Academy of Science South Africa 2005/6 Annual Report

Programme 3ASSAfScientific thought and activity enrich usprofoundly – promoting science for the societyin the London-based Science and Development Network, the Cape Times, Natal Witness, Pretoria Newsand the SABC News.The release of the ASSAf Report entitled “A Strategic Approach to Research Publishing in SouthAfrica” (released by the Academy and widely distributed to targeted groups of stakeholders ingovernment departments, science councils and higher education institutions), is also being handledby Ms Scott, who will assist the Academy with the media publicisation process. ASSAf envisages acombination of electronic dissemination to appropriate media people across the spectrum, with a livePress Conference where the President of the Academy, who carries the primary responsibilityfor ASSAf reports, will present the report and answer questions. He will be assisted by the authorsof the report, with copies at hand of various kinds of press releases and the abbreviated versions ofthe Report.ASSAf gave in-house presentations to the two government departments that have a direct interest inthe report. They have however also been alerted to the public press/media release of the report.Impact assessment, as well as monitoring and evaluationKey Performance Indicators and the Minister’s requestsThe Academy prospectively articulates its key performance indicators each year in order to qualify fora Grant-in-Aid from the Department of Science and Technology (DST). In the business plan for 2005-6presented to the Minister of Science and Technology and the DST in February 2005, these were laid out inrelation to each sub-programme of the Academy, and are reported in each corresponding section.In approving the Grant-in-Aid of government funds to the Academy in April 2005, the Minister ofScience and Technology, Hon. Mr Mosibudi Mangena, requested the Academy to pay particular attentionto a number of aspects of its business plan. In brief, these concernedthe development of a set of Regulations under the ASSAf Act (work still in progress);Annual Report 2005/0655