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CSIR ANNUAL REPORT 2010/11
The CSIR’s role in job
creation
The January 2011 Cabinet Lekgotla
identified the creation of jobs as the
key driver to underpin achieving many
social and economic objectives.
In line with its mandate, the CSIR
engages with government and the
private sector to assist in maintaining
employment through a competitive
South African economy and to
stimulate economic development
through technology leading to
the creation of new employment
opportunities. The role of the CSIR
is to undertake R&D and transfer
technology that stimulates future
industrial activity and job creation,
in the short-, medium- and long-term.
This role supports the New Growth
Path approved by cabinet in 2010.
Further, the CSIR’s investment in human
capital development contributes
towards the creation of skilled
workforce, with better prospects
for employment and creation of
entrepreneurs.
The CSIR’s role in
infrastructure and service
delivery
Cabinet has identified the upgrading
of social and economic infrastructure
as a major area of focus. The CSIR
has a wide range of activities that
support infrastructure development
and maintenance. Research activities
usually support longer-term objectives
and include advanced materials for
building construction, cement and
bitumen replacements and advanced
road building materials. The CSIR
is developing advanced methods
for the optimisation of infrastructure
planning, design, construction and
operation (including infrastructure
investment decision support). R&D is
undertaken for short-term application
in infrastructure development, which
often addresses job creation.
The CSIR has made progress in
defining its role in supporting service
delivery and developed a framework
to enhance the impact of the
organisation on service delivery in the
shorter term, focusing on:
• Support for integrated planning
and resource allocation;
• Support for sustainable
implementation, and monitoring
and evaluation in the fields of
roads, housing, water supply
and sanitation and waste water
treatment; and
• Support for extension of service
reach and access.
CSIR partnerships
The CSIR engages with a number of
government departments in support
of technology development, policy
development and advice as well
as providing thought leadership on
technology related matters. These
engagements are positioning the CSIR
as a preferred and key partner for the
delivery of government’s mandate.
State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs)
support the implementation of
government strategies, and the CSIR
in turn supports SOEs with R&D and
technologies. In 2010, the CSIR
signed a Memorandum of Agreement
with Eskom to collaborate in areas
of mutual interest and national
importance. The CSIR is engaging
with Transnet and the Development
Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) with
a view to establishing similar strategic
relationships. The CSIR undertakes
R&D and technology development for
Denel on an ongoing basis.
The CSIR has a long history of
relevance to and partnership with
the South African private sector. The
relationship with the private sector will
be enhanced through development
of sector-based value propositions
aimed at increasing partnering and
collaboration, focusing on aerospace,
automotive, chemicals, mining,
textiles, defence, forestry, health and
built environment sectors.
The CSIR’s strategic partnership
with HEIs is a key component of its
human capital development and
R&D strategies. Currently, the CSIR
has Memoranda of Agreement on
research collaboration with 11 HEIs
in South Africa. Particular attention is
paid to developing partnerships with
previously-disadvantaged HEIs. New
agreements are being developed
with the Universities of the Free State,
KwaZulu-Natal and Venda.
The partnerships with HEIs involve
almost all of the CSIR units and
centres. Twenty projects were
implemented with these institutions
in 2010/11, supported by seed
funding from the CSIR Cooperation
Fund. The outputs arising from these
partnerships are monitored and
show significant numbers of joint
publications and joint projects with
students, who are exposed to CSIR
work. CSIR staff members are enrolled
as students at these universities
and there are various modalities
for sharing human resources, for
example, appointments to committees,
and lecturing and co-supervision of
students. Discussions are being held
with several universities with respect
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