HSRC Integrated Annual Report 2018/2019

Annual Flagship Programmes AISA also successfully hosted its two annual flagship programmes, the Africa Unity for Renaissance Conference (AURC) and the African Young Graduate and Scholars Conference (AYGS). The 8 th AURC and Africa Day Expo was held from 23–25 May 2018, with a specific focus on ‘Accelerating Industrialisation in Africa: Implications for Job Creation and Poverty Reduction’. Seventeen countries from Africa were represented. Key recommendations followed from the conference and were published in the Conference Report and shared with the main funder. The 13 th annual Africa Young Graduates and Scholars Conference was held from 18–19 March 2019 in collaboration with the University of Johannesburg, with a theme focus: ‘Youth Development in Africa – Challenges and the Way Forward’. The conference annually provides a platform for young students to submit abstracts and present and engage in discussions on the relevant topic. Twenty-eight students presented papers and represented countries such as Nigeria (4), Tanzania (2), Zimbabwe (2), Rwanda (1), Uganda (1), Sierra Leone (1), Kenya (1), Ghana (1), Ethiopia (1) and Cameroon (1). Thirteen South African students, from five provinces also had the opportunity to participate. In addition to the flagships, AISA hosted a conference on China-Africa Industrialisation and Modernisation on June 2018; the Archie Mafeje Memorial Lecture, in which Prof. Brian Raftopolous was the keynote speaker; an Iran-South Africa Cultural Dialogue on 22 October 2018; a Women’s Day event in collaboration with COGTA on 31 August 2018, and a seminar on the elections in Zimbabwe on 8 August 2018. AISA researchers were present to observe the Zimbabwe elections. Profile of CeSTII CeSTII produces science, technology and innovation (STI) indicators in South Africa. The Centre was established through a formal agreement with the DST in 2002, a mandate that includes conducting statistical surveys, analysing indicators to inform policy development, understanding the national system of innovation, and sharing and exchanging knowledge. The Centre seeks to be a leader in national surveys that underpin benchmarking, planning and reporting on research and development (R&D) and innovation in South Africa. In line with the orientation of the new White Paper on Science, Technology and Innovation (2019), CeSTII adapts best practice international methodologies to measure STI indicators within an innovation framework that supports inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development. Its vision encompasses the growth of a local, continental and global footprint, impact and reputation that is rooted in high-quality research evidence, as well as strong researcher, policy maker and practitioner networks and the use of cutting-edge research technologies that improve output quality and quantity. CeSTII prioritises the advancement of collaboration with the HSRC, national and African country partners, to share learning, build networks, enhance capacity and improve the uptake of data and research on STI measurement. The Centre’s work ethos therefore rests on teamwork, inclusive diversity, shared-learning, creativity and a commitment to sustainability. Research Highlights In 2018/19, CeSTII organised its projects under three main themes, in line with its mandate to create data for science, technology and innovation policy monitoring. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) global standard is used for the R&D and innovation capacity surveys. CeSTII embarked on a set of conceptual studies and baseline surveys with a view to extending these surveys to new settings critical to the South African context. This will provide new data sets that can inform progress on how STI is responding to the challenges of economic growth and inclusive development, as envisaged in the White Paper 2019. CENTRE FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION INDICATORS (CESTII) PART B: PERFORMANCE OVERVIEW 14 / HSRC INTEGRATED ANNUAL REPORT 2018/19