research, and is supplemented by an
X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) unit as well
as an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM);
• A6MVTandemAcceleratorlocated
in Gauteng, which is intended for
Accelerator Mass Spectrometry that is
under development;
• SpecialisedParticleTherapyfacilities,
such as the Neutron Gantry for the
treatment of cancer;
• Productionfacilitiestomanufacture
radionuclides for both the local nuclear
medicine community and the export
market (hot cells, targetry stations, clean
rooms); and
• Specialiseddetectorsandspectrometers
for use in experiments in nuclear physics.
acTiViTies: 2009-2010
In support of four of the NRF’s five
strategic goals, iThemba LABS plans the
following activities:
goal: promote internationally
competitive research
• Substantiallyimprovethequalityand
quantity of research outputs;
• Promoteinternationalscientificresearch
in materials and nuclear sciences by
implementing peer-reviewed five-year
research plans;
• Initiateandsupportresearchincellular
and clinical radiobiology and medical
physics, and develop research plans in
these fields; and
• Developandproducenew
radiopharmaceutical products.
goal: grow a representative science
and technology workforce
• Increasethedrivefortrainingand
transformation at postgraduate level.
Two hundred postgraduates are
currently using the facility for higher
degrees;
• StrengthencollaborationwithHEIs;
• Runinnovativestaffdevelopment
programmes to cope with the diversity
of responsibilities required to operate
the facility; and
• Recruitandretainskilledemployees
within an extremely competitive labour
market in which the black skilled labour
force is highly sought after and mobile.
goal: providing cutting-edge
research, technology and innovation
platforms
• Completethefeasibilitystudyforthe
proposed iThemba Particle Therapy
Centre (iTPTC) in terms of Treasury
regulations;
• EnhancethecurrentParticleTherapy
Programme to support the objectives of
the iTPTC;
• CommissiontheElectronCyclotron
Resonance (ECR) Ion Source donated
by the Hahn-Meitner Institute in
Germany;
• UpgradetheIT,electronicsand
instrumentation capacity;
• Expandcapacitytoproduceandmarket
accelerator-produced radionuclides to
meet demand and provide production
flexibility; and
• Developandimplementaworld-
class Accelerator Mass Spectrometry
facility using the Tandem Van de
Graaff accelerator at iThemba LABS
(Gauteng).
goal: contribute to a vibrant national
innovation system
• Continuecollaborationswiththe
Nuclear Energy Corporation of South
Africa (NECSA);
• Continuebilateralagreementswith
Hungary, Germany, Russia, Algeria,
South Korea, among others; and
61• DeveloptheSouthAfrican/Conceil
Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire
(CERN) collaborations on the
assumption that funding will be available.
challenges: 2009-2012
iThemba LABS faces the following
challenges in the next four years:
• Implementthefive-yearresearch
and service programmes in materials,
sub-atomic sciences and radiation
biology within a restricted funding
environment;
• Optimisetheoperationsanduseofthe
facility;
• Managetheimpactofageingand
obsolete equipment and infrastructure
to minimise disruptions in operations;
• LaunchiThembaParticleTherapy
Centre (iTPTC); and
• Positionthefacilitytorespondtothe
sub-atomic technology needs of the
next 10 years.
iThemba LABS houses a 27-bed hospital where cancer is treated using proton and neutron beams.
63purpose and scope
The NRF Corporate Office provides
support across the organisation to all
business units. The office includes the
Corporate Secretary; Corporate Finance;
Corporate Governance; Corporate Human
Resources; International Affairs; and New
Business Development.
The Corporate Secretary, Finance,
Governance and Human Resources
provide support to the NRF Board
and maintain effective, efficient and
transparent finance, human resources and
corporate governance systems.
acTiViTies: 2009-2010
corporate finance
During 2009-2010 Corporate Finance
intends to:
• Monitorandcontaincostswithinthe
MTEF allocation;
• Overseefundswithinrestrictedlineitem
flexibility and the demands on core funds;
• Managechangingbusinessneedsby
increasingly entering into contracts on
behalf of the NRF;
• Re-evaluatefundingoptionsforthe
Post-retirement Medical Benefit liability;
• ConsolidatetheNZGPensionFundinto
the NRF Pension Fund;
nrf corporate office
Corporate services are guided by the strategy of the organisation, the needs of the business units and statutory requirements and are motivated by the desire to make the NRF an entity of excellence.
• Conductriskreviewsandimplement
mitigation measures related to large
projects and infrastructure maintenance;
and
• Complywithchangingpolicies
and frameworks, such as treasury
reporting requirements, supply chain
management, BEE codes of conduct,
risk management framework and
infrastructure reporting.
corporate human resources
During 2009-2010 Corporate Human
Resources will aim to:
• Undertakestaffdevelopmentand
training;
• Attractandretaintheappropriate
number and quality of staff;
• Ensureproductivitythrough
performance management and related
processes;
• Ensureharmoniousandstablelabour
relations;
• Takecareofstaffwell-beingthrough,for
example, implementing the Corporate
HIV/AIDS Strategy;
• Implementandimproveemployment
equity processes;
• Furtherimplementandimprovethe
succession planning process; and
• Review,developandimplementanew
competitive remuneration policy and
salary structure.
section e
64 section e
international affairs
During 2009/10 International Affairs will:
• Engagewiththeinternationalscience
community on behalf of the NRF;
• Administergovernment-to-government
agreements vis-à-vis science and
technology collaborations;
• ForminstitutionalrelationshipswithNRF
counterparts abroad;
• Accessinternationalfundingfor
science;
• Forgepurpose-driveninternational
interaction between researchers and
research institutions;
• Coordinateinternationalaffairs
organisation-wide;
• Buildlinkageswithstrategic
international bodies; and
• Providesecretarialsupportforthe
International Council for Science (ICSU).
new business development
New Business Development will grow the
financial resources that are required to
deliver on its mandate by:
• Rollingoutthefundraisingandthe
marketing strategy;
• Leveragingandfacilitatingaccess
to local and international sources of
funding for research;
• Leveragingindustryinvestment;
• Identifyingopportunitiesfor
collaboration with and service delivery to
government departments in accordance
with the NRF mandate; and
• Securingapositivecorporateimage
through corporate events management,
branding and communication.
In line with the NRF Vision 2015,
Information Technology (IT) will be
established as a corporate function. IT will
consolidate and implement the NRF-wide
IT strategy.
challenges: 2009-2012
The Corporate Office faces the following
challenges in the next four years:
• Managethelimitedcoregrantallocation
through, among others, cost savings and
a moratorium on posts;
• Reprioritiseactivitiesaccordingto
available funds;
• Complementcorefundswithcontract
funds or other investments;
• Streamlinebusinessprocessestobest
serve the stakeholder community and
the organisation itself;
• Improvecommunicationinfrastructure;
and
• Implementaphasedapproachtowards
consolidating the Corporate Office.
66 section f
balanced scorecard
approach
In accordance with its new strategy,
Vision 2015, the NRF has adopted
five strategic goals. To systematically
measure performance against these
new strategic goals, the key performance
areas of the Balanced Scorecard are
applied. These are:
• Stakeholderperspective;
• Financialperspective;
• Organisationalperspective(business
processes and procedures);
• Organisationallearningandgrowth
perspective; and
• Humanresourcesandtransformation
perspective.
Within the Balanced Scorecard
framework a suite of Key Performance
Indicators (KPIs) and targets are set.
In view of the mandate and operations
of the NRF the stakeholder perspective
will be used to capture the essence of
its performance. The other Balanced
Scorecard perspectives are regarded
as corporate, internal NRF performance
areas that support the ability of the
organisation to fulfil its core missions and
strategic priorities.
key performance targets2009–2012
The NRF performance targets are structured according to the Balanced Scorecard perspectives. This is followed by more details on the performance targets of RISA and the National Research Facilities according to the strategic goals of the NRF.
performance measures:
work in progress
Given the new strategic goals of the NRF it
was decided to retain certain salient KPIs,
while others were formulated to measure
the new set of goals. All indicators are cur-
rently being evaluated for appropriateness
and amended where necessary. A new set
of indicators will be in place by the end of
the 2009/10 financial year.
sTrucTure of The secTion
Section F contains:
• TheNRFperformancetargetsaccording
to the Balanced Scorecard (Table 9);
• TheNRFperformancetargetsaccording
to the NRF strategic goals for:
– The NRF in its entirety (Table 10);
– RISA and SAASTA (Table 11); and
– The National Research Facilities.
The nrf’s fiVe sTraTegic goals
• Promoteinternationallycompetitive
research as basis for a knowledge
economy;
• Growarepresentativescienceand
technology workforce in South Africa;
• Providecutting-edgeresearch,
67technology and innovation platforms;
• Operateworld-classevaluationand
grant-making systems; and
• Contributetoavibrantnational
innovation system.
Target setting for these goals was based
on the assumption that no significant
budgetary increase will ensue over the
next three years. Targets have therefore
been tapered to be reasonable within the
current economic context.
Table 9: NRF Balanced Scorecard FrameworkTargets are based on the assumption of no real growth in the budget over the three-year period 2009/10-2011/12 Benchmark Target Targets
Stra
tegi
c go
alBalanced
scorecard
perspective
Indicator description 2007/08 2015 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12
R’000 or actual
number % %
Stakeholder perspectiveAverage ISI publications per NRF supported researcher across disciplines – – 5% 2% 2% 2%
Average IBSS publications per NRF supported researcher across disciplines – – 4% 2% 2% 2%
Ratio of ISI publications per NRF employed researcher to national average – – 150% 90% 92% 94%
Percentage active researchers supported by NRF (ISI active ~ 3 000) 2 054:3 000 68% 70% 68% 69% 70%
Rated researchers as % of active researchers in the country (ISI active ~ 3 000) 1 653:3 000 55% 70% 58% 60% 62%
Ratio NRF funded PhDs to total PhDs registered nationally 1 292:10 051 13% 10% 10% 10% 10%
Proportion of NRF investment in providing research platforms at National Research Facilities (excl. SKA)
367 547:1 175 067 31% 33% 32% 32% 33%
Proportion RISA investment in research equipment at Research Institutions and National Research Facilities (R’000)
31 172:800 701 4% 7% 4% 5% 6%
Proportion of RISA competitive grants investment in National Research Facilities (R’000) 11 182:625 650 2% 3% 2% 2% 2%
Proportion of investment in Science Advancement by National Research Facilities and SAASTA (R’000) (excl. SKA)
49 467:386 366 13% 13% 13% 13% 13%
Proportion of RISA expenses invested in RISA information services & platforms (R’000) 19 885:800 701 2% 3% 2% 2% 2%
Proportion investment in CAPEX (R’000) 49 570:1 175 067 4% 5% 4% 4% 4%
Proportion of RISA expenses allocated to researchers and HEIs for access to National Research Facilities and equipment (new initiative) (R’000)
– 0% 2% 2% 2% 2%
Legend Promoting internationally competitive research as basis for a knowledge economy Growing a representative science and technology workforce in South Africa
Providing cutting-edge research, technology and innovation platforms Operating world-class evaluation and grant-making systems Contributing to a vibrant national innovation system
68 section f
Table 9: NRF Balanced Scorecard Framework (continued)Targets are based on the assumption of no real growth in the budget over the three-year period 2009/10-2011/12 Benchmark Target Targets
Stra
tegi
c go
alBalanced
scorecard
perspective
Indicator description 2007/08 2015 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12
R’000 or actual
number % %
Stakeholder perspective (continued)
Proportion of RISA investment in strategic knowledge areas or initiatives (Investment in Grand Challenges and Emerging Knowledge Areas) (R’000)
4 059:800 701 1% 15% 5% 5% 7%
Proportional RISA grant investment on Social Sciences and Humanities (R’000) 175 182:625 650 28% 30% 28% 28% 28%
Percentage RISA grant investment in international initiatives to total RISA grant expenditure (R’000)
47 905:625 650 8% 9% 8% 8% 8%
Financial Ratio of contract income to total income (R’000) 545 827:1 257 858 43% 60% 45% 47% 49%
Ratio of operating expenditure to total expenditure (R’000) 255 488:1 175 067 22% 20% 20% 21% 21%
Ratio of remuneration to total expenditure (R’000) 237 541:1 175 067 20% 20% 21% 21% 20%
Ratio of IT expenditure to total expenditure (R’000) 33 165:1 175 067 3% 10% 5% 6% 7%
Percentage of total resources expensed to grants as proportion of RISA expenditure (R’000) 625 650:800 701 78% 85% 80% 80% 81%
RISA-wide grant-making allocation as % of R4 billion per annum NRF budget target (2015) (R’000)
625 650 80% 16% 16% 16%
Organisational Ratio expenditure on improving operations and policies of NRF to total expenditure – – 2% 1% 1% 2%
Standard turnaround time for rating process 8 months 6 months 8 months 7.5 months 7 months
Completion rate of applications for rating to the Evaluation Centre per annum 95% 95% 95% 95% 95%
Proportion of available grant funding disbursed by RISA (R’000) 625 650:1 076 470 58% 95% 65% 70% 75%
Proportion of rated researchers funded by NRF 904:1 653 55% 100% 60% 65% 70%
69Organisational learning and growth
Ratio training expenditure to total salary budget (R’000) 4 472:237 541 2% 2% 2% 2% 2%
Proportion of NRF staff with postgraduate qualifications (excl. SKA) 245:1 126 21% 25% 20% 21% 23%
Ratio seconded staff employed (to provide additional internal expertise) to total staff (excl. SKA) 0 0% 2% 1% 1% 1%
Proportion researchers to total staff (excl. SKA) 97:1 126 9% 15% 9% 10% 11%
Proportion of facility staff with postgraduate qualifications (excl. SKA) 127:893 14% 20% 15% 16% 17%
Staff enrolled for postgraduate qualifications (excl. SKA)Master’s 30:1 126 2,6% 3% 2,6% 2,6% 2,6%
Doctoral 18:1 126 1,6% 3% 1,6% 1,6% 1,6%
Expected research outputs by National Research Facility researchers (excl. SKA): Pilot indicatorsTo be reported on quarterly Peer-reviewed journal articles (ISI and others) – – – –
Books – – – –
Chapters in books – – – –
Keynote/plenary addresses – – – –
To be reported Articles in non-refereed/non-peer reviewed journals – – – –
on annually Technical and policy reports – – – –
Patents – – – –
Products, prototypes and artefacts – – – –
Other recognised research outputs – – – –
Human Resources and Transformation External Percentage/No. students from designated groups to be supported
3rd year/4th yearBlack 148:170 87% 87% 87% 87%
Women 95:170 56% 56% 56% 56%
BTech/HonsBlack 1 116:1 402 80% 80% 80% 80%
Women 822:1 402 59% 59% 59% 59%
Master’s Black 1 191:2 437 49% 49% 49% 49%
Women 1 296:2 437 53% 53% 53% 53%
DoctoralBlack 731:1 368 53% 53% 53% 53%
Women 677:1 368 49% 49% 49% 49%
Post-doctoralBlack 102:232 44% 44% 44% 44%
Women 77:232 33% 33% 33% 33%
Legend Promoting internationally competitive research as basis for a knowledge economy Growing a representative science and technology workforce in South Africa
Providing cutting-edge research, technology and innovation platforms Operating world-class evaluation and grant-making systems Contributing to a vibrant national innovation system
70 section f
Table 9: NRF Balanced Scorecard Framework (continued)Targets are based on the assumption of no real growth in the budget over the three-year period 2009/10-2011/12 Benchmark Target Targets
Stra
tegi
c go
al
Balanced
scorecard
perspective
Indicator description
2007/08 2015 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12
R’000 or actual
number % %
Human Resources and Transformation (continued)
Percentage grantholders from designated groups Black 538:2 054 26% 50% 26% 28% 30%
Women 755:2 054 37% 60% 37% 38% 40%
Ratio rated researchers from designated groups to total rated researchers Black 245:1 653 15% 30% 17% 16% 17%
Women 405:1 653 25% 50% 25% 26% 28%Internal(excl. SKA)
Ratio black staff members to total staff 788:1 126 70% 80% 70% 71% 72%
Ratio women staff members to total staff 426:1 126 38% 47% 38% 39% 40%
Ratio staff with disabilities to total staff 12:1 126 1% 2% 1.5% 1.5% 2%
Ratio foreign nationals employed to total staff 25:1 126 2% 5% 4% 4.1% 4.5%
Ratio South African black staff in three highest employment categories 220:422 52% 60% 53% 55% 57%
Ratio South African women staff in three highest employment categories 157:422 37% 47% 39% 41% 43%
Staff turnover to total staff: below 5% 82: 1 126 7% 5% 7% 6% 5%
Compliance with Employment Equity plan – 80% 95% 90% 90% 95%
Legend Promoting internationally competitive research as basis for a knowledge economy Growing a representative science and technology workforce in South Africa
Providing cutting-edge research, technology and innovation platforms Operating world-class evaluation and grant-making systems Contributing to a vibrant national innovation system
71Table 10: NRF Corporate Indicators according to the NRF strategic goalsTargets are based on the assumption of no real growth in the budget over the three-year period 2009/10-20011/12 Benchmark Target Targets Strategic goal Indicator description 2007/08 2015 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12
R’000 or actual number
% %
Promoting internationally competitive research as basis for a knowledge economy Percentage of total resources expensed to grants as proportion of RISA expenditure (R’000) 625 650:800 701 78% 85% 80% 80% 81%
RISA grant-making allocation as % of R4 billion per annum target (2015) (R’000) 625 650 16% 100% 16% 16% 16%
Average ISI publications per NRF supported researchers across disciplines – – 5% 2% 2% 2%
Average IBSS publications per NRF supported researchers across disciplines – – 4% 2% 2% 2%
Ratio average ISI publications per NRF employed researcher to national average – – 2% 2% 2% 2%
Growing a representative science and technology workforce in South AfricaPercentage active researchers supported by NRF (ISI active ~ 3 000) 2 054:3 000 68% 70% 68% 69% 70%
Rated researchers as % of active researchers in the country (ISI active ~ 3 000) 1 653:3 000 55% 70% 58% 60% 62%
Ratio rated researchers from designated groups to total rated researchers Black 245:1 653 15% 30% 17% 16% 17%
Women 405:1 653 25% 50% 25% 26% 28%
Ratio NRF funded PhDs to total PhDs registered nationally 1 292:10 051 13% 10% 10% 10% 10%
Percentage grantholders from designated groups Black 538:2 054 26% 50% 26% 28% 30%
Women 755:2 054 37% 60% 37% 38% 40%
Growing a representative science and technology workforce in South Africa: Corporate human resources and transformation (NRF internally) (excl. SKA)Ratio black staff members to total staff 788:1 126 70% 80% 70% 71% 72%
Ratio women staff members to total staff 426:1 126 38% 47% 38% 39% 40%
Ratio staff with disabilities to total staff 12:1 126 1% 2% 1.5% 1.5% 2%
Ratio foreign nationals employed to total staff 25:1 126 2% 5% 4% 4.1% 4.5%
Ratio South African black staff in three highest employment categories 220:422 52% 60% 53% 55% 57%
Ratio South African women staff in three highest employment categories 157:422 37% 47% 39% 41% 43%
Staff turnover to total staff: below 5% 82:1 126 7% 5% 7% 6% 5%
Compliance with Employment Equity plan – 70% 95% 90% 90% 95%
Ratio seconded staff employed (to provide additional internal expertise) to total staff 0 0% 2% 1% 1% 1%
Ratio training expenditure to total salary budget 4 472:237 541 2% 2% 2% 2% 2%
Proportion of NRF staff with postgraduate qualifications 245:1 126 21% 25% 22% 22% 23%
72 section f
Table 10: NRF Corporate Indicators according to the NRF strategic goals (continued)Targets are based on the assumption of no real growth in the budget over the three-year period 2009/10-20011/12 Benchmark Target Targets Strategic goal Indicator description 2007/08 2015 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12
R’000 or actual number
% %
Providing cutting-edge research, technology and innovation platformsProportion of NRF investment in providing research platforms at National Research Facilities (R’000) 367 547:1 175 067 31% 33% 32% 32% 33%
Proportion RISA investment in research equipment at Research Institutions and National Research Facilities (R’000)
31 172:800 701 4% 7% 4% 5% 6%
Proportion of RISA competitive grants investment in National Research Facilities (R’000) 11 182:625 650 2% 3% 2% 2% 2%
Proportion of investment in Science Advancement by National Research Facilities and SAASTA (R’000) 49 467:1 175 067 4% 13% 13% 13% 13%
Proportion of RISA expenses invested in RISA information services & platforms (R’000) 19 885:800 701 2% 3% 2% 2% 2%
Proportion investment in CAPEX (R’000) 49 570:1 175 067 4% 5% 4% 4% 4%
Proportion of RISA expenses allocated to researchers & HEIs for access to National Research Facilities & equipment (R’000)
– 0% 2% 2% 2% 2%
Operating world-class evaluation and grant-making systemsProportion of available grant funding disbursed (R’000) 625 650:1 076 470 58% 95% 65% 70% 75%
Proportion of rated researchers funded by NRF 904:1 653 55% 100% 60% 65% 70%
Ratio expenditure on improving operations and policies of NRF to total expenditure – – 2% 1% 1% 2%
Contributing to a vibrant national innovation systemRatio of contract income to total income (R’000) 545 827:1 257 858 43% 60% 45% 47% 49%
Ratio of operating expenditure to total expenditure (R’000) 255 488:1 175 067 22% 20% 20% 21% 21%
Ratio of remuneration to total expenditure (R’000) 237 541:1 175 067 20% 20% 21% 21% 20%
Ratio of IT expenditure to total expenditure (R’000) 33 165:1 175 067 3% 10% 5% 6% 7%
Proportion of RISA investment in strategic knowledge areas or initiatives (Investment in Grand Challenges and Emerging Knowledge Areas) (R’000)
4 059:800 701 1% 15% 5% 5% 7%
Proportional RISA grant investment on Social Sciences and Humanities (R’000) 175 182:625 650 28% 30% 28% 28% 28%
Percentage RISA grant investment in international initiatives to total RISA grant expenditure (R’000)
47 905:625 650 8% 9% 8% 8% 8%
73Table 11: RISA & SAASTA Indicators according to the NRF strategic goalsTargets are based on the assumption of no real growth in the budget over the three-year period 2009/10-20011/12 Benchmark TargetsStrategic goal Indicator description 2007/08 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12
R’000 or actual number
%
Promoting internationally competitive research as basis for a knowledge economyExpected no. of research grants expensed to RISA grantholders 2 054 2 070 2 070 2 080
Total value of grants to be expensed by RISA (R’000) 625 650 800 000 850 000 900 000
Expected research outputs by RISA grantholders: Pilot indicatorsTo be reported on quarterly Peer-reviewed journal articles (ISI and others) – – – –
Books – – – –
Chapters in books – – – –
Presentations and keynote/plenary addresses – – – –
To be reported Articles in non-refereed/non-peer reviewed journals – – – –
on annually Technical and policy reports – – – –
Patents – – – –
Products, prototypes and artefacts – – – –
Other recognised research outputs – – – –
Growing a representative science and technology workforce in South AfricaSAASTAInteraction with learners No. of learners reached 305 566 305 600 310 000 310 000
Interaction with educatorsNo. of educators reached
12 875 12 875 12 950 13 000
Interaction with public at largeNo. of visitors to science awareness infrastructure
4 403 4 400 5 000 5 000
No. of tertiary students reached
1 093 1 100 1 100 1 100
No. of public reached 44 454 44 500 45 000 48 000
Participation in science festivals
195 150 195 150 197 000 197 000
74 section f
Table 11: RISA & SAASTA Indicators according to the NRF strategic goals (continued)Targets are based on the assumption of no real growth in the budget over the three-year period 2009/10-20011/12 Benchmark TargetsStrategic goal Indicator description 2007/08 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12
R’000 or actual number
%
RISA funding programmes for grantholders
Expected no. of grantholders to be supported by RISA (excluding Innovation Fund)
2 054 2 060 2 070 2 080
Percentage grantholders from designated groups to be supportedBlack 538:2 054 26% 30% 34% 36%
Women 755:2 054 37% 40% 44% 46%
Ratio rated researchers from designated groups to total rated researchers Black 245:1 653 15% 17% 19% 21%
Women 405:1 653 25% 27% 29% 31%
Support for students
Number of students to be supported through the RISA Scholarships and Bursaries (excluding Innovation Fund, THRIP and CoE)
3rd year/4th year 170 170 170 170
BTech/Hons 1 402 1410 1410 1410
Master’s 2 437 2440 2440 2440
Doctoral 1 368 1370 1370 1370
Postdoctoral 232 235 235 235
Percentage/no. students from designated groups to be supported
3rd year/4th yearBlack 148:170 87% 87% 87% 87%
Women 95:170 56% 56% 56% 56%
BTech/HonsBlack 1 116:1 402 80% 80% 80% 80%
Women 822:1 402 59% 59% 59% 59%
Master’s Black 1 191:2 437 49% 49% 49% 49%
Women 1 296:2 437 53% 53% 53% 53%
DoctoralBlack 731:1 368 53% 53% 53% 53%
Women 677:1 368 49% 49% 49% 49%
PostdoctoralBlack 102:232 44% 44% 44% 44%
Women 77:232 33% 40% 43% 46%
Growing a representative science and technology workforce (RISA & SAASTA internally)No. of RISA (incl. SAASTA) staff with postgraduate qualifications 53:233 22% 8% 9% 9%
RISA (incl. SAASTA) staff enrolled for higher degrees Master’s 18:233 8% 23% 24% 24%
Doctoral 6:233 2,5% 3% 3% 3%
Number of staff complying with requirements for obtaining postgraduate qualifications during FY
1:233 0,4% 0,8% 0,8% 0,8%
75Providing cutting-edge research, technology and innovation platforms
Equipment support
Proportion of RISA investment in research equipment at Research Institutions and National Research Facilities (R’000)
31 172:800 701 3,8% 4% 5% 6%
RISA research information services and platforms
Proportion of RISA expenses invested in RISA information services & platforms (R’000)
19 885:800 701 3% 3% 3% 3%
Requests received for the data sets of the South African Data Archive 90 95 100 105
Requests received to Nexus Database System 18 682 18 800 18 900 19 000
Science advancement platforms
Proportion of Capex investment for science advancement through SAASTA (R’000)
6 644:40 310 16% 16% 16% 16%
No. of science advancement products generated: Pilot indicators 21 916:40 310 54% 54% 54% 54%
Educator resources – – – –
Learner resources – – – –
Technical manuals – – – –
Exhibits – – – –
Science promotion publications
– – – –
Operating world-class evaluation and grant-making systems Evaluation systemsStandard turnaround time 8 months 6 months 8 months 7,5 Months 7 months
Completion rate of applications for rating to the Evaluation Centre per annum 95% 95% 95% 95%
Grant-making systems Proportion of available grant funding disbursed (R’000) 625 650:1 076 470 58% 65% 70% 75%
Percentage active researchers supported by NRF (ISI active ~ 3 000) 2 054:3 000 68% 68% 69% 70%
Contributing to a vibrant national innovation systemRatio contract to total income (R’000) 492 234:920 064 53% 55% 57% 59%
Ratio operating expenditure to total expenditure (R’000) 119 357:841 012 14% 14% 14% 14%
Ratio remuneration to total expenditure (R’000) 66 116:841 012 7% 7% 7% 7%
Percentage RISA grant investment in international initiatives to total RISA grant expenditure
47 905:625 650 8% 8% 8% 8%
76 section f
Table 12: Facility Indicators according to the NRF strategic goalsTargets are based on the assumption of no real growth in the budget over the three-year period 2009/10-2011/12 Benchmark TargetsStrategic goal Indicator description 2007/08 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12
R’000 or actual
number%
Promoting internationally competitive research as basis for a knowledge economyExpected research outputs by National Research Facility researchers: Pilot indicatorsTo be reported on quarterly Peer-reviewed journal articles (ISI and others) – – – –
Books – – – –
Chapters in books – – – –
Keynote/plenary addresses – – – –
To be reported Articles in non-refereed/non-peer reviewed journals – – – –
on annually Technical and policy reports – – – –
Patents – – – –
Products, prototypes and artefacts – – – –
Other recognised research outputs – – – –
Growing a representative science and technology workforce in South Africa Science AdvancementProportion of NRF investment in providing science advancement at National Research Facilities (R’000)
27 550:346 056 8% 10% 12% 14%
Interaction with learnersNo. of learners reached
45 900 45 900 45 900 45 900
Interaction with educatorsNo. of educators reached
3 079 3 100 3 100 3 100
Interaction with public at large
Visitors to facility science awareness platforms incl. NZG
657 066 658 000 660 000 660 000
NZG 630 231 630 500 631 000 632 000
Community projects in collaboration with disadvantaged communities 7 8 8 8
77Growing a representative science and technology workforce in South Africa (continued)
Support to graduate students
Experiential training: students spending time at and participate in work of faciliites as part of their formal training
315 320 322 325
No. of research staff of facilities providing short term student training 70 70 70 70
No. of students employed through vocational holiday employment 59 253 254 62
No. of students involved in summer schools/practicals/vacation schools 251 253 254 255
Support to postgraduate studentsPostgraduate students making use of facilities for training 570 575 580 585
Students supervised by staff of facilities: Master’s and Doctoral 203 205 207 209
No. of research staff involved in supervision/co-supervision of postgraduate students 54 55 56 57
No. of postgraduate schools linked to facilities 2 3 4 4
No. of funded collaborations with institutions abroad 221 223 224 225
No. of students who complied with requirements for obtaining their postgraduate qualifications during FY 54 55 56 57
Growing a representative science and technology workforce (Facilities internally)Ratio black staff members to total staff 788:1 126 70% 80% 70% 71% 72%
Ratio women staff members to total staff 426:1 126 38% 47% 38% 39% 40%
Ratio staff with disabilities to total staff 12:1 126 1% 2% 1.5% 1.5% 2%
Ratio South African black staff in three highest employment categories facilities 220:422 52% 60% 53% 55% 57%
Ratio South African women staff in three highest employment categories facilities 157:422 37% 47% 39% 41% 43%
Compliance with Employment Equity plan – 70% 95% 90% 90% 95%
Proportion researchers to total staff (excl. SKA) 97:1 126 15% 9% 10% 11%
Proportion of facility staff with postgraduate qualifications 127:893 14% 15% 16% 16,5%
Facility staff enrolled for higher degreesMaster’s 12:893 1,3% 1,3% 1,6% 1,8%
Doctoral 18: 893 1,3% 2% 2% 2%
No. of staff complying with requirements for obtaining postgraduate qualifications during FY
Master’s 5: 893 0,5% 0,5% 0,7% 0,8%
Doctoral 2: 893 0,2% 0,2% 0,3% 0,4%
No. of postdoctoral posts at facilities 14 14 15 16
No. of staff spending time (3-12 months) as visiting fellows elsewhere 25 25 25 25
No. of joint appointments co-sponsored or sponsored by other Research Institutions 10 11 11 12
78 section f
Providing cutting-edge research, technology and innovation platforms
Proportion of investment in providing research platforms at National Research Facilities (R’000)
367 547:1 175 067 31% 32% 32% 33%
Science advancement platformsProportion of Capex investment in science advancement (R’000) 25 248:334 055 8% 8% 8% 8%
No. of science advancement products generated: Pilot indicatorsEducator resources – – – –
Learner resources – – – –
Technical manuals – – – –
Exhibits – – – –
Science promotionpublications
– – – –
– – – –
Contributing to a vibrant national innovation systemRatio contract to total income (R’000) 53 953:337 794 16% 18% 20% 22%
Ratio operating expenditure to total expenditure (R’000) 136 131:334 055 41% 41% 41% 41%
Ratio remuneration to total expenditure (R’000) 171 425:334 055 51% 51% 51% 51%
79
% Percentage& and# number4T30 Theodolitesm2 Metre Squared ACCESS African Centre for Climate and Earth System
ScienceACEP African Coelacanth Ecosystems ProgrammeAFM Atomic Force MicroscopeAFROBI African Ocean Biogeographic Information
SystemAGAP Astronomy Geographical Advantages
ProgrammeAids Acquired immunodeficiency syndromeAIRI Applied and Industrial Research and InnovationAISS African Institute of Space and ScienceAMS Accelerator Mass SpectroscopyAOP African Origin ProjectARC Agriculture Research CouncilASCLME Agulhas and Somali Currents Large Marine
EcosystemAsgiSA Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for
South Africa BBCs Biodiversity Conservation CentresBEE Black Economic EmpowermentC-Bass C-band all-sky surveyCCD charge-coupled deviceCEO Chief Executive OfficerCERN Centre Europeenne pour la Recherche NucleaireCHE Council for Higher EducationCIB Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology CPIX Consumer Price Index
COE Centre of ExcellenceCSD Science DevelopmentCSIR Council for Scientific and Industrial ResearchD Doctoral degreeDAAD Deutscher Akademischer AustrauschdienstDACST Department of Arts, Culture, Science and
TechnologyDEAT Department of Environmental Affairs and
TourismDIDBase Digital Ionogram DataBaseDME Department of Minerals & EnergyDNA deoxyribonucleic acidDoE Department of EducationDoH Department of HealthDoL Department of LabourDWAF Department of Water Affairs & ForestryDST Department of Science and TechnologyECR Electron Cyclotron ResonanceELTOSA Environmental Long-Term Observatories of
Southern AfricaEU European UnionFishBOL Fish Barcode of LifeFRD Foundation for Research DevelopmentGAAP Generally Accepted Accounting PracticeGEF Global Environmental Facilities GEOSS Global Earth Observation System of SystemsGMSA Grant Management and Systems AdministrationGDP Gross Domestic ProductGPS GPS Global Positioning SystemHartRAO Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy ObservatoryHE Higher educationHEI Higher education institution
HESA Higher Education South AfricaHESS High-energy stereoscopic systemHET Hobby-Eberly TelescopeHF High Frequency HICD Human Institutional Capacity DevelopmentHIV Human immunodeficiency virusHMO Hermanus Magnetic ObservatoryHR Human resourcesHSRC Human Sciences Research CouncilIBSS International Bibliography of the Social SciencesICRF International Celestial Reference Frame ICSU International Council for ScienceICT Information Communication TechnologyICUN International Union for Conversation of Nature IFRS International Financial Reporting StandardsIGS International GPS Service ILRS International Laser Ranging ServiceINIP Instituto National de Investigacao PesqueiraINTERMAGNET INTERnational Real-time MAGnetic observatory
NETworkIPY International Polar YearIRS Information Resources and ServicesISES International Space Environmental ServiceISI Institute for Scientific InformationISL International Science LiaisonIT Information technologyiThemba LABS iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based
SciencesITRF International Terrestrial Reference Frame IVS Interactive Visualisation SystemsIYA 2009 International Year of Astronomy 2009iTPTC iThemba Particle Therapy Centre
list of acronyms
80 list of acronyms
JO Johannesburg ObservatoryKAT Karoo Array TelescopeKFD Knowledge Field DevelopmentKIC Knowledge Interchange and CollaborationKISC Key International Science CapacityKPI Key Performance IndicatorLTER Long-term Ecological ResearchM Master’s degreeM&E Monitoring and evaluation MCM Marine and Coastal ManagementMDG Millennium Development GoalsMoU Memorandum of understandingMRC Medical Research CouncilMTEF Medium-term expenditure frameworkNASSP National Astrophysics and Space Science
ProgrammeNDA National Department of AgricultureNECSA Nuclear Energy Corporation of South AfricaNeDICC Network of (Digital) Data and Information
Curation CentresNETD National Electronic Thesis and Dissertation
initiativeNFP Nanotechnology Flagships ProjectsNMMU Nelson Mandela Metropolitan UniversityNo. NumberNRDS National Research and Development StrategyNRF National Research FoundationNSF National Science FoundationNSI National System of InnovationNZG National Zoological Gardens of South AfricaORI Oceanographic Research Institutep.a. per annumPAAZAB Pan African Association of Zoos and AquariaPFMA Public Finance Management ActPRMB Post Retirement Medical Benefit PhD Doctor of Philosophy
Prof ProfessorP’s P-rated researchersR RandR&D Research and developmentR’000 Rand thousandRIMS Research Information Management SystemRISA Research and Innovation Support and
Advancement Rm Rand millionRNAs Research Niche AreasRWC Regional Warning CentreS&T Science and TechnologySA South AfricaSAAO South African Astronomical ObservatorySAASTA South African Agency for Science and
Technology AdvancementSABI South African Biosystematics InitiativeSABS South African Bureau of StandardsSADA South African Data ArchivesSADCO South African Data Centre for OceanographySAEON South African Environmental Observation
NetworkSAEOS South African Earth Observation StrategySAIAB South African Institute for Aquatic BiodiversitySALT Southern African Large TelescopeSAN South African NavySANAP South African National Antarctic ProgrammeSANBI South African National Biodiversity InstituteSANSA South African Network of Skills AbroadSANSA South African National Space Agency SARCHI South African Research Chairs InitiativesSANERI South African National Energy Research
InstituteSANReN South African National Research NetworkSANS South Africa Nanotechnology StrategySEA ChangeSociety, Ecosystems and Change
SET Science, Engineering and TechnologySETIs Science, Engineering and Technology InstitutionSCC Separated Sector CyclotronSKA Square Kilometre ArraySLR Satellite Laser RangingSMME Small, medium and micro enterprisesSPP Strategic Platforms ProgrammeSSC Separated Sector CyclotronSSC Systems Support CentreSSDF Scarce Skills Development FundSTAF Science and Technology Agreements FundSuperDARN Super Dual Auroral Radar NetworkTAI Technology Achievement IndexTEM Transmission Electron MicroscopeTENETT ertiary Education Networkthe dti Department of Trade and IndustryTHRIP Technology and Human Resources for Industry
ProgrammeTIA Technology Innovation Agency UN United NationsUS$ United States DollarUSA United States of AmericaVBTS Vertical Beam Target StationVLBI Very Long Baseline InterferometryVLF Very Low FrequencyVO Virtual Observatory WAZA World Association of Zoo’s and Aquaria WBRC Wildlife Breeding Resources Centre WDC World Data CentresWDS World Data SystemsWRC Water Research CouncilWWLLN World Wide Lightning Location NetworkXDM X Display ManagerXDM Xperimental Development Mode XRD X-ray Diffractometer
81
dr alberT Van JaarsVeld: acTing presidenT: naTional research foundaTion (nrf)Vice-presidenT: research and innoVaTion supporT and adVancemenT (risa) in preToriaTel: +27 12 481-4137Fax: +27 12 349-1179Web: www.nrf.ac.za
dr gaTsha maZiThulelaVice-presidenT: research infrasTrucTure and naTional research faciliTies in preToriaTel: +27 12 481-4018Fax: +27 12 481-4009Web: www.nrf.ac.za
harTebeesThoek radio asTronomy obserVaTory (harTrao) near krugersdorpTel: +27 12 326-0742Fax: +27 12 326-0756Web: www.hartrao.ac.zaMD: Dr Roy Booth
hermanus magneTic obserVaTory (hmo) in hermanusTel: +27 28 312-1196Fax: +27 28 312-2039Web: www.hmo.ac.zaMD: Dr Sandile Malinga
iThemba laboraTory for acceleraTor based sciences (iThemba labs) near somerseT wesTTel: +27 21 843-1000Fax: +27 21 843-3525Web: www.tlabs.ac.zaMD: Dr Zeblon Vilakazi
naTional Zoological gardens of souTh africa (nZg) in preToriaTel: +27 12 328-3265Fax: +27 12 323-4540Web: www.zoo.ac.zaED: Dr Clifford Nxomani
souTh african agency for science and Technology adVancemenT (saasTa) in preToriaTel: +27 12 392-9300Fax: +27 12 320-7803Web: www.saasta.ac.zaED: Mrs Beverley Damonse
souTh african asTronomical obserVaTory (saao) in cape Town and aT suTherlandTel: +27 21-447-0025Fax: +27 21-447-3639Web: www.saao.ac.zaMD: Prof Phil Charles
souTh african enVironmenTal obserVaTion neTwork (saeon) in preToriaTel: +27 12 392-9383Fax: +27 12 392-9316Web: www.saeon.ac.zaMD: Mr Johan Pauw
souTh african insTiTuTe for aquaTic biodiVersiTy (saiab) in grahamsTownTel: +27 46-603-5800Fax: +27 46-622-2403Web: www.saiab.ac.zaMD: Prof Paul Skelton
For further information on aspects of this document, please contact: Ms Magdal Pienaar-MaraisManager: Corporate Governance Tel: +27 12 481-4070Fax: +27 12 481-4006E-mail: magdal@nrf.ac.za
contact details
www.nrf.ac.za
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