Academy of Science South Africa 2005/6 Annual Report

ASSAfProgramme 3The ASSAf Council accepted the invitation, but reflected on how the Academy could best contribute toone of the five new National Missions outlined in the country’s R&D Strategy accepted by the Cabinet in2005 and entitled: “Science and technology for the alleviation/ reduction of poverty”.It was decided that ASSAf would first create a new internal structure within the Academy – of thekind known as “Boards for X (or Y)” in the US National Academies system – to enable a well-informed,multi-disciplinary sub-set of Academy members to examine the issues and develop proposals for theconduct of either Consensus or Forum-type Studies within their brief. The establishment of the firstinternal structure would then act as a pilot of further developments along the same lines. The structurewas to be called the “Committee on Science for Poverty Alleviation” and was to be multi-disciplinary andinclusive in its composition and functioning.In the National R&D Strategy, the suggestion had been that at least R150 million a year should be setaside for the support of research that would materially reduce and alleviate poverty. The ASSAf Councilfelt the matter could be addressed as a possible mega-theme analogous to the microbial threats themeProf Sagadevan Mundree (MASSAf)Chairperson of the ASSAf Committeeon Science for the Alleviation of PovertyASSAf Committee on Science for the Alleviation of PovertyNameOrganisationProf Sagadevan Mundree (MASSAf) (Chair)Plantbio and University of Cape TownMs Ann Bernstein (MASSAf)Centre for Development and EnterpriseProf Dan Ncayiyana (MASSAf)The South African Medical JournalProf Dave Dewar (MASSAf)University of Cape TownDr Mamphela Ramphele (MASSAf)Circle Capital VenturesProf Priscilla Reddy (MASSAf)South African Medical Research CouncilProf Renfrew Christie (MASSAf)University of the Western CapeProf Solly Benatar (MASSAf)University of Cape Town44 Promoting Excellence in Science for Society