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Science & Tech Dept wants to increase funding for PhD students

Minister of Science and Technology says it’s important to find ways to secure more funding and investment for South African PhD students, amidst a shrinking budget allocation from Treasury.

Addressing staff as part of opening the department’s 2017 calendar, Naledi Pandor told said they have to adjust to doing more with less and to give thought to creative ideas on how it could work better to improve the country’s resources, contribute to economic development and to attract multinationals to support the department’s projects.

Last year, the department’s budget allocation remained unchanged from the 2015/16 budget at R7.6 million, despite rising costs and growing needs within the department’s projects and entities that report to it.

“As you all know this year you are going to have to do more with less, more tasks with fewer resources, more projects with fewer staff. I want you all to stay committed to achieving the goals set out in the Annual Performance Plan,” Pandor said.

Foreign funding accounts for 15% of South Africa’s research and development budget and must be increased if the country wants to reach its target of 1.5% GDP expenditure by 2019.

Pandor added that governement alone cannot provide the required capital for the full commercialisation (upscale, local and international deployment) of new technology products and services.

In particular, this is the case for technologies that are aimed at accelerating national responses to global challenges (such as clean energy, climate change mitigation, food security, and human and animal health), as well as initiatives aimed at the creation and scaling up of new technology-based enterprises and industries as a catalyst for enhanced national economic growth and development.

“The support and more active participation of the private sector in the commercialisation process will assist not only in increasing the local pool of high-tech investment resources, but also address the scarcity of skilled individuals to take more products, processes and services to the market,” said Minister Pandor.

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