(High-level) Human Capital Development:

Overview of DST activities

Thomas Auf der Heyde

Presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Scienceand Technology30 May 2012

Outline

• Human Capital Development (HCD) landscape• High-level HCD Challenges • DST HCD interventions

– School-level (separate presentation)– New generation researchers– Emerging researchers– Established researchers

• Internship programme (separate presentation)• Policy development

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Human Capital Development landscape:

Institutional context

• DBE: responsible for basic education (over R130 billion including provinces, 26000 schools, 12.5m learners, 12.5b learner-hours per annum)

• DHET: responsible for Higher Education (over R21 billion for universities, 23 universities, 1m students)

• DST: responsible for research development and support, and innovation across the national system of innovation (R4.5 billion, 7000 students supported, 1.5m learner-hours per annum, 18 Dinaledi schools)

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• DST National Research and Development Strategy (2002):– Human Capital Development, – investment S&T infrastructure,– knowledge generation,– strategic management of the public S&T system, and– "centres and networks" of excellence

• Ten Year Innovation Plan

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Human Capital Development landscape:

Policy framework (1)

• Medium-Term Strategic Framework, Presidential M&E FrameworkOutcome 5: Skilled and capable workforce to support

an inclusive growth path Output 4: Increase access to high-level

occupationally-directed programmes in needed areas – increasing the graduate output in the natural and physical sciences and engineering.

Output 5: Research, development and Innovation in human capital for a growing knowledge economy

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Human Capital Development landscape:

Policy framework (2)

High-level HCD Challenges

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High-level HCD challenges (1)

• Low progression ratios (B to Honours to Masters to PhD)

• Demographic drop-off

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For 2010 B H M D

Number enrolled 440 000 57 000 46 000 11 600

Number of graduates 61 000 20 500 4 600 1 400

% of black enrolled 73% 79% 65% 58%

% of female enrolled 57% 63% 48% 42%

High-level HCD challenges (2)

• High attrition rates (e.g. 2001 PhD cohort):– 46% enrolled never completed degree– 29% dropped out in first two years– 36% drop-out in natural sciences, 53% in humanities

• Low bursary values (e.g. 2011/12)

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H M D PD

Value of NRF bursary (R)

30 000 40 000 63 000 127 000

Approx after-tax starting salary (R)

100 000 140 000 180 000 210 000

High-level HCD challenges (3)

• Comparatively low enrolment in engineering and natural sciences

• Low PhD graduation rate– Less than 30 PhDs per million population per annum– Developed and emerging economies produce 100-150

PhDs pmppa

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Overall Hons M D

% enrolled in SET 28 14 43 49

High-level HCD challenges (4)

• Too few university staff qualified to lead research (only 35% of academic staff have PhD)

• Too few research staff with PhD qualifications in science councils (<30%)

• National scientific productivity is average (proportionate to size of population)

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Strategic Responses

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HCD ConceptualFramework

Next Generation Researchers

Emerging Researchers

Established Researchers

Postgraduate BursariesWorkplace Readiness

Postdoctoral FellowshipThuthuka

SARChICoE

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DST HCD interventions:HCD conceptual framework

SA Research Chairs (HEIs)

InternationalProgrammes

Bursaries(HEIs)

Internships (SC,NF)

Research Professional

Development (SC)

Post-doctoral Fellowship

(HEIs)

Centres of Excellence(HEIs,SC)

HCD Instruments

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DST HCD interventions:map of DST/NRF instruments

DST HCD Interventions:Next Generation Researchers

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Next Generation Researchers:Strategic focus (1)

• Main thrust is to improve level of support for Honours, Masters, Doctoral students (per capita and total numbers)– High funding levels (“Innovation Bursaries”)

have higher retention rates from H to M degree

Improved retention rate from H to M/D degree

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Bursaries:Extent of NRF support

• NRF funding as percentage of total enrolment

2008 2009 2010 2011 2014

Honours 2 3 5 3 5

Masters 1 5 8 7,4 10

Doctoral 20 12 17 15,9 18

Average 1 5 7 8,8 11

Total number 6679 5131 8221 7383

Cost (Rm) 158 157 305 258

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• Capture students at honours level by providing bursaries

• Expand support for post-doctoral students (R&D apprenticeship)

• Prioritise financial need, black (African) South Africans, women, young full-time students (below age 40)

• Prioritise natural, physical and engineering sciences, and vulnerable disciplines

Next Generation Researchers:Strategic focus (2)

DST HCD Interventions:Emerging Researchers

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Emerging Researchers:Strategic focus

• Main focus is on recently-graduated PhDs– Staff members of universities– Postdoctoral Fellows

• Improving staff qualifications (35.7% of academic & research staff with PhDs)

• Number of postdocs (450 in 2010, 404 in 2011

• International cooperation, esp. on postdocs

Since inception in 2001, the programme:

• grew from 17 grantholders to more than 700 in 2008/09;

• invested around R170 million in grants; and

• financed 3 372 students, including 2370 black and 2884 female beneficiaries.

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Emerging Researchers:Thuthuka Programme

Thuthuka Programme:grantholders supported

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Thuthuka Programme:Demographics (2011)

• PhD Track: for applicants wanting to obtain a PhD within the funding period;

• Post-PhD Track: for applicants wanting to become established researchers, strengthening their research capabilities; and

• NRF Rating Track: for applicants wanting to apply for an NRF rating within the six-year funding period.

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Thuthuka Programme:Envisaged revisions

Postdoctoral Research Support

Number of postdocs supported

2009/10 2010/11

Total supported 255 450

Black 105 (41%) 160 (40%)

Women 122 (48%) 169 (42%)

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DST HCD Interventions:Established Researchers

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• Focus on excellence and concentration of research efforts

• Three major initiatives: – Centres of Excellence (CoEs);– South African Research Chairs Initiative

(SARChI); and– Funding for Rated Researchers.

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Established Researchers:Strategic focus

Response: Centres of Excellence (CoE)

• Are physical or virtual centres of research;

• Concentrate existing capacity and resources;

• Enable collaboration across disciplines;

• Enable collaboration across institutions;

• Work on long-term projects; and

• Do locally relevant and internationally competitive research.

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CoE Overview

• Started in 2004; now 8 CoEs with a budget allocation of R85.4m for 2012/13 financial year.

• Envisaged expansion by six new CoEs over the MTEF

• Themes of CoEs relevant to socio-economic development issues, e.g. – Biomedical Tuberculosis Research;– South African Centre for Epidemiological Modeling and

Analysis (SACEMA);– Strong Materials; – Climate Change and Earth Systems Science; etc.

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CoE output (1):Masters & Doctoral Graduates

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CoE output (2):Students and publications

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CoE output (3):Leveraged non-NRF income

2010 review of the COE Programme

• Exceptional performance in all KPAs

• Effective management structures and processes

• Reliable flow of funds and leveraging of external funding by CoE

• The intention is to extend DST support period

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• Intended to expand and renew the SA scientific research base

• Create research career pathways for mid-career researchers

• Address historical racial, gender and age imbalances

• Align with socio-economic development priorities• Increase number of world class researchers in SA

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Response: SA Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI)

SARChI Overview

The South African Research Chairs Initiative (154):– 92 chairs awarded by 2010– 60 chairs awarded to institutions in 2011/12– 2 chairs still to be awarded (bilaterally-funded)

• Award of up to R2.5 million per annum for Tier 1 and R1,5 million for Tier 2

• Covers salaries, postgraduate students and fellowships awards, research operating costs and small equipment

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Average number of Honours students per grantholder

0.500.44

0.300.40 0.37

1.27

1.40

0.31

1.34

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1.20

1.40

1.60

2008 2009 2010

All Grantholders(excl. Rated and SARChI)

Rated Grant holders (excl. SARChI)Research Chairholders

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SARChI output (1):Hons-supervisory capacity

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Average number of Masters students per grantholder

1.51

1.25

1.77

1.53 1.47

2.26

2.99

3.21

1.34

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

2008 2009 2010

All Grantholders(excl. Rated and SARChI)

Rated Grant holders(excl. SARChI)

Research Chair holders

SARChI output (2):M-supervisory capacity

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Average number of Doctoral students per grantholder

0.640.51

0.62

0.95 0.98

1.69

1.99

2.58

0.89

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

2008 2009 2010

All Grantholders(excl. Rated and SARChI)

Rated Grant holders(excl. SARChI)

Research Chair holders

SARChI output (3):D-supervisory capacity

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Average number of Postdoctoral students per grantholder

0.04 0.04 0.03

0.12

0.82

1.071.11

0.140.15

0.00

0.20

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1.20

2008 2009 2010

All Grantholders(excl. Rated and SARChI)

Rated Grant holders(excl. SARChI)

Research Chair holders

SARChI output (4):PD-supervisory capacity

ISI-ACCREDITED OUTPUTS

2008 2009 2010

Publications by SA Authors * 8707 9264 9326

Publications by SARChI Authors 368 404 416

4.23% 4.36% 4.46%

Number of SA Authors * 4682 4838 5028

Number of Research Chairs 68 70 78

1.45% 1.45% 1.55%

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SARChI output (4):Publications output

Policy Development

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Policy development (1): Strategic focus

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• Encouraging the new generation of researchers- support more postgraduate students and post

doctoral fellows.

• Developing the emerging researchers- transform more new generation researchers into

established researchers.

• Maximising the output of the established researchers- increase the number of active researchers and

supervisors

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• Increase the proportion of enrolled students receiving bursary support, with an appropriate mix of H, M, D;

• Ensure that the bursary values encourage full-time study;

• Drive demographics and consider unique circumstances of women students with children; and

• Ensure bursary awards are aligned with national priorities and growth needs of scarce and critical knowledge domains.

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Policy development (2):Next generation researchers

• Increase number of postdoc fellows;• Strengthen programme to increase PhD-level

qualifications of staff in HEIs and science councils;

• Establish a dedicated programme to fund research support for young employed researchers with less than seven years of post-PhD experience; and

• Seek international support

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Policy development (3):Emerging researchers

• Increase the productivity of supported researchers (e.g., through additional postdoc fellows);

• Increase the number of supported researchers;• Increasing the average value of research grants;

and• Attract and retain internationally-competitive

researchers.

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Policy development (4):Established researchers

DST HCD interventions: legislative and policy

• Finalisation of the HCD Strategy

• Financial modelling of bursary costs

• Implementation of the bursary policy

• Drafting of the STEMI promotion and engagement strategy

• Analysis of the Ministerial Task Team review report on S&T landscape

• Review of the NRF Act46

Thank you

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