Science policy evolves for the future

Government's new draft White Paper on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) is aimed at preparing the country for the future and involving various sectors of society in the state's efforts to have STI at the heart of government programmes. The new policy will replace the 1996 White Paper on Science and Technology, which was adopted in 1996, over two decades ago. Government reviewed the 1996 White Paper because, while good progress has been made in the implementation of the first document's proposals, the potential of STI in advancing the objectives of the National Development Plan has not yet been fully realised. Speaking to Sowetan this week, Science and Technology Minister Mmainoloko Kubayi-Ngubane said that the science and technology sector was, by its nature, ever changing, and nations needed to stay abreast of developments or risk being left behind. South Africa had to come up with a programme that could respond to the demands of the future. The Minister said the 1996 White Paper was outdated and that, since its implementation, there had been major shifts in global and local economies. For instance, rapid technological advancement and the Fourth Industrial Revolution have seen the growth of new industries. South Africa must ensure that it has a workforce to drive these. The new White Paper focuses on the following: • Raising the profile of STI in South Africa by instilling an innovation culture and integrating STI into cross-cutting government planning at the highest levels. • Strengthening partnerships between business, government, academia and civil society, creating a more enabling environment for STI. • Focusing on innovation for social benefit and for fundamental economic transformation. • Expanding and transforming the human resource base of the national system of innovation. • Increasing investment, both public and private, in STI. To achieve these objectives, an inclusive government approach is proposed in the form of an annual plenary gathering which will involve the Presidency. "We are saying, let us do with science what we do with HIV. Let us have plenaries where, once a year, the Deputy President or the President can convene stakeholders across the country on science and technology and say 'Are we on the right track'; 'What are the issues?'; 'How do we establish the partnerships we need?' a said Kubayi Ngubane. This gathering will bring government, academics, civil society and the business community together to discuss how innovation can be implemented in all government programmes. "What we hope to get out of those sessions is a joint plan with input from all sectors. For example, government cannot go it alone with research and development - we need the private sector to invest too. That is why we say we have come together and agree on the things that need to be done, on the non-negotiables, and say these are our plans for the year and this is what we need to achieve - all of us, government, business and civil society. We don't want a situation where private sector feels that government is dictating to them. We hope to achieve a programme of action that will be unified, and adopted by everybody for the good of our national system of innovation," the Minister said. The new draft White Paper proposes that all government departments have an STI component in their planning and budgeting system. The ideal would be for every department to have a dedicated budget for research and development in order to see innovation in the public sector. "What we are saying is that, for South Africa to prosper, innovation has to be the centre of our planning and work. South Africa cannot remain a country that is a consumer of technology, but must become an innovator: the Minister added. Globally, countries are investing in electric cars, solar power and other new and cleaner technologies. However, South Africa had not been investing aggressively in such technologies when compared to other emerging markets, which put the country's future economy on the back foot. Kubayi-Ngubane added that a 2017 World Bank report indicated the country's need to innovate in order to boost its economic growth path and address unemployment. The Minister said South African science and research needed to evolve to a point where it could readily respond to challenges like the ongoing drought in various parts of the country. More scientific solutions were needed if the government was to respond efficiently to the water shortages that many municipalities were facing. Desalination technologies, for instance, were contested, and a variety of technological options were needed. Kubayi-Ngubane said that the country's handling of the drought indicated a more inclusive approach was needed to address South Africa's problems in the future. The White Paper proposes a coordinated approach to research and technology development. The new White Paper sees government continuing to provide tax incentives to boost research and innovation and encourage companies to find new solutions for South African problems. Currently, South Africa's gross expenditure on research and development as a percentage of GDP is about 0,768, but this needs to be increased to 1,5% over the next decade. Kubayi-Ngubane conceded that South Africa had not done well in ensuring that innovative products were commercialised in order to boost economic growth and jobs. While digital technologies were overtaking traditional methods of manufacturing, helping innovators turn their ideas into products and services that could be commercialised would create new industries. Government will also use the White Paper to create policy coherence to improve the education sector, boost funding for research, and grow the representation of PHDS among black people and women. The White Paper will set a long-term policy direction for STI over the next five to 15 years.