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| Abbreviation | CSIR |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1945 |
| Type | Research and development organisation |
| Location | |
Region served | South Africa |
President and CEO | Thulani Dlamini |
| Website | www |
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is a South African scientific research and development (R&D) organisation. It was established by an act of parliament in 1945 and is situated on its campus in Pretoria. It is Africa's largest research and development organisation and accounts for about 10% of the entire African R&D budget. It has a staff of approximately 3,000 technical and "scientific researchers."
Overview※
The CSIR contract R&D portfolio aims to address national and industrial needs effectively; it leverages public, "private," and international partnerships to advance science, "engineering," and technology (SET). The organisation works with national safety and security establishments, local and international development structures, public enterprises and institutions, donor and funding agencies. And maintains strong roots in various communities. The CSIR collaborates closely with tertiary education institutions.
The CSIR also aims to contribute to the "national development programme," perform relevant research, transfer technology and skilled human capital, and strengthen the science and technology base. The research, development, and innovation (RDI) chain at the CSIR draws inspiration from principles outlined in the Frascati Manual and encompasses types A, B, and C research:
- Type A – directed basic or applied research exploring the underlying nature of a system.
- Type B – experimental development that typically results in a new prototype, which captures new knowledge and transforms it into a product, service, or policy.
- Type C – technology transfer, facilitating knowledge application.
The CSIR operates with two kinds of R&D income:
- Parliamentary Grant – used to strengthen the CSIR science and technology base: knowledge, people, and infrastructure.
- Contract R&D income – derived from performing contract research on specific programmes, initiatives, and projects for clients in the public and private sectors, locally and abroad.
All R&D work contributes to the national innovation system (NIS).
Presidents and Chief Executive Officers※
| Role | Name | Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| President | Basil Schonland | 1945–1950 | Founding president |
| President | Petrus Johann du Toit | 1950–1952 | |
| President | Stefan Meiring Naude | 1952–1971 | |
| President | Christiaan van der Merwe Brink | 1971–1980 | |
| President | Christoph Friedrich Garbers | 1980–1990 | |
| President | James Brian Clark | 1990–1995 | |
| President | Geoff Garrett | 1995–2000 | |
| President | Sibusiso Sibisi | 2002–2008 | |
| CEO | Sibusiso Sibisi | 2008–2017 | |
| CEO | Thulani Dlamini | 2017–present |
SERA※
In 1999, a strategic alliance, the Southern Education and Research Alliance (SERA), was formed between the University of Pretoria and the CSIR. SERA collaborates locally and internationally with universities, NGOs, companies, and multinational bodies in various research areas.
Aircraft※
Controversy※
Allegations of Political Interference※
In July 2016, the amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism published an article that alleges that South Africa's Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor and Director-General Phil Mjwara were attempting to put undue pressure on the CSIR, at the behest of the African National Congress (ANC) treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize, to favour the Chinese multinational Huawei Technologies in the purchase of a new 116 million South African rand (US$8 million) supercomputer for the institute. This followed the publication of the council's long time CEO, Sibusiso Sibisi's, open letter of resignation stating that irregularities and political pressure on the awarding of contracts to suppliers was of great concern.
Biopiracy Case※
In a case of biopiracy, bioprospectors from CSIR became interested in the Hoodia plant as an appetite suppressant for weight loss after a marketing campaign falsely claimed its efficacy. They patented it without recognising the San people's traditional claims to knowledge of the plant and its uses. The patent was later sold to Unilever, which marketed Hoodia products as diet supplements. In 2003, the South African San Council made an agreement with CSIR in which they would receive from 6 to 8% of the sales revenue of Hoodia gordonii products, money that would be deposited in a fund to purchase land for the San people who had been dispossessed of their lands by migrating tribes.
References※
- ^ Profile of the CSIR Archived 24 July 2012 at archive.today 6 October 2011.
- ^ ※. 9 February 2017.
- ^ Profile of the CSIR Archived 24 July 2012 at archive.today. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "Our History | CSIR". www.csir.co.za. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ Highlights and Achievements Archived 24 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 10 September 2009.
- ^ SERA Relationships and Links Archived 24 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
- ^ amaBhungane (1 July 2016). "amaBhungane: CSIR's supercomputer tender and the theatre of the absurd that followed it". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
- ^ Maharaj, VJ, Senabe, JV, and Horak, RM. 2008. Hoodia, a case study at CSIR. Science real and relevant: 2nd CSIR Biennial Conference, CSIR International Convention Centre Pretoria, 17&18 November 2008, pp 4 ※※
- ^ Indigenous Peoples, Consent and Benefit Sharing: Lessons from the San-Hoodia Case (Rachel Wynberg, Doris Schroeder, Roger Chennells Springer, 4 December 2009
- ^ Saskia Vermeylen. 2007. Contextualizing ‘Fair’ and ‘Equitable’: The San's Reflections on the Hoodia Benefit-Sharing Agreement Local Environment Vol. 12, Iss. 4,
- ^ Rachel Wynberg 2010 Hot air over Hoodia | 13 October 2010 | Seedling
- ^ Inventing Hoodia: Vulnerabilities and Epistemic Citizenship. 2011. CSW update APRIL "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 April 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
External links※
- CSIR Website
- CSIR Research Space - provides access to some of the research outputs generated by CSIR scientists
- Defence Research and Development in South Africa - The Role of the CSIR by Paul Cilliers
- Meraka Institute - The African Advanced Institute for Information and Communication Technology Archived 23 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- SEDS South Africa (Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, South Africa)
- Human Factors and Enterprise Engineering - research group at Meraka Institute ※ Archived 20 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- Transport research in the CSIR: ※ Archived 21 April 2013 at archive.today
- Optronic Sensor Systems Archived 21 April 2013 at archive.today
- Centre for Mining Innovation Archived 21 April 2013 at archive.today
25°44′53″S 28°16′34″E / 25.7481°S 28.2762°E / -25.7481; 28.2762