Academy of Science South Africa 2005/6 Annual Report

ASSAfMulti-year Strategic PlanASSAf could create a focus area in the “public understanding of science”, in partnership with SAASTAand other organisations, also in order to involve the public in policy making based on scientificevidence.Threats to ASSAfThe Academy has a very fragile niche in the current South African science system (the NSI) in thatit is a newcomer. (Part of the non-recognition experienced by ASSAf to date has arisen from coldshoulderingby potential or real competitors rather than from poor communication.) It has a patchytrack record in comparison with its obvious competitors, and has not managed to persuade the preexistingquasi-academies to quit the terrain. Accordingly, organisations such as NACI, the HSRC andother science councils could prevent ASSAf from realising its mission and effectively “starve” it ofworthwhile commissions.ASSAf’s resource base is very dependent on the goodwill and judgement of a government departmentthat is now under the direction of a new Director-General. Although the present Minister has beenvery supportive, political change may come with a newly elected government in 2007.ASSAf may fail to “protect” its independent branding in the new DST Building on the CSIR campusand become progressively less able to remain a merit-based, self-perpetuating, internationallyrecognised science academy, also losing its natural constituency of top scholars in the process.ASSAf may be “out-competed” by the RSSA in terms of (out-of-date but still highly prevalent) publicperceptions ( especially the perceptions of its base public of scholars and scientists) of what a scienceacademy should in fact do, or even what “science” is.ASSAf may fail to establish the necessary effective inter-connections with government departments,continental bodies (e.g. NEPAD) and sister science academies in Africa, and lose momentum in itschosen trajectory.Because of its relatively poor lobbying position and unconnectedness in government and related78 Promoting Excellence in Science for Society