Profiles in leadership
Dr Thulani Dlamini unpacks why the CSIR is at the forefront of industrial development
“As we look into the future, we are looking at building a science council that plays a more visible role in industrial development, underpinned by a strong scientific and innovation capability.”
As the Chief Executive Officer of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Dr Thulani Dlamini has a clear understanding of the roles science and technology should play to support industrial development in South Africa.
The mandate of the CSIR is to foster industrial and scientific development, through multidisciplinary research and technological innovation, to contribute to the improvement of South Africans' quality of life.
The organisation is guided by government policy, chiefly the National Development Plan, which sets out the long-term development framework for the nation. “Over the years, the CSIR has made significant progress in strengthening its scientific development capability. However, as we look to the future, we realise that we ought to place an equally strong emphasis on industrial development if we are to live up to the expectation of our mandate – to contribute towards improving the quality of lives of the people of South Africa – which can be interpreted as addressing the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment,” says Dr Dlamini.
He is no stranger to the CSIR, having joined the organisation in 2005 as the Head of the National Laser Centre. He was appointed as the Group Executive for Research and Development in 2008, a position he held until 2011 when he left the organisation to join Sasol as the Executive Manager of Research and Development. He was later appointed as the Vice-President of Strategic Research and Technology.
“As we look to the future, we are looking at building a science council that plays a more visible role in industrial development, underpinned by a strong scientific and innovation capability,” says Dr Dlamini.
The CSIR is working on its industrial development strategy which will see its work in scientific and technological developments supporting the endeavours of public and private sectors in developing industries.
“Our innovation programmes need to be more aligned with the needs of business,