The SRA Symposium - College of Medicine

Because of its small population size, Botswana, with its 1.7 million people will not have as many
S&T institutes as South Africa, which has some 40 million people. As the experience from a study
done by the University of Nottingham’s business School suggests, ‘Universities that want to spin
out more successful companies don’t need bigger technology transfer offices. They need better
ones,’ ([Res-Man] Research Management Briefing - Issue 10). The same study, done on 110 of
Britain’s top research universities, found that the experience and skills of technology transfer office
staff are more important in creating wealth than the number of staff. “It is not so much the number
of staff that is important but their experience,” ([Res-Man] Research Management Briefing
- Issue 10). Human resource development is one thing that southern African countries are weak at.
As indicated earlier, successful technology development and transfer is complex and requires high
level skills. Otherwise R&D efforts will incur enormous loss.
Conclusion
This paper has attempted to argue the case for streamlining a country’s science and technology activities
and arranging them in such a way as to complement one another, for purposes of creating
an innovation system that is capable of expanding the national economy. For this arrangement to
bring the desired results, there is need for an overarching framework of a national research and innovation
strategy that largely works to implement the national science and technology policy. The
paper went further to indicate that a strong science system is a pre-condition for an effective technology
transfer system. In addition, it was emphasizes that adequate funding is required for the
entire innovation system to function. And, since technology is both risky and expensive, the paper
has demonstrated that research and innovation management is the single variable that will ensure
synergy and growth of value from the various science and technology activities. It has been amply
indicated that southern Africa lacks all these, but that without them, the region does not stand a
chance to experience any further growth in its economy within the globalizing world economy.
REFERENCES
Heher, A (2004): Economic Modelling of Institutional Research and Innovation.
SARIMA Project 3. Cape Town.
Hewett, F. (2004): Technology Transfer and Economic Growth In The Twentieth Century. Paper
Presented at a Workshop on The Overview Of The South African
Research and Innovation System, Pretoria, 22-24 July, 2004
Majewsky, I (2003): Good Practice in Spin Off Companies. EARMA 2003.
Mouton, J (2004): Scientific Production: Knowledge Utilisation: Models of Research
Utilisation. CREST, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa.
RSA Government (2002): National Research and Development Strategy. Department of
Science & Technology, Pretoria.
Research Research (2004): Research Management Briefing Issue No. 10
Papers
Walwyn, D (2004): New Product Development and Commercialisation Strategy. Council
for Scientific and Industrial Research, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
2005 Symposium Proceedings Book 171