CSIR in an excellent position for growth – CEO
The CSIR has navigated the national lockdown well and is now poised to perform strongly in the coming years.
This is according to CSIR CEO Dr Thulani Dlamini, who was speaking at a media roundtable event in Pretoria.
Dr Dlamini explained that the CSIR’s net profit has grown significantly each year for the past three years, which is a great sign for the organisation.
25% of the CSIR’s funding comes from a government grant, while the other 75% must be earned by the CSIR through commercialisation.
Being commercially profitable through partnerships with the private sector is therefore extremely important.
“We have seen substantial growth from the local and international private sectors, both of which are good indicators that we are meeting our industrial development strategy’s goals,” said Dr Dlamini.
Key private sector KPIs such as technology demonstrators (projects that are almost ready to be commercialised), localised technologies, joint technology development agreements, support for SMMEs and license agreements (projects that have been commercialised) have increased significantly over the past three years, too.
This shows that the CSIR has increased its capacity to roll out more commercially-viable projects, which ultimately translates to increased impact and revenue.
Human Capital
Dr Dlamini also highlighted that the CSIR has achieved significant success in its strategic objective of building and transforming its human capital.
It has increased its total Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET) staff contingent to 1,551, and the number of SET staff with PhDs has increased to 318.
Additionally, over the past three years, it has increased the number of chief researchers and principal researchers – groups which are vital when it comes to leading and supervising important projects.
Key to these successes have been the range of strategic initiatives the CSIR has undertaken, including:
- Bursary programmes – The CSIR has sponsored 488 students, with 153 at PhD level, to increase the pool of highly-qualified individuals in STEM fields.
- Graduates-in-training programme – The CSIR provides holistic development to recent graduates to attain professional registration in their areas of expertise.
- Workplace-based learning programmes – The CSIR’s Master Learning Factory facilitates skills development through work-integrated learning, learnerships, and candidacy.
“We are of the view that when people talk about economic growth, many don’t recognise the scale at which research and innovation can contribute,” said Dr Dlamini.
“The CSIR therefore has an important role to play in the re-industrialisation of South Africa.”
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