South Africa finalizes 10 year research plan

SOUTH Africa’s Department of Science and Technology has invited stakeholders to make submit comments as it finalizes a ten-year innovation plan for South Africa.

The purpose of the Ten-Year Innovation Plan is to help drive South Africa’s transformation towards a knowledge-based economy, in which the production and dissemination of knowledge leads to economic benefits and enriches all fields of human endeavor. ICT is poised to drive the plan.

“We are now calling on stakeholders to make final comments of the draft Plan and the proposed architecture for its implementation before the 29th of July,” the department said in a statement.

The Ten-Year Plan is underpinned by five grand challenges, one of which is called ‘Science and Technology for Global Change with an emphasis on climate change’ (DST, 2007).

In July 2007 The Department of Science and Technology (DST) adopted a Ten-Year Innovation Plan (2008-2018). The 10-year innovation plan builds on the foundations laid by the National Research and Development (R&D) Strategy adopted in 2002.

Mthulisi Sibanda