Government has recognised that science and technology skills, cultivated at tertiary institutions, are not filtering through to ground level. It is now creating the framework for a body to address this issue.
This week, Parliament passed the Technology Innovation Bill, paving the way for the National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI) to be created.
This body will advise the minister of science and technology on, among other issues, how to best utilise existing science and technology skills in government's drive to deliver services to the masses.
The previous council that fulfilled this role was dissolved in June 1994. While some advisory groups have been established in the meantime, there has not been one central body to which the minister could refer to for assistance.
Nhlanhla Nyiole, chief director of communications in the Department of Science and Technology, says: "The Bill's role will be to bridge the gap between knowledge and the communication of that knowledge.
"It is clear that SA has a challenge where knowledge at university level is not translating to service delivery and this agency will help to find ideas, in particular, to address this."
Other functions of the council, as set out in the Bill passed by Parliament, will include "the development and maintenance of human resources for innovation, through selective support for education, training and research". It will also cover "international liaison and co-operation on the fields of science technology, and innovation", and "the co-ordination of science and technology policy and strategies with policies and strategies in other environments".
Funding issues
The Bill was drawn up in consultation with various state departments and university principals, and will see at least one representative of the Department of Trade and Industry serve on the NACI.
The council will be funded by the Department of Science and Technology. It will consist of 16 to 20 members of the industry, serving in their personal capacity, on a part-time basis, and reporting directly to the minister.
These individuals are expected to have "achieved distinction in any field of science and technology in their own right or in the context of innovations".
The total investment in the NACI is yet to be determined by the minister of trade and industry, in consultation with the finance minister.
Public hearings on the Bill are to take place during the second half of this year. The department hopes president Thabo Mbeki will pass the Bill into law by the end of the year, or early 2008.
The Technology Innovation Bill also paves the way for the department's strategic plans, such as the 10-year Innovation Plan, which has already been accepted in principle by the National Legislature.
According to Nyiole, the plan focuses on a number of "grand challenges" for the industry, with a strong focus on biotechnology as a driver for development. It will carry the department's strategic planning through to 2018.
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