ICT must fund innovation

By Leon Engelbrecht, ITWeb senior writer

Johannesburg, 13 Nov 2007

Department of Science and Technology (DST) director-general Phil Mjwara called on the ICT industry to support innovation by dipping into its collective wallet.

Mjwara said government realises information and telecommunications technology are essential agents in generating economic growth "and, therefore, creating jobs, fostering social development and improving the quality of life".

He added that government has, therefore, embarked on a number of initiatives to "optimise the environment for the creation and commercialisation of technology", including ICT.

But these will only succeed if the money is there, Mjwara said, as he invited business "to join hands with government and co-invest in ICT research, development and innovation programmes that have the potential not only to create markets and business opportunities, but also to have a positive impact on the lives of ordinary South Africans".

Speaking at the launch of the Altech Academy, in Midrand, late last week, Mjwara said the DST was in the process of setting up a number of centres of excellence that would ensure "the research we do sees the light of day". He proposed that government and business fund these 70:30 over the next seven to 14 years.

Mjwara made no reference to the amounts required.

Innovation agency

His speech coincided with the introduction into the Parliamentary legislative process of the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) Bill. The Bill will allow "for the promotion of the development and exploitation in the public interest of discoveries, inventions, innovations and improvements".

The TIA is an outflow of the DST`s Human Capital Development Strategy that seeks to train and retain more scientists and engineers in SA.

Mjwara said SA and the rest of the developing world are being held back by "a lack of critical mass in ICT research, development and innovation", by inadequate access to telecommunications in general, and broadband in particular, and by a general dearth in ICT skills in the broader population.

"The last of these challenges, limited ICT skills, should give us all sleepless nights," Mjwara said. "Accordingly, my department gives due recognition to the importance of ICT research, development and innovation."

He said realising this underlies government`s decision earlier this year to adopt a free and open source software policy. It mandates all departments to consider alternatives to proprietary software as a way of mitigating the high cost of ICT and of stimulating local innovation.

"These interventions include directed research, development and innovation programmes in specified ICT domains such as mobile and wireless technologies, open source software, human computer interaction, human language technologies, high performance computing, and information security, as well as ICT application areas like e-health, e-education, ICT for independent living and e-government."

Ten-year plan

The DST DG added that the department`s human capital development strategy, in turn, spawned a DST "Ten-Year Plan" for innovation that was recently approved by Cabinet and which, in turn, gave rise to the TIA Bill.

Mjwara said the plan is "by far the most forward-looking and clearest signal of our commitment to a prosperous SA, where all citizens benefit from the fruits of our investment in knowledge, and its exploitation for the good of our people".

The TIA is, however, not the first attempt at reaping benefit from local innovation. The Bill contains a provision repealing an earlier law that had tried the same - the Inventions Development Act of 1962. This had established a South African Inventions Development Corporation to achieve the same ideals.