ANNUAL REPORT 2003/04 - National Research · PDF fileNRF Annual Report 2003/04 ISBN ......

A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 3 / 0 4

B r i n g i n g k n o w l e d g e t o l i f e


Annual Report of theNational Research Foundation

PO Box 2600Pretoria 0001

Tel: +27 12 481-4119Fax: +27 12 349-1179Email: [email protected]

www.nrf.ac.za

NRF Annual Report 2003/04ISBN: 1-86868-051-7Produced by: Words’Worth

+27 11 381-7700

COVER IMAGE: ADAM HOUGHTON/RED HERRING STUDIO

Necessity sows the seeds,

the NRF tills fertile minds,

South Africa reaps the harvest.

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1 NRF VISION

2 CORPORATE HIGHLIGHTS

4 CHAIRPERSON’S OVERVIEW

6 PRESIDENT’S STATEMENT

10 BOARD REPORT: CORPORATE OVERVIEW

12 Corporate core missions and strategic priorities

12 Composition of the NRF

12 Clustering of corporate activities

13 Corporate governance

14 Corporate finance

16 Corporate communication

16 Corporate human resources and transformation

19 BOARD MEMBERS

20 BOARD REPORT: PERFORMANCE

OVERVIEW OF NRF BUSINESS UNITS

22 Research and Innovation Support

and Advancement (RISA)

22 Introduction

22 RISA achievements

29 Positioning the NRF in the NSI

32 RISA as service provider

35 South African Agency for Science and Technology

Advancement

37 National Research Facilities

37 Introduction

38 South African Astronomical Observatory

40 Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory

42 Hermanus Magnetic Observatory

44 South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity

46 South African Environmental Observation

Network

48 iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based

Sciences

It all starts with the germ of

an idea which takes root in the

desire to improve quality of life.

50 PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

52 Natural-born killers

54 Flower power

56 Log on to your doctor

58 No more bovine B.O.

60 Putting education to work

62 KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR REPORT

64 The NRF core missions and strategic priorities

64 Rationale for adopting the NRF core missions and

strategic priorities

66 The NRF approach to Key Performance Indicators

68 KPI report summary

74 FINANCIAL REPORT

76 Statement of responsibility by the Board of Directors

77 Report of the Audit Committee

78 Report of the Auditor-General

80 Income statement

81 Balance sheet

82 Statement of changes in funds

83 Cash flow statement

84 Accounting policies

86 Notes to the annual financial statements

102 LIST OF ACRONYMS

104 CONTACT INFORMATION

The National Research Foundation takes pleasure

in presenting its annual results for 2003/04,

which outline the activities of its agency,

RISA, and the National Research Facilities.

Afrikaans – Die Nasionale Navorsingstigting bied met trots hulle jaarlikse uitslae vir 2003/04 aan,

wat die aktiwiteite van hulle agentskap, RISA, en die Nasionale Navorsingsfasiliteite in breë trekke voorlê.

Ndebele – IsiKhungo sezamaRhubhululo wesiTjhaba sithabela khulu ukwethula imiphumela waso wonyaka

ka-2003/04, eveza okwenziwe basebenzeli baso, i-RISA, kanye nabamaThuba wezamaRhubhululo wesiTjhaba.

Sepedi – Mokgatlo wa Dinyakišišo wa Setšhaba o thabela go neelana ka dipoelo tša ka ngwaga tša 2003/04

tšeo di akaretšago lefaphathušo la wona e lego RISA le Dinolofatši tša Dinyakišišo tša Setšhaba.

Sesotho – Ba National Research Foundation (Letlole la Diphuputso la Naha) ba motlotlo ho hlahisa diphetho

tsa selemo sa 2003/04, tse hlalosang mesebetsi ya baemedi ba rona, e leng RISA le National Research Facilities

(Menyetla ya Diphuputso ya Naha).

Setswana – Setheo sa Ditlhotlhomiso sa Bosetšhaba se motlotlo go tlhagisa dipholo tsa sona

tsa ngwaga le ngwaga tsa 2003/04, tse di thadisang ditiro tsa boemedi jwa sona, RISA,

le Dibebofatsi tsa Ditlhotlhomiso tsa Bosetšhaba.

Swati – INhlangano yekuPhenya yaVelonkhe (I-National Research Foundation) itsandza kutsatsa lelitfuba kutsi

yetfule imiphumela yayo yemnyaka wa-2003/04, lechaza imisebenti yelihhovisi layo,

yeRISA kanye neyetiNsita tekuPhenya taVelonkhe.

Tsonga – Nhlangano wa Ndzavisiso wa Rixaka wu tsakela ku nyiketa mimbuyelo ya wona ya lembe ra 2003/04,

leyi hlamuselaka migingiriko ya muyimeri wa wona, RISA ni Swipfuno swa Ndzavisiso wa Rixaka.

Venda – Dzangano la National Research Foundation li divhadza mvelele dzalo dza nwaha nga nwaha dza

2003/04, dzine dza gaganya kushumele kwa RISA, ine ya vha murado wayo,

na kushumele kwa National Research Facilities.

Xhosa – ISiseko soPhando sikaZwelonke sinovuyo ukunika iziphumo zonyaka ka-2003/04, ezibeka imisebenzi

ye-arhente yayo, iRISA kunye namaNcedo oPhando kaZwelonke.

Zulu – I-National Research Foundation inentokozo ngokwethula imiphumela yayo yonyaka ka-2003/04,

etshengisa kafushane imisebenzi yenhlangano yayo, RISA, kanye neZinsiza Zocwaningo Lukazwelonke.

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NRF vision

The NRF aims for

a prosperous South Africa and African continent

steeped in a knowledge culture,

free of widespread diseases and poverty,

and proud contributors to the well-being of humanity.

Fundamental to this vision is quality education, wealth creation

and an improvement in the quality of life for all.

In modern economies these achievements are dependent on

innovation, research and development.

Development Programmes support 623 Master’s and doctoral students –

an increase of 26,0%. Thuthuka grantholders increase significantly: 142 new

grantholders represent 81,0% growth.

Corporate highlightsfor 2003/04

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The HMO and the

Magnetotellurics and

Geomagnetism Section of

the GeoForschungsZentrum

(GFZ) submit a proposal for

a collaborative project to

study the rapid decrease of

the geomagnetic field in the

southern Africa region. The

resultant increase in solar

radiation could have a profound

societal impact.

Two SALT milestones are

achieved: Engineering First

Light and First Guided

Observation. Nowhere else has

the construction of a 10m class

telescope proceeded as rapidly

and smoothly as has been the

case with SALT to date.

MSc student Attie Combrink’s

development of a technique to

derive atmospheric precipitable

water vapour from GPS data

receives awards from the SA

Institute of Physics, SA Society for

Atmospheric Sciences, and the

US National Geographic Society.

This project has applications in

meteorology, radio astronomy

and laser ranging.

The Swedish Research Partnership Agreement is

renewed for the next four years and extended to

include a special research area on HIV/Aids.

81%

Development of a single

end-to-end web granting system has

started and will greatly enhance customer

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The iThemba LABS workshop

at the SASOL SciFest wins Best

Outreach Workshop.

Department of Labour Bursary

Scheme to support students

with disabilities is transferred

to the NRF.

Prof Tshilidzi Marwala, the first

African Engineer in Natural

Sciences and Engineering to be

awarded a P-rating in the NRF

system, was a beneficiary of the

NRF scholarship programme.

A countrywide consultation process

was initiated to develop a national

research agenda for the Social

Sciences, Law and Humanities in

order to stimulate research and the

participation of researchers in these

disciplines in NRF programmes.

Centres of Excellence – Of the 70 applications

received, 13 were shortlisted. The final six

selected would formally be announced by the

Minister in June 2004.

In 2003 the number of doctoral

students supported annually

increased to more than 1 000

for the first time.

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Chairperson’s overview

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It is also appropriate to consider the challenges that continue

to confront the community of researchers and educators as we

work, with so many others, to promote the development of a new

generation of scholars and researchers, and as we strive to meet the

country’s social, economic, and technological needs.

These challenges are most effectively met through the forging of

strategic partnerships that will enable our scholars and researchers to

share their expertise and insights to the benefit of the country and

the continent as a whole. Prominent examples of such successful

partnerships include the US$30 million Southern African Large

Telescope (SALT) project, and the Technology and Human Resources

for Industry Programme (THRIP), the latter a joint venture between

government, industry and the research community, and one that has

yielded significant dividends.

Have we succeeded in our aims? A partial answer is provided

by the significant growth in the portfolio of the NRF since its

inception. In addition to the increase in the THRIP funding budget

allocated by the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) over

the past five years (1999: R96,53 million; 2004: R129,0 million),

the NRF was also entrusted by the Department of Science and

Technology (DST) with the management of the Innovation Fund,

while the Department of Labour (DoL) has located its Scarce Skills

Development Fund within the NRF.

The NRF has also gained responsibility for the Hermanus

Magnetic Observatory which was transferred from the CSIR on

1 April 2001, and the National Zoological Gardens which was

deproclaimed a cultural institution and declared a National Facility,

located in the NRF, by the Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and

Technology on 1 April 2004.

These additions to the responsibilities of the NRF have been

received with enthusiasm, and represent an unequivocal vote of

confidence in the ability of the organisation to derive optimum value

out of research funding, in pursuing its mandate.

Our work has just begun

Several new initiatives have been launched by government (the

DST) to enhance and facilitate innovation in South Africa, and

these will also be managed by the NRF. Significant among these is

the Centres of Excellence (CoE) programme, which is intended to

stimulate research, generate high-quality human resources, and to

make a significant impact in key designated areas of R&D.

A major drive will be that of promoting the competitive advantage

of South and southern Africa among the international community

of scientists in the context of capital-intensive “big science” initiatives.

In this regard, the decision on the siting of the Square Kilometre

Array (SKA) radio telescope will be made in 2007, and the success

of SALT is cause for measured confidence that the South African bid

will receive a favourable response. These and similar projects allow

the NRF to expand the resource base for discharging its mandate,

in partnership with its stakeholders, in this way promoting a more

integrated and effective National System of Innovation.

Just as South Africa’s successful democracy is a legacy for future

generations, so too is our indigenous knowledge. The wealth

of knowledge that our forebears have left us, and the practical

application that our rural communities can share with us, are unique

treasures of which we are joint custodians and beneficiaries. We

have made headway in applying indigenous knowledge to health

problems such as malaria that are endemic to great parts of Africa,

and the NRF will place renewed emphasis on fostering research into

indigenous knowledge systems in the years to come.

On 1 April 2004, and in the tenth year of our democracy, the National Research Foundation

celebrated five years of existence. This is a major milestone, which affords an opportunity to

reflect on what has been achieved.

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A key challenge is to create a seamless approach to research

support and human resource development across the spectrum

of research and innovation. A prerequisite is to integrate the

management of the various funding programmes, and identify the

real and potential synergies that exist between them. This process

starts at school level where the South African Agency for Science

and Technology Advancement (SAASTA) is active in ensuring that

science outreach programmes capture the minds and imaginations of

aspirant scientists. Efforts such as these create the feeder system for

the development of new cohorts of young researchers and innovators

in our higher education system. The various NRF programmes play

a central role in this regard. Furthermore, the National Research

Facilities, through their ability to offer vocational work, research

projects, and in-service training, are well equipped to contribute

toward the achievements of these objectives.

Thus, the NRF is involved in all aspects of research and

innovation: from the development of budding wizards, to the

realisation of ideas, and finally to the process of helping to ensure

that these ideas bear fruit, whether in formal qualifications, scholarly

journals, or in appropriate industries.

The ultimate achievement: a focused team

The NRF’s achievements over the past five years, especially the year

under review, are the fruits of the commitment of a focused team.

NRF staff and researchers have displayed remarkable dedication and

ability in extracting maximum effectiveness and efficiency out of

sometimes limited resources and outdated infrastructure.

Good governance is the key to retaining team focus and the King II

Report on Corporate Governance is a benchmark of the greatest

importance. It is heartening to acknowledge the seriousness with

which my colleagues on the NRF Board and the executive team have

striven to meet the requirements set out in that report. Although we

meet most of these criteria, we are hard at work in addressing those

areas in which we fall short of what is required. Future assessments

of our performance against the King II requirements for good

governance will henceforth be carried out annually.

Our words must be accompanied by action, our researchers need

to emerge from their laboratories, offices, and field sites, and our

research results need to give birth to innovative solutions. The

challenges are thus not limited to a continuous supply of skilled

human resources, adequate funding and appropriate infrastructure.

SAASTA, as the communication satellite for the NRF, will find itself

tested to develop a strategic plan for the advancement of public

understanding of S&T, and for the integration of activities aimed at

the promotion and understanding of science. Let the dialogue begin.

Appreciation and acknowledgements

The news of the resignation of Minister B S Ngubane from cabinet

earlier this year was met with sadness. Through his inspiration and

guidance he assisted greatly in providing strategic direction to the

NRF Board. For his willingness at all times to listen and advise, his

accessibility, and the many open, frank and sincere discussions over

the past years, I express my thanks. I wish him well in his new post

as South Africa’s ambassador to Japan.

I congratulate the new Minister of Science and Technology,

Minister M Mangena, and Deputy Minister D Hanekom, on their

appointments, and look forward to a close and fruitful working

relationship in our common efforts to improve the quality of life of

our people, and the competitiveness of our nation.

To my fellow Board members I extend my warmest thanks for

their commitment and wise counsel. These qualities have been

instrumental in the process of guiding the implementation of a

mandate that in many respects is unparalleled in its importance in

the development of South Africa.

I express my deep appreciation to the Chief Executive Officer,

Dr Khotso Mokhele, for his imaginative and vigorous leadership

of the NRF. Dr Mokhele, together with his executive team and

the staff of the NRF, have displayed great dedication in working

successfully toward the achievement of so many goals over the past

year. I thank them warmly for their devotion to duty. I am proud

of what has been achieved in the past year, and by the manner in

which the NRF has positioned itself to face the challenges ahead.

Professor

B D Reddy

President’s statement

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Significant progress has been made over the past year in

consolidating the NRF’s position as a key player in the National

System of Innovation (NSI). Although the main goals and

objectives as outlined in the Business Plan were largely met, the

limited growth in the number of black students and researchers

remains disappointingly low. The competition for highly skilled

potential black researchers remains fierce and the situation in the

academic environment will only improve once a level of saturation

has been attained in the market.

It is nevertheless encouraging that despite this fierce competition,

there are some outstanding young black scientists who have chosen

an academic career and who are indispensable as role models

in attracting young minds to research. Two of these, both at the

University of the Witwatersrand, warrant special mention: Professor

Tshilidzi Marwala, the first black engineer to have obtained the

coveted NRF P-rating, and Dr Mamokgethi Setati as the first black

woman to obtain a PhD in Mathematics Education. Both these

young scientists were awarded the first Dr T W Kambule/NRF

Award for Outstanding Young Black Researcher at the most recent

National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) awards function.

Both received support from the NRF (and its predecessor, the

FRD) for postgraduate study and their achievements are part of

growing evidence that our investments over the past decade are

beginning to yield tangible dividends.

Big Science in the National Research Facilities taking shape

The initial South African bid to host the Square Kilometre Array

(SKA), which was issued in July 2003, was a great success. This

is largely due to the concerted effort of a small and dedicated

task team headed by Dr Bernie Fanaroff and assisted by Professor

Justin Jonas and Dr George Nicholson, who is now retired. South

Africa is considered a serious contender to host this megascience

project; a final decision as to its location will be taken in 2007.

The South African SKA Steering Committee has wasted no time

and, invigorated by the success of its first presentation, is forging

ahead with the more detailed investigations required in preparation

for the final bid documentation. The planning of a SKA Research

and Training Collaboration Centre (RTCC) is advancing well. This

centre will commission and co-ordinate research and technology

development projects in support of the SKA, as well as stimulate

the development of the skills required to support a SKA on South

African soil. The leadership role that the Director General of the

Department of Science and Technology (DST) has played in this

project, deserves special mention.

Dr K Mokhele

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Nowhere else in the world has the

construction of a 10m class telescope

proceeded as rapidly and as smoothly as has

been the case with SALT to date.

SALT nearing completion

The construction of the Southern African Large Telescope

(SALT) has made remarkable progress and is now rapidly nearing

completion. Nowhere else in the world has the construction of a

10m class telescope proceeded as rapidly and as smoothly. We are

very proud of the accomplishments by Kobus Meiring, the SALT

project manager, and his team.

In keeping with the decision to create an overlap between

construction and operations, the South African Astronomical

Observatory (SAAO) has already concluded the contract with

the Board of Directors of the SALT Foundation to operate the

telescope on behalf of the SALT Board. The SAAO is also currently

busy with an in-depth review regarding its own research agenda in

the SALT era.

The challenges of directing the affairs of the SAAO in this

period of transition and beyond will fall on the shoulders of

Professor Philip Charles from the School of Physics and Astronomy

of the University of Southampton. He will join the SAAO as

Managing Director on a five-year contract in October 2004. In this

regard I need to acknowledge the sterling and selfless contributions,

first by Dr Patricia Whitelock and, since 1 December 2003, by Dr

Peter Martinez, in their capacity as Acting Director of the SAAO.

The fossil fish

Over the past two years the African Coelacanth Ecosystem

Programme (ACEP) has developed into a comprehensive southern

African flagship programme. Initiated with support from the

DST and the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism

(DEAT), this programme has evolved into a multinational and

multi-institutional collaborative activity due to the enthusiasm and

untiring efforts of Dr Tony Ribbink, the responsible programme

manager at the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity

(SAIAB). Several very successful exploratory dives with the

submersible Jago, sponsored by the German government, have

established the presence of a substantive coelacanth population

off the South African coast. The science outreach efforts of this

programme are particularly commendable.

Welcome to the NRF fold

The acquisition of the National Zoological Gardens (NZG) by way

of ministerial proclamation is a welcome addition to the family of

National Research Facilities. This decision by the Minister of Science

and Technology will give great impetus to our resolve to have a

significantly higher profile in activities relating to the improved

understanding, appreciation and acceptance of the importance

PHOTOGRAPH BY: JIAN SWIEGERS

President’s Statement

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of Science and Technology for our nation’s advancement within

the broader society. We have already begun to reassess the core

competencies of the NZG to ensure that research and training in

research becomes one of its major thrusts. I would like to welcome

Willie Labuschagne and his team to the NRF fold and trust that

they will find being part of the NRF to be a challenging and

rewarding experience.

Key developments in RISA

Greater effectiveness

As a consequence of a critical review of the granting procedures,

processes are being implemented to assess funding flows and

grant claims considerably earlier than in the past. This enables

management to reallocate resources prior to year-end, thereby

reducing the amount of unspent funds to a minimum. Perusal of

the financial statements will show that although unspent funds

are still high at R59,5 million, the uncommitted and unallocated

portion was less than R1,0 million, down from R12,5 million at the

end of the previous financial year.

Increased bursary support

The NRF management took a strategic decision to increase the

grantholder-linked Master’s and doctoral bursaries by 43,0%

from the academic year 2004 onwards. This decision was widely

welcomed and will hopefully attract more students to postgraduate

study than in the past. Implementation of this decision in 2004

was made possible by the DST which approved the utilisation of

unspent ring-fenced monies by way of bridging funds.

Centres of Excellence

A highlight of the year was the call for application of Centres of

Excellence as part of the implementation of the National R&D

Strategy. This call solicited 70 applications which were carefully

screened by six specialist panels. Thirteen applications were

shortlisted and requested to develop full proposals. After a rigorous

peer review process, six Centres of Excellence were selected

for support as from the financial year 2004/05 onwards. The

successful Centres of Excellence would be formally launched by

the Minister of Science and Technology at a high-profile function in

June 2004.

The Innovation Fund

The Innovation Fund has also seen a considerable expansion

of its activities as a result of the implementation of several

recommendations emanating from the review during the previous

year. Foremost among these is the creation of the Innovation

Fund Commercialisation Office (IFCO) which has been designed

to provide various critical support functions and to ensure that

the country derives optimal benefit from research outcomes with

commercialisation potential.

A seamless organisation

Our strategy to create a seamless funding environment has three

dimensions:

• crossing disciplinary divides;

• supporting young academics to become top-class researchers;

and

• research funding across the value chain, from basic research to

technology development.

These will be greatly enhanced with the completion of the

e-granting and management information system. The development

of this system has commenced in earnest. When fully completed

in 2004, the same platform (NRF Online) will be used for all

grant applications and result in a fully integrated management

information system.

Future outlook

The recent announcement by President Mbeki of the creation of a

separate ministry for Science and Technology, and his emphasis on

the importance of Science and Technology in his state-of-the-nation

address in Parliament, underscores the seriousness with which

government views the role of Science and Technology in delivering

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across a broad spectrum of development imperatives. This bodes

well for the roll-out of the National R&D Strategy and the rapid

and full implementation of the initiatives contained therein.

More Centres of Excellence?

The concept of Centres of Excellence is finding resonance in a

number of government departments, and the NRF, in conjunction

with the DST, is exploring the creation of additional centres

in support of the missions of these departments. In this regard

discussions with the dti are at an advanced stage to initiate Centres

of Excellence in Industrial Research and Development (CEIRD).

It is recognised, though, that Centres of Excellence require

the mobilisation of an existing critical mass of expertise, and

that this is often not available in areas of critical importance to

the development of the nation. Hence, the creation of Chairs in

higher education to revitalise and strengthen research and capacity

development in such areas is being pursued. The dti has already

expressed great interest in providing support for endowed Chairs in

Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development (CEED).

Research equipment and infrastructure

We are pleased with the decision of the DST to include from

2005 an earmarked amount of R20,0 million per annum for

equipment renewal. This, together with the infrastructure already

being provided through other initiatives such as Basic Research

in Computer Science (BRICS) and the Innovation Fund, will

go a long way in ensuring that research and training in research

will remain internationally competitive. An equipment renewal

strategy is being finalised to ensure optimal utilisation of these

new resources and hopefully also to attract additional resources to

address this urgent need.

Science and society

It is largely big multi-disciplinary science initiatives, such as SALT,

SKA, the African Coelacanth Ecosystem Programme (ACEP),

the South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP) and

others that lend themselves to popularising science in young minds

and bringing home the message of the importance of science to

society. A new initiative that is well positioned to become a flagship

programme of a magnitude similar to the ACEP and SANAP, with

a fascinating research agenda, is an Earth Sciences initiative referred

to as Inkaba ye Africa. This proposed 11,0 million five-year

collaborative programme between no fewer than 15 institutions

in Germany and South Africa, is destined to revolutionise our

understanding of the geosphere/biosphere interactions. It proposes

an in-depth study of a cone of the Earth, from its core into space,

centered over South Africa, where the evolution of the continent/

ocean transition holds the key to understanding mass circulation

in the southern oceans, climate change and biological evolution

over time.

Two issues of concern

Although the increase in the value of grantholder-linked bursaries

referred to above is welcome relief, this can be considered a

mere adjustment of bursary values which have remained stagnant

for more than five years. In order to create a demand pull to

draw significantly larger numbers of students into postgraduate

training and research, and thereby meet the demands for a rapidly

developing nation, values as well as numbers will need to increase

significantly over the next few years. This will require substantially

more resources and will receive our continued attention.

The participation of researchers from the Social Sciences and

Humanities disciplines in our programmes remains alarmingly low

and has even declined somewhat in the past year. To counter this,

RISA has embarked on a countrywide consultative process to

develop a national research agenda for the Social Sciences, Law

and Humanities. It is hoped that the outcome of this process will

begin to stimulate research in these disciplines and already inform

funding decisions from 2005 onwards. It is furthermore considered

that the rating process which has only recently been introduced

for these disciplines will act as a further stimulus for researchers to

access long-term research funding.

The announcement by President Mbeki of a separate ministry for Science and Technology (S&T),

and his emphasis on the importance of S&T in his state-of-the-nation address, underscores the

seriousness with which government views the role of S&T in delivering across a broad spectrum

of development imperatives. This bodes well for the roll-out of the National R&D Strategy and

the rapid and full implementation of the initiatives contained therein.

Board reportCorporate overview

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Researchers at work to find

solutions enable our children to

play and build a future.

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BOARD REPORT: CORPORATE OVERVIEW

12 Corporate core missions and strategic priorities

12 Composition of the NRF

12 Clustering of corporate activities

13 Corporate governance

14 Corporate finance

16 Corporate communication

16 Corporate human resources and transformation

All photographs on the following pages are finalists in the

SA Science Lens photographic competition, which SAASTA

organises in partnership with the Mail & Guardian newspaper.

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This Transmision Electron Micrograph

shows HIV particles in the act of budding

from the surface of a host white blood

cell (coloured orange yellow).

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Board reportCorporate overview

Corporate core missions and strategic priorities

The corporate core missions of the NRF are to develop and

support:

• high-quality human resources in aggressively increasing

quantities;

• the generation of high-quality knowledge in prioritised areas

that respond to national and continental development needs;

• the utilisation of knowledge, technology transfer and

innovation to ensure tangible benefits to society from the

knowledge created; and

• the provision of state-of-the-art research infrastructure that is

essential to facilitating the development of high-quality human

resources and knowledge.

Corporate strategic priorities include:

• redressing and ensuring equity in race and gender;

• adhering to quality;

• internationalising research;

• focusing on Africa;

• positioning the NRF within the National System of Innovation

(NSI); and

• transforming the NRF organisationally.

The rationale for adopting these core missions and strategic

priorities is provided in the KPI report (see page 64).

Composition of the NRF

The NRF consists of an agency function, Research and Innovation

Support and Advancement (RISA), and seven National Research

Facilities. RISA supports the full range of activities in the innovation

chain, while the National Research Facilities provide unique research

infrastructure and create multi-locational networks that contribute to

making infrastructure accessible to local and international research

communities.

Clustering of corporate activities

The activities of the NRF are clustered as follows:

A. Research and Innovation Support and Advancement

(RISA)

• Programmes and functions largely supported by the

Parliamentary Core Grant.

• Programmes managed by the NRF as a service provider:

– STAC (Science and Technology Agreements Committee),

NRF operational structure and clustering of activities

ED: Executive Director MD: Managing Director GM: General Manager

NRF

President/CEO NRF Corporate Secretary

EDHR

EDFinance

MDSAASTA

MDiThemba

Labs

MDHartRAO

MDSAIAB

MDSAAO

Vice-Pres/MDRISA

EDInnovation

Fund

EDBusiness &

Industry Partnership

EDResearch

Development & Support

EDResearch

Promotion & Support

EDKnowledge

Management & Strategy

HeadSA Environmental

Observation Network

GMHermanus Magnetic

Observatory

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funded by the Department of Science and Technology

(DST);

– Innovation Fund, managed for the Innovation Fund Board of

Trustees and funded by the DST;

– Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme

(THRIP), funded by the Department of Trade and Industry

(the dti); and

– Scarce Skills Development Fund of the Department of

Labour (DoL).

• South African Agency for Science and Technology

Advancement (SAASTA).

B. National Research Facilities

The seven National Research Facilities managed by the NRF are

clustered on the basis of their areas of specialisation into three

broad categories aligned to the science missions of the National

R&D Strategy:

• Astro/Space/Geo Sciences

– South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), also

responsible for managing the Southern African Large

Telescope (SALT);

– Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO);

– Hermanus Magnetic Observatory (HMO).

• Biodiversity/Conservation

– South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB);

– South African Environmental Observation Network

(SAEON), which is being developed to attain national

research facility status in future; and

– The National Zoological Gardens (NZG) which was added

to the NRF management portfolio on 1 April 2004.

• Nuclear Sciences

– iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Sciences

(iThemba LABS).

C. Corporate support functions

• Corporate finance;

• Corporate human resources; and

• Corporate communication.

Corporate governance

The NRF receives its mandate from the National Research

Foundation Act, No. 23 of 1998, which came into effect on

1 April 1999 and established the NRF as an autonomous statutory

body. According to the Act, the object of the NRF is to support and

promote research through funding to develop human resources,

and provide the necessary research facilities to facilitate the creation

of knowledge, innovation and development in all fields of Science

and Technology, including indigenous knowledge, and thereby to

contribute to improving the quality of life of all the people of the

Republic.

The NRF Board, appointed by the Minister responsible for

Science and Technology, provides strategic direction and monitors

the compliance of the NRF with legal and regulatory obligations

that govern statutory bodies. The Board also plays a governance

role in terms of the Public Finance and Management Act (Act 1 of

1999) and ensures compliance with the relevant requirements of

the King II Report.

The Board appointed an Audit Committee and Remuneration

and Human Resources Committee to deal with relevant issues on a

regular basis. These committees comprise:

Audit Committee: Remuneration and Human

Resources Committee:

Dr JL Job (chairperson) Prof PE Ngoepe (chairperson)

Prof SF Coetzee Prof CA Hamilton

Mrs BD Radebe Mr M Nxumalo

Prof J van Zyl Prof HW Vilakazi

Prof BD Reddy (ex-officio) Prof BD Reddy (ex-officio)

Dr K Mokhele (ex-officio) Dr K Mokhele (ex-officio)

In accordance with the Act, the NRF performs an agency function

on behalf of its line department, the DST, and acts as service

provider for the following government departments:

• the dti for THRIP;

• DoL for the Scarce Skills Development Fund; and

Eye by Lourens Uitenweerde

A digitally manipulated close-up image of an eye.

• Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) for

marine research.

The relationship between the NRF and departments that choose

the NRF as agency is usually managed through Memoranda of

Understanding containing specific service level agreements, some

of which still have to be put into place. In accordance with, or in

addition to, these formal agreements, the following governance

structures are in place:

• a steering committee for the Innovation Fund;

• the THRIP Board, appointed jointly by the NRF President and

the Director-General of the dti; and

• various advisory boards/committees for the National Research

Facilities.

The role definitions of all governance structures are reviewed

from time to time to streamline operations according to best

practice.

Corporate finance

During the financial year under review, the following amounts were

allocated to the NRF from the DST to enable the NRF to achieve

its objectives:

2004 2003 R’000 R’000

Research and Innovation Support and Advancement 255 568 236 309

iThemba LABS 69 261 63 697

South African Astronomical Observatory 17 478 14 853

Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory 10 751 9 205

South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity 7 764 4 151

Hermanus Magnetic Observatory 4 311 3 710

South African Agency for Science and 9 130 2 559

Technology Advancement

Total (refer Note 3 to the AFS) 374 263 334 484

The NRF’s total expenditure increased from R606,2m in 2003

to R736,7m in 2004, with detail concerning expenditure per

facility as follows:

2004 2003 R’000 R’000


iThemba LABS 92 957 85 716

South African Astronomical Observatory 24 069 19 720

Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory 11 428 10 218

South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity 13 636 9 913




Total expenditure per income statement 736 655 606 227

Within RISA the increase in programme expenditure is mainly

attributable to the increases in agency grants (22,7%) and salary

expenditure (11,0%) as a result of new programmes. Running

expenditure increased marginally by 0,3%.

The increase in programme expenditure within the SAAO is

largely due to absorption of SALT operating expenditure, of which

the total expenditure is recovered.

SAASTA expenditure for the prior year reflects only four months’

results since the transfer of the former FEST to the NRF with effect

from 1 December 2002.

The deficit for the year was R3,8m (2003 unspent funds:

R19,8m) which was made up as follows:

2004 2003 R’000 R’000


iThemba LABS (8 468) (12 438)

South African Astronomical Observatory (3 402) (2 223)

Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (2 320) (506)

South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (903) 652

Hermanus Magnetic Observatory 286 828

South African Agency for Science and (3 473) 855


Total (3 839) 19 755

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14 15

Corporate overview

The total accumulated funds of the NRF at the end of the year

amounted to R121,6m (2003: R125,5m). These were made up as

follows:

2004 2003 R’000 R’000

Accumulated unspent funds 59 478 60 138

Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) funds 58 250 58 250

Contingency funds 2 016 5 195

General capital funds 1 903 1 903

Total 121 647 125 486

The accumulated unspent funds of R59,5m (2003: R60,1m) were

made up as follows:

2004 2003 R’000 R’000


iThemba LABS (19 880) (10 766)

South African Astronomical Observatory (6 823) (3 434)

Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (1 595) (874)

South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity 5 234 288




Total 59 478 60 138

The accumulated unspent funds of R75,9m of RISA mainly

comprise grants and bursaries awarded during the financial year

under review (reflected in the notes to the annual financial

statements as grants and bursary commitments – Note 13), as well

as the following expenditure, which will only be accounted for in

the financial year ending 31 March 2005:

2004 R’000

Ring-fenced funds: 29 918

Indigenous Knowledge Systems 10 142

International Atomic Energy Agency 1 936

Key International Science Capacity Programme 7 424

National Laser Centre 494

SAEON 5 000

STAC 3 860

Swedish Bilateral Agreement 1 062

Provisions: 18 040

NRF Online grant management system 3 040

Budgeted deficit for 2005 15 000

Total 47 958

Also included in the accumulated unspent funds of RISA is the

share of the Post-retirement Medical Benefit Provision, amounting

to R27,6m, which is distributed to the National Research Facilities.

The distribution of the provision to the National Research Facilities

accounts for the deficit shown for iThemba LABS, the SAAO and

HartRAO in the breakdown of accumulated unspent funds.

Acquisitions

The NRF holds 40,7% of the issued shares in the SALT Foundation

(Pty) Ltd, an unlisted company. In terms of the SALT Shareholders

Agreement, the NRF will have a 34,0% shareholding in the

company once all the partners have purchased their share capital.

Details of the investment are included in Note 5 to the annual

financial statements. The investment has not been consolidated, nor

equity accounted, as the NRF holds only two out of 11 seats on

the Board, which controls the SALT Foundation. This results in an

effective 18,2% control.

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Beauty or Vision? by André Botha

Golden islands on a carbon substrate.

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Corporate communication

As the NRF expands and extends its reach across national and

international boundaries through partnerships and international

collaboration in Science and Technology, corporate communication

and marketing are becoming increasingly important business

imperatives.

In the year under review, the corporate communication function

was placed under SAASTA. This demanded a rethink of the

Corporate Communication division’s strategic approach. A strategic

positioning exercise included the perspective from stakeholders

in the wider Science and Technology sector, and a well-defined

strategy will be tabled during 2004/05.

Reconstitution challenges are ongoing, with Corporate

Communication requiring sufficient and appropriate human

resources to tackle the task of serving the entire NRF and delivering

on an enhanced function. Corporate Communication will also need

to work closely with SAASTA’s Science Communication in order to

deliver on communication aspects of NRF business.

Corporate human resources and transformation

All business units in the NRF were challenged by human resources

issues in the year under review. Key among these was the

continuing quest for:

• achieving organisational effectiveness and efficiency by

ensuring that the organisation has the required staff capacity

with relevant experience;

• implementing an effective performance management system

within the context of agreed business plans;

• effecting internal institutional and attitudinal transformation

and ensuring that the organisational culture and other practices

demonstrate care and concern for the well-being of staff; and

• achieving overall equity, including representivity in race, gender

and people with disabilities.

The following can be reported for the period under review:

Staff recruitment and turnover

Turnover, particularly in RISA and iThemba LABS, continued

at relatively high levels. Overall, some 86 employees joined the

organisation while 92 left for a variety of reasons. Of those who

left 43 were resignations, 21 contracts expiring, 11 retirements,

12 dismissals and five deaths in service. The overall turnover was

thus 14,0%. Retention remains a challenge in RISA where turnover

was 20,6% relative to the market average of 11,3%.

Performance management

Further progress has been made in implementing the NRF’s

Integrated Performance Management System throughout the

organisation. While there are still challenges associated with

understanding and accepting the process, the system has been taken

full cycle and the first performance-linked rewards were allocated in

October 2003.

Demographics and culture

Representation

Table 1 (opposite) reflects the race and gender representation in the

organisation by occupational level as at 31 March 2004:

• overall representation of blacks declined from 57,0% to

55,3%. This is attributable to the incorporation of SAASTA into

the NRF. This temporary trend will be reversed in 2004/05

with the incorporation of the NZG into the NRF;

• the representation of females has remained fairly constant at

41,2% in 2002/03 and 42,2% in 2003/04;

• there has not been any significant change in the number of

employees with disabilities. The representation of this group

within the organisation remains very low and requires more

focused attention in all business units; and

• there is no change in the representation of Blacks within the

professionally qualified specialists and mid-management which

stands at 40,6%.

Corporate overview

16 17

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Table 1 – Race and gender representation by occupational level

Occupational level Men Women Total

African Coloured Indian White African Coloured Indian White

Top management 5 2 0 10 0 1 1 2 21

Senior management 9 3 1 20 0 2 1 17 53

Professionally qualified and experienced specialists and mid-management

20 15 4 67 13 10 5 31 165

Skilled technical and academically qualified workers, junior management, supervisors, foremen and superintendents

6 21 1 33 5 16 4 19 105

Semi-skilled and discretionary decision-making

29 45 0 11 31 14 4 52 186

Unskilled and defined decision-making

20 18 0 0 8 18 1 0 65

Total Permanent 89 104 6 141 57 61 16 121 595

Non-permanent employees 9 4 1 17 3 4 1 8 47

Total 98 108 7 158 60 65 17 129 642

Organisational culture

To ensure that staff are aligned to the vision, mission and values of

the organisation, a culture change process commenced at RISA in

October 2003. Some 170 staff members participated in a climate/

culture survey. The results of the survey, highlighting a number of

challenges, have been communicated to staff. Strategic interventions

are being identified and implementation of these changes is planned

for the 2004/05 financial year. Similar culture change initiatives will

commence at the other business units of the NRF.

Industrial relations (IR) climate

The IR climate within the organisation remains stable with the

overall union membership at 42,0% as at 31 March 2004.

NASESU’s recognition was terminated following the union’s

deregistration by the DoL. A new union, the Public Servants’

Association (PSA) was granted Organisational Rights in terms of

the Labour Relations Act. The respective union membership at

31 March 2004 was as follows:

• NEHAWU: 202

• PSA: 67

Response to the HIV/Aids pandemic

The NRF regards HIV/Aids as a serious threat to its mission

and to the country in general. To improve the current approach,

activities and response to the pandemic, a more structured strategic

framework to deal with HIV/Aids was developed. This framework

Volcanic ice by Alan Bucke

An ice block melting under blue and white lights.

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will allow for a comprehensive, co-ordinated response to the

disease throughout the organisation. The framework has two broad

elements: a workplace programme, and the mainstreaming of

HIV/Aids into the organisation’s funded programmes and activities.

More detailed reporting on this aspect will occur in future years.

General

The incorporation of SAASTA activities into the NRF was

completed and all necessary steps to transfer pensions from the

Museums’ Pension Fund have been put in place.

Due diligence for the transfer of the NZG to the NRF was

undertaken. Preparations to ensure a smooth take-on, including

communication to NZG staff, were successfull. This work and other

strategic alignment initiatives will continue in 2004/05 and beyond.

Corporate overview

Trichodina by Jo van As

The adhesive disc of a trichodina fish parasite (ciliated protozoa).

18

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Professor BD Reddy (Chairperson)

Dean of Science, University of Cape Town

Professor SF Coetzee

Centre for Leadership Studies, University of Stellenbosch

Professor CA Hamilton

Graduate School for Humanities and Social Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand

Dr JL Job

President & CEO, SAPPI Fine Paper North America, Boston; SAPPI SA

Dr T Mdaka

Nuclear Physician

Professor CC Mokadi

Vice-Chancellor & Principal, Technikon Witwatersrand

Professor PE Ngoepe

Director, Materials Modelling Centre, University of the North

Mr MM Nxumalo

Director, Business Development & Corporate Affairs, SAP

Mrs BD Radebe

Executive Chairperson, Mmakau Mining

Professor J van Zyl

CEO, Sanlam

Professor HW Vilakazi

Independent Electoral Commission

Dr K Mokhele

NRF President (ex-officio)

Board membersas at 31 March 2004

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Ideas remain static

until hard work and

tenacious research

add the fuel for

growth.

Computer virus in a Petri dish.

CREDIT: ADAM HOUGHTON / RED HERRING STUDIO

Board reportPerformance overview

of business units

21

BOARD REPORT: PERFORMANCE OVERVIEW OF BUSINESS UNITS

22 Research and Innovation Support and Advancement (RISA)

22 Introduction

23 RISA achievements

32 RISA as service provider

35 South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA)

37 National Research Facilities

37 Introduction

38 South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO)

40 Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO)

42 Hermanus Magnetic Observatory (HMO)

44 South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB)

46 South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON)

48 iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Sciences (iThemba LABS)

All photographs in this section depict young people experiencing

the wonders of Science during the National Science, Engineering and

Technology (SET) Week, managed by SAASTA on behalf of the DST.

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of business units:Research and Innovation Support and Advancement (RISA)

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Introduction

The purpose of RISA is to lead the promotion and support

of research and research capacity development in all fields of

knowledge and technology. This is done by:

• investing in knowledge, people and infrastructure;

• promoting basic and applied research and innovation;

• developing research capacity and advancing equity and redress

to unlock the full creative potential of the research community;

• facilitating strategic partnerships and knowledge networks; and

• upholding research excellence.

RISA has the following operational approach:

• funding researchers and research students from the

Parliamentary Core Grant;

• managing/administering the following programmes as service

provider:

– STAC;

– Innovation Fund;

– THRIP; and

– Scarce Skills Development Fund;

• advancing Science and Technology through, among others,

SAASTA; and

• offering corporate support functions.

RISA covers the full range of activities in the innovation chain,

from building the knowledge base (by developing human resources,

generating and using knowledge, and providing research facilities)

to value-added research, technology development, innovation and

eventual commercialisation.

Parliamentary Core Grant

One of the key focus areas within the NRF is to build human

resource capacity and the country’s knowledge base. Programmes

to support this objective are largely funded from the Parliamentary

Core Grant, but also include programmes where the NRF has been

chosen as agency to address scarce skills, facilitate international

research and innovation collaboration, and so forth.

RISA allocates the Parliamentary Core Grant mainly to granting

functions built around nine focus areas which address national

needs and priorities. The focus areas are:

• Unlocking the Future: Advancing and Strengthening Strategic

Knowledge;

• Distinct South African Research Opportunities;

• Conservation and Management of Ecosystems and

Biodiversity;

• Economic Growth and International Competitiveness;

• Education and the Challenges for Change;

• Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS);

• Information and Communication Technology and the

Information Society in South Africa;

• Socio-political Impact of Globalisation: The Challenge for

South Africa; and

• Sustainable Livelihoods: The Eradication of Poverty.

The focus areas form the landscape for interventions addressing

the uniquely South African requirements for human resource

development, knowledge generation, research utilisation, technology

transfer and innovation, and the provision of research equipment and

infrastructure. Interventions during the year under review include:

• Institutional Development Programmes to develop research

capacity at Technikons and Historically Black Universities;

• Thuthuka, which offer opportunities for researchers in training,

women in research, and the training of black staff (REDIBA);

• Focus Area Programmes (FAPs), which provide grants to

researchers and grantholder-linked students;

• science liaison grants enabling internationalisation of science;

• equipment and mobility grants; and

• free-standing scholarships and bursaries to address scarce skills,

for example.

RISA achievements

RISA made a meaningful impact on all the core missions of the

NRF and most of its strategic priorities.

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Human resource development

Grantholder support

The total number of grantholders supported from the core grant

declined slightly, but this reflected the Focus Area Programme

(FAP) strategy to fund fewer grants, but to a greater value.

The average grant size to FAP grantholders increased by 7,0%.

Grantholders in the Development Programmes again showed an

increase, which is essentially due to the Thuthuka Programme

coming on stream. Black grantholders in this programme increased

by 10,0% and now constitute 25,5% of all grantholders (2002/03:

22,4%). Women grantholders increased by 21,0% and now

constitute 30,0% of all grantholders (2002/03: 24,0%).

An increase of 8,4% in grant values claimed by grantholders in

the different programmes is largely due to increased spending in the

Development Programmes. Although the budget of the FAPs was also

increased last year, the lack of growth in spending is largely due to a

large proportion of grantholder-linked bursaries not being taken up.

Student support

Student support provided from Parliamentary Core Grant

to RISA

There was a 6,0% increase in the total number of students supported

in all programmes, from 4 330 in 2002/03 to 4 576 in 2003/04.

This is a welcome reversal of the declining trends over the past

two years which will hopefully be maintained with the decision to

increase grantholder-linked bursary values at Master’s and doctoral

level by 42,0% from 2004 onwards. Although the number of

Master’s students has declined, this decline is compensated for by

an increase in the number of doctoral students to more than 1 000

for the first time. This growth is primarily in the number of black

doctoral students which has increased by 18,0% to 514 in 2003/04

(2002/03: 435). However, the decline in Master’s students is a

concern as this creates the feeder stream for future doctorates.

Support for women students grew by 7,75% to 2 210

(2002/03: 2 051), with women constituting 48,3% of all students

supported (2002/03: 47,4%).

The small decline in free-standing bursaries and scholarships is

a continuation of the trend based on the decision to phase out

the free-standing bursaries in the Social Sciences and Humanities

in favour of grantholder-linked bursaries in these disciplines, and

to focus on the prestigious scholarships within the Bursaries and

Fellowships Programme.

The total amount of R72,9 million taken up in student support

through grantholder-linked and free-standing bursaries, constitutes

47,0% of the total core grant spending.

Student support in scarce skills with funds from DoL

With the increased grant from the Department of Labour (DoL) for

the Scarce Skills Development Fund it was possible to increase the

number of students by 66,0% to 866 (2002/03: 520). Of these

students, 259 were RISA student bursars who received a top-up

grant. The proportion of black students supported in this programme

increased to 74,4% (2002/03: 67,0%), whereas support for women

students increased from 42,0% to 46,0% of total. While these are

substantive improvements, they fall short of the target set by the DoL

of 85,0% and 54,0% respectively.

There was a virtual doubling of the number of bursaries in

Biotechnology, Chemistry and Engineering, but a decline in

Geology, Computer Science and Physics.

Of the 1 386 students supported under this scheme over the

past two years, 621 (45,0%) have completed their degrees. Of the

students who completed their degrees in the past year, 65,0% are

black students and 46,5% women students.

Staff Development Grants

Assistance for staff at HEIs to improve their qualifications as part

of the research grants to grantholders, increased to R1,7 million,

even though the overall numbers remained relatively constant.

There was, however, a small decline in the number of black staff

members and women who received support.

Twenty-eight staff members completed their degrees, 16 at

Master’s level and 12 at doctoral level.

Knowledge generation in prioritised areas

Knowledge generation in the Focus Area portfolio

The Focus Area framework for research makes provision for

knowledge generation in areas that respond to societal need, as well

as a framework within which disciplinary-based and multi-disciplinary

research, both basic and applied, is accommodated. The Focus Area

framework is continuously reviewed so that it may strengthen weak

disciplines and support new and strategic research areas. This is

particularly critical in a healthy and functional innovation system.

As referred to earlier, the budget allocation to the FAPs increased

by about 10,0%, with the number of grants declining from 981 to

923, in accordance with the strategy to provide more substantive

grants to a smaller number of grantholders. This resulted in the

average grant increasing by 7,0%.

The decline in funding in Information and Communication

Technology reported in the previous year has been arrested, but

declining funding trends in Sustainable Livelihoods as well as

the Education and the Challenges for Change programmes has

continued. Special efforts are being made to reverse this trend by

an increased allocation for these two FAPs in 2004/05.

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of business units:RISA

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Focus Area Programme grants awarded

Within the Development Programmes the number of grants

increased to 526 (2002/03: 476), primarily due to the expanding

activities within the Thuthuka Programme. The number of

grantholders in both the Technikon and HBU Institutional

Programmes has declined, with a concomitant increase in the

average grant value (8,75%).

Research funded by RISA through its Focus Area and

Development Programmes has resulted in 2 476 peer-reviewed

publications, 286 books and chapters in books, 1 319 conference

proceedings, 27 patents awarded and 14 patents filed. As in the

previous year, this output is close to half of the latest available

figure for DoE-subsidised research outputs for higher education.

Funding trend within the Social Sciences and Humanities

The sharp decline in the number and value of grants to the Social

Sciences and Humanities (SSH) in all programmes compared

to Natural Sciences and Engineering (NSE) is of great concern.

Within the Bursaries and Fellowships Programme this decline

reflects the phasing out of the free-standing bursaries in favour of

grantholder-linked bursaries. The comparatively small decline in

the funding allocated to these disciplines within this programme

indicates, however, that the proportion of prestigious scholarships

to free-standing bursaries has increased substantially. The sharp

decline in the other listed programmes indicates that a lot of work

is required to stimulate the quality and amount of researchers from

these disciplines. In order to achieve this, a consultative process to

develop a national research agenda for the Social Sciences, Law

and Humanities was initiated.

Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS)

There has again been an increase (close to 11,0%) in the uptake

of ring-fenced funds in the IKS FAP. As both the number of grants

and the number of students supported through this programme

have remained constant, the increased funding was largely the

result of increases in the research grants within this programme.

Utilisation of research results,

technology transfer and innovation

RISA has initiated a seamless approach to research funding to ensure

closure of the “innovation gap”, and several mechanisms are in place.

Firstly, an integrated management information system will identify

projects funded from the core grant to RISA that may be of interest

to THRIP and the Innovation Fund. Secondly, there is an agreement

between the NRF and the Board of Trustees of the Innovation Fund

to create the Near Market Technology Opportunities Partnership.

Thirdly, discussions between THRIP and the Innovation Fund

have been initiated. Not only does this illustrate the importance

of the synergies that can emerge from managing different funding 25

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Within the Development

Programmes the number of

grants increased, primarily due

to the expanding activities within

the Thuthuka Programme.

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Number of grants awarded in the SSH and NSE

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modalities within one agency, but it is a clear signal that all RISA

programmes within the Focus Area framework are now being

viewed as the incubators of ideas for innovation.

For information on the THRIP and Innovation Fund

management performance, please refer to the full KPI report.

International Chairs in Entrepreneurship (ICE)

The aims of the Chairs are to:

• foster an entrepreneurial spirit among students, by teaching the

fundamentals to under- and postgraduate students;

• undertake research in the area; and

• develop business on behalf of the HEIs involved.

Three chairs exist currently:

• a joint Chair at PE Technikon/Rhodes University which is in its

last year of funding after two three-year funding cycles;

• at the University of KwaZulu-Natal; and

• at Tshwane University of Technology.

The latter two are entering their first years of a new three-year

funding cycle.

The NRF has invested R2,4 million into the ICE Programme

since 1999. In all cases the NRF investments have leveraged

funding from the host institutions and, in some cases, from industry.

The Chairs are also supported by in-kind contributions from

international HEIs with a track record of entrepreneurial activity,

namely, University of Limerick (Ireland) and University of Twente

(The Netherlands).

While the outputs of the three Chairs during the reporting

period are impressive, the essence of the achievements was the

development of several small companies. One example of this

was the development of iQhilika, a honey mead, which is being

exported from a start-up company owned jointly by Rhodes

University and a student.

The outcomes of THRIP and the Innovation Fund in terms of

technology development and transfer, and innovation are detailed

in their respective annual reports to their principals. The NRF

manages these two funds by way of agreements with the dti and

the Board of Trustees of the Innovation Fund (see section on RISA

as service provider, page 33).

Provision of state-of-the-art research

equipment and infrastructure

Research equipment and mobility grants

An amount of R11,7 million was spent on research equipment

compared to R4,5 million the previous financial year. Of the R11,7

million, R4,5 million was spent on dedicated equipment within the

FAPs, and the remaining R7,2 million on requests for repairs and

upgrades to existing equipment.

Furthermore, an amount of R571 000 was spent on mobility

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Value of grants awarded in the SSH and NSE (not necessarily claimed)

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grants. This is close to twice the amount spent in the previous year.

Of this amount, close to two-thirds was allocated to scientists and

students to access state-of-the-art equipment abroad.

Provision of research information infrastructure

RISA’s Information Resource Centre (IRC) continued to provide

access to a variety of information sources through key national and

international databases. The data and information accessed were

intended to support informed decision-making and promote and

facilitate the production of new knowledge.

Over 6 000 records of current and completed research projects

were added to the Nexus database of Current and Completed Research.

Over 65 000 searches were done by clients from outside of the

NRF on the database. Databases of professional associations and

research organisations within the Nexus set of data were also used

extensively by stakeholders.

The South African Network of Skills Abroad (SANSA) serves as a

platform for collaboration between local researchers and South

Africans abroad and 107 new members were added to the

database during the year under review. The nature of collaborative

efforts is, however, difficult to determine at this stage and plans are

under way to build a reporting mechanism into the database to

enhance the level of reporting.

The South African Data Archives (SADA) provided data-sets for

analysis by researchers, and there were 429 requests for data from

this database.

Internationalisation

Internationalisation of science through collaborative research,

networking and international conference attendance, remains a high

priority for benchmarking the quality of South African research and

its international competitiveness.

RISA’s International Science Liaison (ISL) section is responsible

for three types of activities:

• provide grants in support of internationalising research from

the RISA core grant;

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Number of international grants

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Value of international grants (R’000)

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• manage the binational Science and Technology agreements

(STAC) on behalf of the DST; and

• manage the national International Council for Science (ICSU)

committees and provide the necessary support to South

African members to participate in ICSU activities.

The tables on the previous page contain information on the

number and value of grants managed by ISL in 2003/04. Fourteen

binational agreements were operational during the year under

review, the same as in 2002/03, but because granting within

the framework of some of the new agreements was deferred

from 2002/03, these were only funded in 2003/04, hence the

comparatively high number of grants compared with the previous

year. This is also reflected in the higher value of grants for the

year. The number of grants from the RISA budget declined, largely

because of limited resources and larger expenses in grants linked to

the bilateral agreements.

Several other initiatives in internationalising South African science

are vested within granting programmes and other sections of RISA.

These include:

• Inkaba ye Africa, a multi-institutional German-South African

collaborative research programme in the Earth and Space

sciences;

• The Royal Society/NRF programme, which has received

approval for continued funding for a second cycle;

• South Africa’s election onto the Steering Committee of the

International Group of Funding Agencies for Global Change

Research (IGFA);

• approval by ICSU to establish an African regional office at the

NRF in Pretoria; and

• National Science Foundation (NSF)/NRF collaboration in

science education research, with involvement of other partners

in the USA, UK and Australia.

Africa interaction

Interaction with Africa remains at a low level and only 13 grants

to the value of R560 000 were made in the course of the year.

The NRF did, however, provide substantial assistance to the New

Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) S&T secretariat.

Collaboration in Africa is bound to pick up significantly once the

draft NEPAD S&T strategy, which received wide support during

the first ministerial meeting of African Ministers of Science and

Technology, has been approved.

The grants referred to include support for several workshops and

contributions to support participants from neighbouring countries to

attend these workshops.

In addition, South Africa hosted the annual plenary meeting of

the International Group of Funding Agencies for Global Change

Research (IGFA), where discussions were initiated to facilitate

north-south collaboration and to assist NEPAD in establishing the

networks required in Africa for engagement in Global Change

Research (GCR) across Africa. The importance lies therein that

GCR and the understanding for the forces responsible for global

change, is key in feeding into policies for sustainable development.

Besides the activities supported by ISL, some of the other

programmes have supported interaction with Africa.

Adherence to quality

Decisions within all RISA programmes are based on peer review

with expert advisory panels assessing the peer reviewers’ reports for

quality and merit, and providing advice on funding decisions where

appropriate. This approach has been adopted for:

• the evaluation and rating of researchers;

• the assessment of Research Niche Areas (RNAs) of the

Institutional Programmes; and

• the assessment of research proposals and research plans.

The evaluation and rating of researchers on the basis of

their research outputs

The results of the evaluation and rating of researchers on the basis

of their research outputs provide an indication of the standing of

the researchers and the quality of South African science in the

international arena. By virtue of their rating, rated researchers have



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demonstrated their ability to conduct quality research and hence

qualify for research grants of up to five years on the basis of a

competitive research proposal. Rated researchers are invited to

submit documentation for re-rating every five years.

In the year under review, 410 applications for evaluation and

rating were received and processed.

Of the total number of rated researchers, 972 are in the NSE

disciplines and 352 in the SSH. This represents a further decline

in the number of rated scientists in the NSE disciplines for the

third consecutive year. This is of great concern as it reflects a

decline in capacity within higher education for the training of the

next generation. This trend is in all likelihood due to the ageing

research-active scientists in higher education, which are not being

replenished by active younger researchers. It is hoped that the

outcomes of the various development programmes of RISA, such

as Thuthuka, will in due course counter this trend.

The number of rated black and women scientists has increased

(see below). This trend is largely due to the inclusion of the Social

Sciences and Humanities in the rating process, as the increases are

considerably higher than the 3 – 5% annual increases observed for

the Natural Sciences and Engineering disciplines in previous years.

Positioning RISA in the NSI

RISA contributed to the positioning of the NRF in the NSI through

various initiatives and activities.

New business development

The NRF, with its special mandate within the NSI, has an

important role to play which cannot be effectively fulfilled with

resources from the Science Vote alone. Thus, the NRF needs to

secure and/or leverage resources from a broader base, such as from

the DST and other government departments, science councils, the

private sector and non-governmental organisations.

It is recognised that RISA in its totality must become a market-

orientated organisation, compared with its largely inwardly focused

process orientation during its recent formative years. It needs to

identify its customers and consumers, their needs and expectations,

and deal appropriately with these.

Number of rated researchers in all disciplines at South African HEIs and museums as well as gender and race profile

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New initiatives with the dti

Even though no new programmes have come on stream, extensive

consultations took place around the following possible new

initiatives with the dti:

Mathematics and Science Teacher Training (MASTT)

The dti recently approved the establishment of a programme

to intervene in the low throughput of quality Mathematics and

Science learners from the schooling system. This was triggered by

a concern about the availability of tertiary Science, Engineering

and Technology (SET) students to participate in the Technology

and Human Resources for Industry Programme (THRIP). Referred

to as Mathematics and Science Teacher Training (MASTT), the

programme will be a sub-programme of THRIP.

The objectives of MASTT are to:

• increase appropriately skilled learners and educators in

Mathematics and Science;

• enhance learning opportunities for previously disadvantaged

individuals in Mathematics and Science;

• increase the throughput of learners and educators in

Mathematics and Science; and

• increase investment in SET training by the dti, the private

sector and other relevant stakeholders.

Centres of Excellence in

Industrial Research and Development

The dti has taken the decision to establish Centres of Excellence

in Industrial Research and Development (CEIRD) as a means of

knowledge, skills and technology development to impact positively

on the economy. The primary institutions to be involved will be

HEIs but these will have to ensure participation and collaboration

with other relevant organisations, particularly industry. The initiative

is expected to complement other schemes of the dti and similar

initiatives from other government departments. Through the

CEIRDs it is expected that greater innovation within the economy

will be fostered by:

• attracting and developing world-class people and capabilities in

selected areas of specialisation;

• increasing the commercialisation rate of local innovation with a

resultant increase in investment and employment;

• providing industry with increased access to world-class research

and development expertise; and

• improving co-ordination of local research and development

efforts.

Chairs in Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development

The dti established a programme of endowed Chairs in

Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development (CEED) to

pursue the spin-off and growth of enterprise from the skills and

innovations developed in the higher education sector. These

institutions will have to ensure participation and collaboration with

other relevant organisations for this purpose. This decision was

informed by the NRF’s International Chairs in Entrepreneurship

(ICE) initiative. The specific objectives of CEED are to:

• develop a culture of entrepreneurship in students at HEIs;

• grow the knowledge base, through research, for new enterprise

creation and growth;

• develop skills in new enterprise creation and growth;

• transfer knowledge on enterprise creation and growth to civil

society, government and industry; and to

• facilitate the spin-off and growth of new enterprises from the

knowledge, technology and innovations developed at HEIs.

The NRF, on invitation from the dti, submitted implementation

plans for these three proposed programmes according to which the

NRF will provide management services to the dti.

Evident from all these engagements is the dti’s growing

confidence in the NRF as the appropriate agency for implemen-

tation of the dti’s interventions intended to develop high-level

skills and technology.

Databases and information networks

The NRF has been a key participant on the ICSU panel for the



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Priority Area Assessment that has examined the production,

dissemination, preservation and legal status of scientific data and

information. The panel finalised the report to the ICSU board

proposing a new framework for scientific data and information

which will take the form of a co-ordinated World Data and

Information Framework (WDIF) envisaged as a virtual data system.

The NRF will play a key role in co-ordinating the virtual world data

system.

A partnership has been forged between the NRF and the

Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA). The

main objective of CODATA is to support researchers by improving

the quality, reliability, management and accessibility of data of

importance in all fields of Science and Technology. The NRF will

become CODATA’s nerve centre for the southern Africa region.

The NRF collaborated with the DST, the South African

Research and Innovation Managers’ Association (SARIMA)

and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in

developing standardised data specifications for institutional research

information systems required for institutional planning, monitoring,

evaluation and research on research management. It is anticipated

that the NRF will become the custodian of these standards.

A workshop on the role of electronic information resources

in enhancing and supporting research output in HEIs was

co-organised by RISA and the Coalition of South African Library

Consortia (COSALC). It brought together directors of HEI libraries;

information technology directors at HEIs, directors of research, as

well as senior staff of the Department of Education (DoE) and the

DST to focus on the different perspectives and issues related to

access and use of electronic information resources to enhance and

support research in HEIs in South Africa.

RISA has been asked to manage the South African Biodiversity

Information Facility (SABIF) on behalf of the DST. As a country

participant node of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility

(GBIF), SABIF will form a strategic partnership within this global

network, providing a gateway to South African institutions housing

databases containing specimen-level and other biodiversity data.

Centres of Excellence

Centres of Excellence initiated in the period under review is a

funding innovation of the DST that will help the NRF and the

greater research and innovation system achieve its objectives in a

more effective and sustained way. Situated at the pinnacle of the

FAPs, Centres of Excellence are designed to raise the ceiling of

knowledge generation and capacity development for the top end

of the system. They are expected to drive changes in the interface

between the research community and its stakeholders and to

provide a platform to promote synergies across funding streams

for research and capacity development. In keeping with the NRF’s

broad policy of awarding larger grants over longer periods of time,

the Centres of Excellence will provide a mechanism for larger

amounts of funding for up to 10 years.

New partnerships

The South African Biosystematics Initiative (SABI) and SABIF have

been included within the work of RISA, which is now also the

South African contact point for the European Union (EU) Sixth

Framework on environmental and related research. Similarly, with

the transfer of functional oversight and responsibility for the South

African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP) from the DEAT

to the DST, the NRF has been assigned the task of directing and

managing the grant-making aspects of SANAP. The Inkaba ye

Afrika Project, developed as a South African-German collaboration,

will enhance and expand the scope of research in the Unlocking

the Future Focus Area. The project is set to raise the level of

partnerships as well as set new directions in international research

collaboration for South Africa in geo-scientific enquiry.

Service to all knowledge domains

Given an inherited systemic bias to Natural Sciences and

Engineering as well as unevenness in capacities across various

disciplines, several initiatives have been taken to stimulate greater

breadth of participation in programmes. These include actively

engaging scholars and practitioners in the performing and creative

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arts to help identify and define their place in the larger research

system; opening up the dialogue between Natural and Social

Science researchers working in environment and conservation;

and stimulating the discussion between IKS and disciplinary-based

knowledge in respect of a broad range of areas, including plant

characteristics and their usages, health, history, language, education

and heritage.

RISA also initiated an expert-led, participatory project to develop

a national research agenda for Social Sciences, Law and Humanities

across the country. Scholars from these disciplines in all parts of the

country have been invited to debate the research issues that they

deem to be of greatest concern. The results of this project, entitled

Shifting Boundaries of Knowledge, will become available in 2005

and will be reported on in the next annual review.

An audit of the status of Physics was facilitated by the NRF. The

review report is available and will be submitted to the DST and the

South African Institute of Physics (SAIP), once comments from the

community have also been collated. Based on the audit, a strategy

will be formulated for shaping the future of Physics into a vibrant

and healthy discipline.

HIV/Aids

A policy framework in respect of HIV/Aids was developed in

the period under review. It was adopted by the NRF Board as a

document to guide HIV/Aids intervention and work across the

organisation. This policy has been translated into a broad plan that

is designed, among others, to mainstream HIV/Aids-related issues

into the NRF and NRF-funded programmes. It is expected to be

implemented across the organisation in the new year and beyond.

RISA as service provider

The NRF has recognised management and administrative

competencies that allow research development funders to use the

agency as preferred service provider. Usually the funder and the

NRF enter into a longer-term Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) and/or Service Level Agreement (SLA) which outlines

the management strategy and objectives of the programme. Most

of these programmes submit separate annual reports on their

performance to the respective funding principals.

The strength of RISA as service provider lies in its well-established

networks with HEIs, SETIs, industry and international partners. RISA

has proven itself as a preferred service provider for R&D funding

through its successful handling of programmes such as THRIP, the

Innovation Fund and the Scarce Skills Development Fund.

The overhead cost for handling various programmes as service

provider undoubtedly shows that the NRF is highly productive, as

it delivers, by international standards, quality service for a relatively

small cost.

The programmes and functions outlined below allow the NRF

to obtain economies of scale and to achieve a seamless approach

in discharging its mandate of supporting the creation of knowledge,

innovation and development in all fields of Science and Technology.

Science and Technology Agreements Committee (STAC)

The main purpose of the S&T Agreements Committee is to support

projects of scientific excellence. STAC activities allow the exchange of

researchers and stimulate interaction between scientific communities

with a view to long-term sustainable scientific co-operation and

networks. Emphasis is placed on training, the inclusion of PhD

students and postdoctoral fellows within approved projects.

The DST appointed the NRF to develop policies, processes, and

procedures for the management and administration of the STAC

obligations.

The DST remains responsible for negotiating bilateral or multilateral

agreements with international partners, drafting Framework

Programmes of Action (which entail priority setting, conditions and

criteria) and negotiating funding levels for each agreement. These

agreements serve to develop scientific relations between the research

communities of the inter-governmental signatories.

The inclusion of STAC activities within the ambit of RISA

supports its strategic priority of the internationalisation of science.



The Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme

The Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme

(THRIP) is a research and development programme funded by the

dti, advised by the THRIP Board and operationally managed by

the NRF. THRIP supports Science, Engineering, and Technology

research collaboration that addresses the technology and human

resource needs of South African industry. Industry and the dti

share the cost and risk of developing commercial technology on a

default R2:R1 basis.

The mission of THRIP is to improve the competitiveness of

South African industry. This mission is achieved through pursuing

three objectives:

• to help increase the quantity and quality of people with

appropriate skills in the development and management of

technology for industry;

• to promote increased interaction and mobility among

researchers and technology managers in industry, HEIs and

SETIs, with the aim of developing skills for the commercial

exploitation of S&T; and

• to stimulate industry and government to increase their

investment in research, technology development, diffusion and

the promotion of innovation.

Transformational priorities identified by THRIP are to:

• support an increase in the number of black and women students

who intend to pursue technological and engineering careers;

• promote technological know-how within the small, medium

and micro enterprise (SMME) sector, through the deployment

of skills vested in HEIs and SETIs; and

• facilitate and support multi-firm projects in which firms

collaborate and share in the project outcomes.

THRIP offers primarily two services to its stakeholders, namely

project support and network brokerage.

Project support includes all activities related to grant

administration, such as receipt and assessment of applications;

financial disbursement, auditing and control; project monitoring;

and communication with grantholders and potential grantholders.

Network brokerage is the facilitation of linkages between

researchers at research institutions and industrial research

managers that leads to collaboration for productive and innovative

applied research. Another element to brokerage is the need to

conscientiously follow up on all linkages to ensure that they mature

into effective relationships.

Challenges faced by THRIP during 2003/04 were to address:

• low participation by black and women students in projects;

• the involvement by only a few HBUs and technikons; and

• the fact that THRIP’s pool of researchers still lacks black South

Africans.

The inclusion of THRIP within the RISA range of funding

programmes enhances the NRF’s ability to support the core

missions of human resources and technology development.

The achievement of management performance targets by THRIP

for the past financial year include (also refer to the full KPI report):

• communicating funding decisions one day after a decision has

been taken;

• 97,0% of funds allocated and disbursed before financial

year-end;

• Technical Audit report available on time;

• two out of three quarterly audit reports available within two

weeks of end of quarter; and

• monthly cash flow statements on time.

Innovation Fund

The Innovation Fund (IF), a policy instrument of the DST, exists to

facilitate the transfer of technologically innovative and commercially

viable projects that promise to have significant national benefit, into

the marketplace. As such it spans the innovation chasm, investing

in projects at the most critical stage through a variety of funding

instruments, from the R&D phase into early start-ups.

The IF uses several funding tools, such as the Technology

Advancement Programme (TAP) and the Patent Support Fund.

The main objectives of the IF are to promote:

• technological innovation;33

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• increasing networking and cross-sectoral collaboration; and

• key issues of competitiveness, quality of life, and

environmental sustainability.

Unlike other RISA programmes, capacity development is not a

core focus of the Fund, although graduate students are produced in

the course of a three- to five-year R&D project. The IF emphasises

tangible outcomes such as project demonstrators, prototypes, pilot

plants, new and improved products and services.

The performance of the IF in the past financial year can be

summarised as follows:

• successful management of all elements of the business process

leading to technology/project investment decisions;

• maintenance of a positive relationship between the Board of

Trustees, the DST, applicants, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists

and local and international partners;

• the successful launch and establishment of the IF

Commercialisation Office;

• the establishment of an Investment Committee to improve

response time to applicants; and

• approval by the Board of Trustees of policy guidelines for the

Patent Support Fund and the Seed Fund.

During the year under review, the management and

administration of the IF complied with most of the deliverables

required of RISA as service provider to the DST. An unqualified

audit report for the financial management was obtained and

operational costs were maintained below 5,0% as per contractual

obligation.

Challenges that still need to be addressed are, among others:

• the low number of quality projects being submitted;

• less than 10,0% of applying consortia are actually funded;

• low uptake of projects via MiTech;

• few applicants/consortia from blacks and women; and

• resolution of governance matters between the IF Board of

Trustees and the NRF/RISA.

The inclusion of the IF in the programme range of RISA allows

support of activities such as the commercialisation of research

originating in the higher education sector and leading to innovation

in the marketplace.

Scarce Skills Development Fund

The Skills Development Act (Act No. 97 of 1998) provides a

framework for addressing a severe shortage of skills required for

national development and competitiveness. The Department of

Labour (DoL), in conjunction with the DoE and the DST, has

been mandated to accelerate training in scarce skills, both in higher

education and other training institutions, especially in the fields

of Science and Technology. The NRF, as a national agency with

a mandate to support skills development at postgraduate level,

has become the implementing agency for the DoL to support

postgraduates in Science and Technology.

Taking on this fund within RISA resulted in addressing more

effectively one of the core missions of the NRF, namely human

resource development (see page 23 for an overview of the

performance regarding the management of this fund).

Biodiversity Programmes

The NRF has been requested by the DST to manage two initiatives

linked to the biodiversity science thrust of the National R&D

Strategy, namely SABI and SABIF.

Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS)

Similar to STAC, the NRF receives a ring-fenced grant from the

DST in support of research and human resource development in

the field of indigenous knowledge. IKS has been identified as a

Focus Area within RISA and all IKS activities have been integrated

in the RISA activities. RISA does, however, report separately to the

DST on the outputs and outcomes of this programme.

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Scope

SAASTA works closely with all other NRF business units (RISA and

the National Research Facilities) to establish integrated NRF-wide

science outreach programmes.

With regard to another major NRF initiative, SAASTA’s Science

Communication division provides ongoing communication support

to the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project. Apart from playing

a pivotal role in developing the project’s media strategy, it is also

integrally involved in developing exhibition content, preparing

publications and maintaining the project’s website.

Highlights

Despite strong organisational challenges, SAASTA produced

exemplary outcomes in the year under review. Some of the

highlights are:

Promotion of science excellence

In the quest to promote excellence in science, SAASTA attracted

9 789 learners to participate in the 39th National Science

Olympiad in 2003. In line with changed objectives for the project,

a broader participant base was evident and educator workshops,

sponsored by the Shuttleworth Foundation, were introduced. The

latter is expected to assist schools that have not previously been

involved in the project.

The project has an international dimension and four top

performers won the opportunity to attend the London International

Youth Science Forum. The British Council funded the top

previously disadvantaged learner to attend this international event.

During 2003, SAASTA’s penultimate year of managing the

Afrikaans Olympiad, there were close to 14 000 participants in the

event. From July 2004, the Afrikaanse Taal en Kultuur Vereeniging

(ATKV) will assume responsibility for the project.

SAASTA’s SA Science Lens photographic competition, in

partnership with the Mail & Guardian newspaper, continues to

increase in popularity.

Science materials and publications

EasyScience magazine was discontinued during the year under

review. However, an exciting partnership was established with the

monthly youth magazine MiniMag, whereby SAASTA would supply

four pages of popular Science and Technology content for every

issue. This has resulted in a marked increase in distribution to over

16 000 subscribers and learners.

A poster on “Who’s Who in South Africa’s Space Zoo?” was

produced as an educational resource for schools, libraries and

museums. The poster was made available free of charge to these

institutions and formed part of the World Space Week project.

National awareness programmes

In May 2003, the well-known National Science, Engineering and

Technology (SET) Week, managed by SAASTA on behalf of the

DST, once again drew scores of young people to experience

science shows, science theatre, workshops, and to be exposed

to Science and Technology exhibits and organisations. National

SET Week 2003 was launched using the novel idea of a science

train, the first ever in South Africa. On a national level the project


of business units:South African Agency for Science and

Technology Advancement (SAASTA)

SAASTA is the official vehicle of the NRF for facilitating the promotion of Science and Technology

in our society. The business unit is thus able to make a major contribution to the NRF’s human

resource development mandate, by growing the size and raising the quality of the feeder system

that will input into the NRF system.

attracted close on 175 000 participants, including outreach to

outlying areas. A major highlight of the project was the distribution

of a periodic table that was sponsored by the Shuttleworth

Foundation. This proved immensely popular and there has been

ongoing demand from educators and tertiary institutions.

The Public Understanding of Biotechnology (PUB) programme,

managed by SAASTA, is a major initiative funded by the DST,

to raise public awareness and create a balanced understanding of

the scientific and ethical issues related to biotechnology, as well

as promoting public dialogue and debate to stimulate informed

decision-making. Exciting efforts included a conference on

“Biotechnology, the Public and the Media”, which focused on

building the relationship between scientists and the media; the

production of the DNA 50 travelling exhibit; and grant support for

highly innovative efforts to promote biotechnology.

With funding from the DST, SAASTA co-ordinated South Africa’s

participation in World Space Week on behalf of the National

Working Group on Space Science and Technology. Week-long

space festivals and other supporting events were held nationally to

enthuse the public about space science. SAASTA also developed,

produced and provided materials, including posters, banners, board

games and display materials, to all participants.

School-focused programmes

Raising the Science and Mathematics performance levels of 300

girl learners and urging them into careers in the chemical industry,

is the core aim of SAASTA’s partnership project with the Chemical

Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA). A wide

range of interventions, from holiday programmes to workshops, will

contribute significantly to delivering on the aims of the project.

Based on a similar model to that of the DoE’s Dinaledi project,

Eskom and SAASTA supported 18 schools around the country in

improving higher-grade enrolment and performance in Mathematics

and Science. This support included infrastructure, learning and

teaching support materials, teacher workshops, learner winter

schools, science kits, and computer hard- and software.

Strengthening the SET culture

The temporary relocation of SAASTA’s Museum of Science

and Technology did not compromise any of its operations or

programmes. Although group numbers had to be reduced, the

shortfall was compensated for by increasing the number of visitor

sessions. Visitor numbers for the period since reopening amounted

to over 5 000.

The Museum’s outreach programmes were particularly active.

During the summer holidays a cellphone company sponsored

a week-long SciTeach and five TechnoYouth workshops, aimed

at 55 selected teachers and 150 learners from disadvantaged

communities. Eight Teachers Forums were held on Saturday

mornings with between 30 and 40 teachers attending every

session. Seventy-four ScienSation shows were presented at venues,

including Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape (SciFest) and Nelspruit

in Mpumalanga (National Science Week), attracting almost

14 000 educators, learners and the general public. SeeScience and

SciBridge demonstration lectures were held for 340 educators and

learners as far afield as Ventersdorp and Louis Trichardt.

Bringing rural communities into the mainstream of Science

and Technology is at the heart of SAASTA’s Science for Rural

Communities project. During 2003, four organisations were funded

to undertake innovative science initiatives in rural areas. The

initiatives ranged from a water loss management awareness project

to the establishment and scientific propagation of an herb nursery.

Future plans

In terms of outreach to learners and the general public, the

pending relocation of SAASTA’s museum, the acquisition of the

Observatory site in Johannesburg, and the incorporation of the

National Zoological Gardens in Pretoria into the NRF, will affect

the scope of activities. The potential they present for offering new

programmes will undoubtedly challenge the communication team

to devise highly innovative, dynamic and relevant programmes that

will be sustainable and, simultaneously, stimulate investor interest.36

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of business units:SAASTA


of business units:National Research Facilities

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Introduction

For facilities to qualify as National Research Facilities, they must

reflect the following characteristics:

• they should have a unique position in South African

knowledge production;

• the core technologies, research methods, or data pools/

collections should live up to international standards;

• their goals should be well aligned with the overall objectives

of the NSI, especially with regard to the diffusion of new

knowledge;

• they should have critical mass of equipment, skills and users;

• they must have potential for networking and for attracting

international collaborators to South Africa;

• they must offer opportunities for human resource

development, with special efforts to involve researchers from

the former disadvantaged communities; and

• they must provide opportunities for the advancement of

science and for the interface between science and society.

The seven National Research Facilities managed by the NRF

are clustered on the basis of their areas of specialisation into three

broad categories aligned to the science missions of the National

R&D Strategy, namely:

Astro/Space/Geo Sciences

• The South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), which

is also responsible for managing the Southern African Large

Telescope (SALT);

• The Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory

(HartRAO); and

• The Hermanus Magnetic Observatory (HMO).

Biodiversity/Conservation

• The South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB);

• The South African Environmental Observation Network

(SAEON), which is still being developed to attain National

Research Facility status; and

• The National Zoological Gardens (NZG), which was declared

a National Research Facility on 1 April 2004.

Nuclear Sciences

• iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Sciences (iThemba

LABS).

All artworks* depicted on the following pages come from

The Southern Skies Challenge competition, co-ordinated by

SAASTA as part of the World Space Week celebrations.

* excluding iThemba LABS.

The National Research Facilities provide a unique research infrastructure through a

multi-locational network of institutions that make this infrastructure accessible to

the research community.

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The SAAO is the premier optical/infrared astronomy facility in

Africa and plays a leading role in promoting astronomy. In terms

of research, the SAAO is one of the most productive scientific

institutions on the continent. The last international panel to review

the SAAO described it as producing “the most cost-effective

astronomical research in the world”.

Scope

The SAAO’s research excellence is underpinned by strong technical

competencies in certain niche areas. Through devising a vastly

superior spherical aberration corrector, and a variety of other

innovations, the SAAO has contributed to making the South

African Large Telescope (SALT) more capable than its prototype,

the Hobby-Eberly Telescope in Texas. The SAAO has also been

commissioned to design and build Salticam, the verification and

acquisition camera for SALT.

Through international agreements, the SAAO hosts a number of

research facilities at Sutherland, such as a geodynamic observatory.

These facilities, most of which are part of international networks,

are situated at Sutherland because of the existing infrastructure,

coupled to strategic advantages, such as geographical position,

climate and geological stability. The fact that these high-tech

facilities are operated efficiently in the remote Sutherland

environment by SAAO staff demonstrates South Africa’s capability

to support such activities to exacting international standards.

The SAAO provides training to Science and Engineering students

in a high-tech environment through lectures, student supervision

and experiential training. A vigorous science awareness programme

aims to promote a culture of science and to stimulate young people

to follow careers in Science and Technology.

Highlights

Without a doubt, the accomplishment of several SALT construction

milestones dominated the highlights of the year under review.

Increasingly, international experts are commenting on the

remarkable progress of the construction of SALT. Nowhere else has

the construction of a 10m class telescope proceeded as rapidly and

smoothly as has been the case with SALT to date.

Salticam is the verification instrument that is being used to

determine how well SALT achieves its milestones, and it was

designed and constructed at the SAAO. In June 2003 Salticam

passed its first on-sky tests with flying colours, obtaining pictures of

stars and galaxies, which subsequently featured in various media

stories. Following its own successful verification tests, Salticam was

then used in the accomplishment of two major SALT milestones

during the last quarter of 2003: Engineering First Light and First

Guided Observation.

In preparation for the transition from SALT construction to SALT

operations during 2004, the new SALT Operations Manager was

appointed on 1 June 2003 and tasked with restructuring SAAO

Sutherland operations for the SALT era and drafting a detailed

Operations and Maintenance Plan for SALT.

By the last quarter of 2003, SALT had reached a stage where

sufficient systems were in place to allow meaningful engagement by

way of workshops with a wider number of SAAO and other South

African astronomers. There are plans to introduce more of these

types of activities to maximise the exposure of SAAO and other

southern African astronomers to SALT during the commissioning

period in 2004/5.

The first Robert Stobie Memorial Science with SALT Workshop was

held in Cape Town. Over 100 participants from 16 countries

on four continents discussed progress and planned scientific pro-

grammes for SALT. NRF International Science Liaison (ISL) support

enabled a number of astronomers to be invited from Ethiopia,

Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria and Uganda to build awareness of SALT

as an African facility. The participation of two Russian astronomers

may stimulate interest in Russia joining the SALT project.

The quality of SAAO science was recognised with the

announcement of NRF ratings for six SAAO scientists. Three senior

scientists attained a B1 rating, and one a B2 rating. Two young

scientists were rated at Y1 and Y2.

The National Astrophysics and Space Science Programme

The South African Astronomical Observatory

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The SAAO’s prime function is to

further fundamental research

in astronomy and astrophysics

at a national and international

level by providing a world-class

astronomical facility.

(NASSP) is a unique collaboration, which enables students from

anywhere in Africa to be taught by South Africa’s top researchers.

The lecturers are drawn from eight universities and from the

astronomy and space science National Research Facilities (SAAO,

HartRAO and HMO). The programme, which is based at the

University of Cape Town, provides postgraduate training at honours

and Master’s level. The first intake of 12 honours students in 2003

all graduated, with more than half achieving first or upper-second

class passes. Eight proceeded to Master’s work in 2004. The total

enrolment for the programme at the end of this reporting period

was 14 honours students and 19 Master’s students. SAAO staff

provided lectures, supervision and training. In January 2004, the

SAAO Summer School was reoriented from an undergraduate

research experience, towards a pedagogically structured

introduction to astronomy for the NASSP honours intake. This was

highly successful, and will be repeated in future years.

Popularising science

In December, the SALT Collateral Benefits Programme was

awarded funds to train 30 teachers from 21 schools in the Beaufort-

West area. Finance was obtained through participation in the

Shuttleworth Foundation’s Innovation Bazaar, an event at which

participating organisations were given the opportunity to “sell” their

projects to potential funders in a bazaar-type environment. The

SALT Collateral Benefits project was one of a final selection of 10

projects shortlisted by the Shuttleworth Foundation.

The highlight of the SAAO’s public outreach activities during

2003/04 was a series of highly popular Mars Nights in August and

the international World Space Week celebrations in October 2003,

in which SAAO staff played a prominent role. Events during the

Space Week included a Space Camp for learners from the Northern

Cape and Western Cape, as well as the opening of an Interim

Visitor Centre in Sutherland.

The SAAO received a total of 14 150 visitors at its facilities

during the period under review.

Future plans

Specific initiatives to enhance local capacity for effective teaching

and learning of Mathematics and Science are being developed with

the Northern Cape Department of Education. These include the

appointment of a Mathematics and Science educator forum for the

Karoo-Hoogland district and the appointment of a Mathematics

and Science educator at the Sutherland High School. A bursary

scheme established by the SAAO for Mathematics and Science

learners in grades 10 to 12 in the Karoo-Hoogland area, will feed

into a bursary scheme for scientists and engineers. Longer-term

considerations include a centre of excellence in Science and

Mathematics education for the Northern Cape, based in Sutherland.

Work towards developing a Visitor Centre at SAAO Sutherland

continued and this year concentrated on an in-depth study of the

tourism potential of the Karoo-Hoogland area and the development

of a fund-raising strategy in collaboration with the Karoo-Hoogland

community. The tourism study confirmed that SALT will act as a

significant tourism draw-card, thus providing an important source

of economic activity in the area which suffers from a 70,0%

unemployment rate.

DID YOU KNOW?The SAAO business plan centres on making SALT a first-class international research facility and an icon of the African renaissance.

In 2005 the SALT project team will “hand over” the telescope, and SAAO will run it on behalf of the international consortium, the

SALT Foundation (Pty) Ltd. This company has representation of higher education and research institutions from the USA, South

Africa, Poland, Germany, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. With a 40,7% holding, South Africa is the largest shareholder.

Scope

HartRAO has three major thrusts to achieve its objectives:

• radio astronomy;

• space geodesy; and

• science awareness.

The Radio Astronomy Programme uses a 26m radio telescope to

conduct research on a variety of radio-emitting astronomical objects.

The Space Geodesy Programme uses this radio telescope in an

inverse sense: instead of studying radio sources, these are used

as beacons to enable the study of ever-changing shape, and the

movement, of the tectonic plates on the Earth. Space geodesy also

maintains the international celestial reference frame of radio sources

in space for astronomers. HartRAO is one of only five permanent

space geodesy stations worldwide.

The Science Awareness Programme stimulates young minds by

engaging them in Science and Technology through the disciplines of

astronomy and space geodesy.

As the only radio astronomy observatory in Africa, HartRAO

strongly supports the bid by South Africa to host the Square

Kilometre Array (SKA), next-generation radio telescope. While first

prize in this megascience project would be to win the bid for siting

the telescope, the new technology development required for the

SKA makes the project an excellent vehicle for promoting cutting-

edge R&D at universities and industries in South Africa.


One of HartRAO’s high-level objectives is to encourage an

awareness of, and interest in, Science and Technology among the

general public and particularly among school learners through visits

to the Observatory, science festivals, and by running workshops for

educators. Visits to HartRAO are a “hands-on, minds-on” learning

experience, designed to capture the imagination and thus entice

more learners to become scientists and technologists in the South

African workforce.

Evening and overnight visits are popular, as visitors are able to

use telescopes, usually for the first time ever, to view the night sky.

The learners are made aware that high-tech “big science”

happens in South Africa, and is not just something seen in foreign

documentaries. The interactive nature of the visits means that

the learners are able to test and obtain outcomes for themselves,

creating a very effective learning environment.

During 2003/04 overall number of learners reached by the

Science Awareness Programme almost doubled to 13 000 from

7 600 in the previous year.

Workshops for educators aim to assist them in understanding

astronomy-related concepts in school curricula and in presenting

these to learners using outcomes-based education (OBE) techniques.

Few educators properly understand the basic astronomical concepts

in the school syllabus and HartRAO’s educator workshops have been

very well received. Demonstrations to clarify concepts and activities

that educators can replicate for their learners at little or no cost,

prove extremely valuable. This programme has received full support

from the Gauteng Department of Education.

Highlights

A highlight of the astronomy research was the discovery, by PhD

student Sharmila Goedhart, that a number of methanol maser

sources vary in strength within a well-defined period. In other

words, they tick like a clock. In a four-year programme monitoring

masers from molecules of methanol in starforming regions, Sharmila

has found that about 20% of her sample show regular variations,

with periods ranging from a little over 100 days to several hundred

days. New explanations have to be sought for this.

One exciting development in which the Space Geodesy

Programme took part during 2003/04, was the GPS-PWV project.

Forming the bulk of MSc student Attie Combrink’s dissertation,

this project involved the development of a technique to derive

atmospheric precipitable water vapour (PWV) from GPS data.

With applications in meteorology, radio astronomy and laser

ranging, this project has received awards from the SA Institute of

Physics, SA Society for Atmospheric Sciences, and the US National

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Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory

The Space Geodesy Programme contributed to the most recent

bid site selection report submitted by the South African SKA

Steering Committee to the International SKA Committee. The

contribution mainly consisted of ionospheric and tropospheric

observations over the proposed SKA sites in the Northern Cape.

Using, among other resources, the SADC GPS network set up

by the Space Geodesy Programme, it was shown that South

African researchers have the ability to observe short- and long-

term variations in the water vapour content of the troposphere, as

well as the total electron content of the ionosphere. A thorough

theoretical explanation of the influences these variations have on

radio astronomical observations also formed part of the submitted

result. Although tropospheric observations formed part of the

GPS-PWV project, the ionospheric component of the report was

a large collaborative project between HartRAO’s Space Geodesy

Programme and the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory (HMO).

Future plans

The construction phase of the telescope surface upgrade project

was completed in the year under review. All of the perforated

reflector panels have now been replaced with high-accuracy solid

reflectors to improve the efficiency of the telescope at all current

wavelengths and extend the scientific value of the telescope for

both single dish and VLBI observations.

Preparations have started for the establishment of a Space

Geodetic Observatory. This facility will provide higher quality

satellite, lunar and quasar observations than elsewhere in

the southern hemisphere. Apart from the ability to provide

groundbreaking scientific observations and a very high postgraduate

student output, the facility will also support many scientific and

other applications, such as the SKA, SA Weather Services, SA Navy

and National Defence Force, geophysics, and communication

companies. A few sites in southern Africa have been identified.

Further surveying and studies by the Space Geodesy Programme

will identify the most suitable site. Support to set up the new

facility has already been obtained from scientists in many European

countries, Canada, the United States and in South Africa, with

some collaborators already having pledged equipment and technical

support. It is evident that, due to the many applications of geodetic

products, space geodesy will continue to grow in southern Africa

and has a bright future indeed.

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DID YOU KNOW?HartRAO is the only facility in Africa for

either radio astronomy or space geodesy.

Its geographic location makes it crucial

in filling the spatial gap between the

Americas, Europe and Australia.

The world map alongside shows the

global network of Geodetic VLBI stations

in which HartRAO participates. This

network is an example of international

collaboration to realise scientific

research which would not be possible by

a country on its own.

HartRAO provides an affordable, internationally

recognised facility for research in radio

astronomy and space geodesy that serves the

science community and develops skills and

awareness in S&T through astronomy and

space-based education and training.

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It is primarily the HMO’s critical location, unique facilities, and

high-quality data that make it indispensable in the global network

of magnetic observatories. The HMO contributes to the NRF

core missions by conducting fundamental and applied research

in the fields of geomagnetism and space physics in order to

develop research capacity and train postgraduate students. Much

of this research is carried out in collaboration with researchers at

universities and research institutes, both locally and internationally.

The HMO also has a rapidly developing programme for science

outreach.

Besides providing geomagnetic field information for academic

research and as a public service, the HMO also provides

geomagnetic services on a commercial basis.

Scope

The HMO is structured into four operational groups:

The Geomagnetism Group is responsible for studying and

monitoring variations of the Earth’s magnetic field, deriving

geomagnetic field models and indices, and distributing geomagnetic

field information.

The Space Physics Group carries out research to improve

the understanding of dynamic processes in the Earth’s space

environment and their effects on space weather.

The Science Outreach Group strives to create a better

understanding and appreciation of Science and Technology

among school educators and learners and to promote a public

understanding of geomagnetism and space physics.

The Technology Group utilises the Observatory’s unique

magnetic field calibration facilities and infrastructure, which are

located in a magnetically clean environment, to provide quality-

controlled magnetic field and sensor-related services to clients on a

commercial basis.

Highlights

In December 2003 the HMO contributed to the SKA site selection

report by analysing the daily and seasonal variation in the total

electron content (TEC) over the regions proposed for the SKA in

South Africa, and the potential for near real-time estimation of the

TEC over southern Africa.

The first steps toward the HMO’s re-entry into Antarctic-based

research were taken. A researcher with the appropriate expertise

was appointed and meetings on mutual collaboration were held

with researchers from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and North-

West University. Planning for the take-over of responsibility, by the

HMO from North-West University, for the technical maintenance

and development of the HF-radar facility at the SA Antarctic base,

has commenced.

The Inkaba ye Africa (or Earth Systems Science of Africa)

project is a collaborative research effort between German and

South African geoscientists. The HMO and the Magnetotellurics

and Geomagnetism Section of the GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ)

submitted a proposal for a collaborative project to study the rapid

decrease of the geomagnetic field in the southern African region,

using satellite and ground-based data. A recent report based on

satellite data indicates that a reverse dynamo may be developing

below South Africa, and suggested that it could eventually lead

to a geomagnetic field reversal similar to the last known reversal

780 000 years ago. International and local geophysics communities

have expressed considerable interest in this rapid decline in the

intensity of the magnetosphere over this area. The resultant increase

in solar radiation could have a profound societal impact.

A map of southern Africa (see right), showing the radial magnetic

field component at the core-mantle boundary some 3 000km

below the Earth’s surface, indicates a reverse dynamo effect.

The technology group at the HMO delivers support to Denel for

the integration of magnetic and other sensor-related systems, like

the precision-guided missile that is currently being developed by

Kentron. For the last few years the HMO has provided extensive

magnetometer consultancy and support. A visit to the Lviv Centre

of Institute of Space Research in the Ukraine was therefore

supported by Denel in order to evaluate this institution as a

credited supplier of large quantities of fluxgate magnetometers.

Hermanus Magnetic Observatory

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The HMO functions as part of the worldwide network of

magnetic observatories. Its core function in this regard is

to monitor and model variations of the Earth’s magnetic

field, information which is vital for space applications

such as communication and Earth observation satellites

and manned space flights.


The Science Outreach Group of the HMO has developed a sound

working relationship with the Western Cape Education Department

and has held a number of workshops for science educators.

Workshops and visits to the magnetometer museum and Interactive

Science Centre were also arranged for learners.

The HMO’s Science Educator participated in the Physics

Emasondosondo Project for five weeks during which 25 schools

were visited. This project included demonstrations and hands-on

experiments for learners, and workshops for educators.

The educator programme, aimed at developing the skills

of Physical Science educators, covered topics in which matric

candidates had difficulty in the previous end-of-year exams.

Educators from the Breederiver/Overberg Education Management

and Development Centre participated in these workshops.

The Shuttleworth Foundation offered the HMO a donation to

transform the present small-scale science centre into one that has

hands-on exhibits displaying various electromagnetic principles, as

well as the interaction of the Earth’s magnetic field with charged

particles. Learners and educators from the Breederiver/Overberg

region can visit this interactive centre.

Future plans

During 2003 a decision was taken to make a significant strategic

change with regard to the HMO’s participation in the South African

scientific satellite (ZASat) project. HMO decided to move from a

magnetic-based sensor system to one based on GPS signals.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has proposed the SWARM

mission, which will consist of a constellation of four low-Earth-

orbit (LEO) satellites for studying the Earth’s magnetic field and its

interaction with the Earth environment.

The Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at

Stellenbosch University and the Sunspace group are planning

four LEO satellites over the next few years. The availability

of these satellites intimate that the HMO should give serious

consideration to acquiring and placing equipment for ionospheric

occultation observations on LEO satellites using GPS signals.

Locally, the project will lead to collaboration between HMO,

Stellenbosch University, HartRAO, Rhodes University and the

Institute for Satellite and Software Applications. Besides the purely

scientific merits and postgraduate student training opportunities

of the project, it will have a number of practical applications: for

example ionospheric soundings using GPS signals are of interest to

Grintec for the provision of high-frequency predictions for radio

communications and radio direction finding. The project will also

help characterise the ionosphere for the SKA project.

On 1 March 2004 Dr Pierre Cilliers represented the HMO at an

information meeting at the DST on project proposals for funding

by the European Sixth Framework on Space Activities (FP6).

Following this, a consortium of eight local and eight EU partners

prepared a proposal on “Densification and Integration of Southern

Skies Observations” using riometers, ionosondes, and GPS receivers.

The proposal was not ready by the deadline of 31 March, but the

working group will continue to collaborate on a future EU proposal.

A map of southern Africa shows the radial magnetic field component

at the core-mantle boundary some 3 000km below the Earth’s surface,

indicating a reverse dynamo effect.

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SAIAB aims to be an interactive hub focused on serving the

nation through generating, disseminating and applying knowledge

on conservation issues surrounding African fishes and aquatic

biodiversity.

During 2003/04 SAIAB used the “facilitation hub” model of the

African Coelacanth Ecosystem Programme (ACEP) in several of

its smaller projects by linking with partners to draw funding and

conduct projects in South Africa and the SADC region. In this

way it actively grew its collections and databases, educated and

trained staff and students, and served the NRF and the nation as a

dynamic new-generation National Research Facility.

Scope

SAIAB houses the National Fish Collection, the Margaret Smith

Library (a shared facility with Rhodes University), and a collection

of scientific illustrations of fishes, photo-images of fishes and

photographs of aquatic environments, especially from southern

Africa. The scope and competency of research activities are

broad and span aquatic ecosystems from the southern ocean

to inland waters of tropical Africa. Research scientists supervise

postgraduate students for MSc and PhD degrees and give lectures

to undergraduates. Underprivileged scholars in rural schools are

exposed to science through the SAIAB outreach programme. The

Institute participates in the annual SciFest and conducts activities

that actively promote the public awareness of science.

All projects conducted by SAIAB address African aquatic

biodiversity, an essential focus area within the NRF and at least

three government departments (DST, DEAT and DWAF). This

is illustrated by their continued support of the activities over the

past year. The ACEP receives its core funding from the DST

and also received major support from DEAT in the form of the

use of an oceanographic research vessel and its equipment for

conducting marine expeditions. DEAT also funds projects such as

the Tsitsikamma National Park inshore fish tagging project. SAIAB

interacts with DWAF through contracts to undertake the Freshwater

Reserve Determinations of estuaries.

African countries have limited scientific infrastructure or

capacity to undertake research on aquatic biodiversity issues

within their region. SAIAB support in fish research is therefore

vital for the short- and long-term conservation and management

of fish resources in Africa. SAIAB also supplies fish and fisheries

information to African libraries and research institutions through an

FAO-sponsored exchange programme. These projects are usually

funded through non-governmental organisations such as the African

Wildlife Foundation, the Worldwide Fund for Nature, and Flora &

Fauna International.

Highlights

The well-known ACEP launched a very successful multi-disciplinary

and multi-institutional research programme that extends knowledge

production and collaboration into the territorial waters of western

Indian Ocean countries such as Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya,

Comoros Islands and Madagascar.

These research results will eventually be used as a basis for a

management plan for the coelacanths of the Maputaland Marine

Reserve, a World Heritage Site.

In a joint project with researchers from the Norwegian Institute

for Nature (NINA), Dr Paul Cowley conducted radio-telemetric

studies on important fishery target species in Eastern Cape

estuaries. The understanding of movements by these species as a

result of his research will lead directly to improved management

recommendations.

South African Institute For Aquatic Biodiversity

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A countrywide fish faunal survey of Swaziland, conducted by

Roger Bills and the Swaziland Fisheries Department, has provided

the first comprehensive fish faunal inventory and distribution

atlas for the country. Important fishery recommendations and

conservation measures were provided. The survey complements

the knowledge of surrounding fish biodiversity in South Africa in a

way not previously done.

Fish larval studies in estuaries and inshore environments along

the Cape coast by Dr Nadine Strydom have provided valuable

insight into interim nursery areas (surf zone) and recruitment

processes into estuaries. This new knowledge will improve the

management of South African beaches and estuaries. Larval

fish surveys of cool temperate South African estuaries are being

conducted for the first time. In the light of developmental pressures

on these estuaries, the knowledge from these surveys is important.

A new off-site collection facility to improve the safety and

working conditions in the main building is planned. Funding for

this was secured and an agreement with Rhodes University enables

construction to take place adjacent to the existing building.


The SAIAB school outreach programme includes events hosted at

the Institute (such as SciFest) as well as tours undertaken using the

“fish bus”, as in the Eastern Cape Rural Outreach endeavour. This

latter initiative is designed to take science to the remotest corners

of the Eastern Cape and the pilot tours conducted during 2003/04

elicited a very positive response from both teachers and learners.

Apart from involvement with the public during SciFest, the

ACEP has also had a high public profile, ranging from public

lectures, radio interviews, TV documentaries and newspaper articles

to public tours of the Marine and Coastal Management (MCM)

vessel undertaking the ACEP research.

Future plans

The National Fish Collection and Margaret Smith Library are

used by students and scientists from South Africa and elsewhere.

Current data management strategies are separate, but in 2004/05 a

plan will be put in place to integrate the databases and collections

held by SAIAB. The new informatics “hub” will be used as the

vehicle for this integration.

The deemed importance of the Institute to the local, international

and research community of Africa is reflected in the production

of an SAIAB-edited book (in progress) on Western Indian Ocean

fishes. The project will involve more than 50 scientists from around

the world focusing on African marine fishes.

SAIAB maintains collections and conducts

research to help us understand and solve

problems on the conservation and wise use

of African fishes and aquatic biodiversity.

DID YOU KNOW?The National Fish Collection is the major collection of southern

African marine and freshwater fishes in the World. In 2003/04

a total of 3 461 new samples was added to the collection,

representing a growth of 5,0%. Eight new species were

described from the collection in the year.

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SAEON recognises that relentless human activity, exacerbated

by globalisation, consume and contaminate natural resources.

This impairs the capacity of our land (and oceans) to produce

natural resources underpinning national wealth and well-being.

The purpose of SAEON is to generate long-term and large-scale

information for the sustainable management of natural resources

and habitat over the spectrum of ecoregions and land uses, ranging

from pristine to urban, transformed landscapes.

Scope

SAEON was created to improve capacity for long-term ecosystem

research by:

• forming a network of nodes and environmental scientists,

locked into international networks of excellence and supported

by new and lasting infrastructure;

• producing reliable and accessible environmental information

through monitoring and studying long-term environmental

change over large spatial scales;

• promoting social development through postgraduate research

training and environmental science education programmes for

schools; and by

• limiting fragmentation of ecosystem research and producing

incremental advances in knowledge and information through

providing a centre of gravity and an archive for long-term

ecosystem research.

SAEON established innovative research platforms and information

management systems for long-term ecosystem studies with strong

regional and global links. These distributed research platforms are

co-ordinated as nodes. The SAEON concept of an institutionalised

network of organisations pooling intellectual, physical and financial

resources is an innovative approach to research management if

compared to the standard research institute model.

SAEON is a small core administrative function that provides

leadership and core resources to the network in consultation with

stakeholder committees. Research and education is executed

through distributed nodes consisting of a small number of staff and

field office infrastructure. The nodes are administered by network

partners under service agreements with SAEON which provides the

core funding. Incremental long-term ecosystem research is done by

a range of network partners with their own resources but relying

on the facilities provided by the nodes. Data from all partners and

nodes are archived and shared via the internet. As a network,

the core principle of SAEON is collaboration in all its activities,

such as multi-institutional committees, inter-disciplinary research,

partnerships with host organisations, data sharing and education

outreach.

SAEON is a founding member of the Environmental Long-Term

Observatories of Southern Africa (ELTOSA), a regional network

and a new member of the International Long-Term Ecological

Research Network (ILTER). Division of labour within these

international networks will contribute to the internationalisation of

South African ecological science and, through ELTOSA, will have

an African focus.

The emerging ELTOSA network consists of a mixture of

existing sites where environmental observations have been made

for decades, as well as new sites proposed for this purpose.

South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Mozambique have already

advanced substantially in forming country networks and Zambia,

Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe have expressed their intention

to do the same. This network, and the broader ILTER network

beyond southern Africa, needs to be considered in the design of

SAEON. Their existence should generally reduce the necessity for

any one country to have a comprehensive observation system in all

the biomes represented in their territory, since some may be well

represented in another, comparable country.

A country needs long-term large-scale multi-disciplinary

ecosystem research programmes to be able to detect slow or

sudden changes in the context of the ubiquitous variability within

and among ecosystems. Natural systems are inherently variable and

environmental change is common and unavoidable. Yet, human

activities may become so influential that it changes earth systems,

such as through greenhouse gas production and large-scale land use

South African Environmental Observation Network

changes. The natural environment is also seriously implicated by

the blurring of economical, political and cultural boundaries among

countries. These impacts are specifically felt in the areas of climate

change, alien invasive species, trade in endangered and threatened

species and more generally in terms of biodiversity management.

SAEON recognises that many environmental processes, essential

to human well-being and life on Earth, tend to change slowly

relative to the noise in the signal, making detection of change

impossible if the observation record is short. However, when

change begins, irrespective of whether natural or human-induced, it

is often non-linear (that is, at an accelerating rate), quite abrupt and

effectively irreversible. The approach of undesirable thresholds is

often predicted in the signal, but only if a sufficiently long, detailed

and consistent record is kept.

SAEON is a timely and appropriate national response to

some pertinent outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable

Development (WSSD 2002). The Political Declaration issued

following the WSSD 2002 recognises that “sustainable

development requires a long-term perspective … in policy

formulation, decision-making and implementation at all levels”. As

espoused by the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, this must

rely on the collection of “data that is accurate, long-term, consistent

and reliable” through environmental observation systems and

integrated information systems. The Plan calls for the improvement

of monitoring stations for the Earth’s atmosphere, land and oceans,

and for capacity building, education and knowledge/information

sharing with respect to environmental monitoring. Monitoring and

early warning related to desertification and drought should be

improved by providing “affordable local access to information”. The

Plan regards natural resource management as a major area of effort

with specific reference to “water resources, fisheries, marine and

coastal systems, climate change, atmosphere, agriculture, mountains,

tourism, biodiversity, forests and mining”.

Environmental observation is of global, economical and political

significance as demonstrated by the deliberations of Conference of

the Parties meetings under the Framework Convention on Climate

Change (UNFCCC), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate

Change (IPCC) and, more recently, the ad hoc Group on Earth

Observation (GEO). Environmental scientists thus have a dual role:

• to understand, track and report on environmental change; and

• to support government’s political negotiators and

representatives at international committee tables.

Both these roles are enabled through SAEON.

Highlights

The SAEON’s Technical Steering Committee has produced

several documents to clarify organisational design and evaluation

procedures for the establishment of nodes. The first node was

designated to Phalaborwa, to be hosted by the Kruger National

Park and managed in partnership with several locally based

research organisations. It will be known as the Ndlovu Node.

Other achievements were SAEON’s election as the incoming

chair for ELTOSA from the period October 2004 to October

2006, and as southern African representative on the ILTER

Executive Committee.

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SAEON generates and archives reliable and

accurate environmental information, based

on long-term observations over a range of

ecoregions and land uses, as needed by

policy and decision-makers for sustainable

management of natural resources and habitat.

DID YOU KNOW?South Africa, and by extension southern Africa, is a vital international laboratory

due to its status as the third-richest biodiverse country in the world, the contrasting

influence of an economy that is split between the developing and developed worlds,

as well as the local environment’s vulnerability to global climate change.

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iThemba Laboratory For Accelerator Based Sciences

iThemba LABS intends becoming the major centre of excellence

on the African continent in sub-atomic research and applied

radiation medicine. It is foreseen that iThemba LABS will develop

as a key node in an African network for sub-atomic Science and

Technology, consistent with the NEPAD initiatives.

Scope

The basic skills and facilities at iThemba LABS are in the applied

and pure sub-atomic sciences and associated technologies.

The applications of these sciences to technology are growing

particularly rapidly. For example, there is an international

scarcity of radioisotopes, creating a market into which iThemba

LABS’ products have had rapid access due to their quality and

innovative nature. There is also a shortage of the skills and human

resources required to satisfy these growing markets and economic

requirements. The training programmes at iThemba LABS are

essential both for transforming the South African S&T workforce

and for growing the skills required to build a successful economy.

iThemba LABS has been expanding its international contacts

and collaborations, especially with other African countries. These

collaborations are essential for exposure to international standards

of mainstream science and technologies and to build the reputation

of South Africa internationally. iThemba LABS hosted two local

and two international workshops and conferences during 2003.

iThemba LABS also expanded its capacity to produce and

market accelerator produced radionuclides. This requires

investment to increase beam currents by a factor four, to upgrade

target stations to cope with the increased beam currents, to

improve remote handling of hot-cells to safely treat the increased

radiation produced, and to purchase additional safety equipment.

iThemba LABS proposed the creation of a Major Radiation

Medicine Centre (MRMC) on site. The MRMC will be based

on the experience in hadron therapy. It will include photon,

proton, neutron and chemotherapies and will be an international

centre of excellence for cancer and other related treatments.

As a major training and research centre it will radically improve

the demographics of oncologists and other health professionals

and enable exceptionally talented researchers to be retained and

developed in their own country. The project is intended to be self-

financing through Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). It will increase

the availability of advanced, effective treatment to both state and

private patients in South Africa. Treating patients from Africa and

other countries abroad will raise the bulk of the income required to

finance the project.

The operational activity of iThemba LABS for the year was

hampered by lower than anticipated income from radionuclide

production. The lack of income generated is a result of, among

other factors, the strong Rand, the volatility of the American market

and capacity constraints. Consequently, the R14,5m external

revenue assumed in the budget was not achieved; actual income

was a mere R4,2m.

On a positive note, research efforts within both Nuclear Physics

and Materials continued steadily. The number of postgraduates

increased and two proposed collaborative projects have been

accepted as part of the South African/Hungarian agreement. Beam

time for the Nuclear Physics research was again over-subscribed

while a Van de Graaff accelerator is finally producing a consistent,

high-quality beam for users.

Beam supply from the Separated Sector Cyclotron (SSC)

averaged 72% for the year despite erratic beam quality at high

energy as well as problems with several water leaks. Problem

diagnostics remains a major component of the maintenance

programme and this, coupled with the high-quality technical staff, is

responsible for the relatively short down time arising from technical

faults.


The iThemba LABS Science Outreach Programme continues to

flourish, with the highlight being the workshops at the SASOL

SciFest. The team won first prize for Best Outreach Workshop, an

acknowledgement of the benefits of such activities to learners.

Workshops were also held at the MTN Sciencecentre as part

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iThemba LABS provides scientifically and medically

useful radiation for research on cancer and other related

treatments through the acceleration of charged particles

using a Separated Sector Cyclotron, Van de Graaff

Accelerator and other appropriate technologies.

of the SET week and the LABS also participated in the “Learning

Cape” programme.

A new initiative to tutor senior learners in Mathematics and

Science commenced in Khayelitsha with postgraduates from

iThemba LABS tutoring grade 12 learners. ICDL (International

Computer Driver’s License) courses were held for Western Cape

Teachers, and will be offered on an ongoing basis.

The iThemba LABS hospital is being used for practical training of

oncology nurses while the Medical Physics Department has been

accredited as a training centre for interns of the Tygerberg’s Nuclear

Medicine Programme.

Highlights

Funding has been approved to produce Fluorine-18 (FDG), which

will be used for cancer diagnosis. The project has also been

submitted to the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) in

response to its Technical Co-operation Agreement in South Africa.

The 10th anniversary of proton therapy was celebrated during

October 2003. This year also marked the 15th year for neutron

treatment.

Future plans

Four key projects will reach their conclusion in the coming year:

MRMC

Dr Paul Joseph, of the Nova Scotia Cancer Centre, Dalhousie

University, Canada, has been appointed to assist in progressing the

project to its final phase. Potential Black Economic Empowerment

healthcare service providers have expressed interest in managing

the operation. The IBA (Ion Beam Applications Company, a

manufacturer of cyclotrons) has been contracted to develop a

comprehensive business plan for use by all prospective investors

and potential stakeholders. This will include the feasibility of

international patient recruitment and potential markets. The focus

during 2004/05 will be to secure funding for the project and

obtain buy-in from the local health sector.

Vertical beam target station

This project includes the development of a new target station for

radionuclide production to accommodate a beam current that will

be at least a factor three higher than the present status. Completion

is planned for October 2004.

Cyclotron upgrade

The mid-year shutdown in late July 2003 was used to install the

flat-topping resonator for the Separated Sector Cyclotron (SSC) and

its 20kW power amplifier. Both the resonator and amplifier were

designed and built at iThemba LABS, resulting in a cost saving of

some R2m on the amplifier alone. The targetted completion date

for this project is June 2004.

Patient position system

This IAEA-sponsored project, which enables the use of robotics

to accurately position patients for therapy, will be completed by

the end of 2004. Several postgraduates (Master’s and/or doctoral

students) are working on this project.

ISO9001

The international interactions of iThemba LABS, coupled with

the proposal for the establishment of the MRMC, will require

the implementation of internationally accepted health and safety

standards. Thus, it has been decided to adapt to the ISO9001

certification programme. A project manager will oversee the

implementation of ISO9001 within iThemba LABS, and it is

envisaged that full accreditation will take at least four years.

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The NRF, through its agency function, RISA, covers the full

range of activities in the innovation chain, from building the

knowledge base (by developing human resources, generating

and using knowledge and providing research facilities) to high

value-added research, technology development, innovation and

eventual commercialisation.

This seamless approach to research funding within RISA has

several dimensions:

• to facilitate and support research across the value chain

(from fundamental to strategic research) for development,

application and commercialisation;

• to facilitate a mindset change among

researchers at the fundamental research

end to be constantly mindful of how

the nation could benefit from their research. The fundamental

research supported by the NRF needs to become the incubator

of good ideas of the future, and hence lead to a continuous

flow of ideas for innovation and application; and

• to develop the skills mix required by the nation to innovate.

Human resource development and capacity-building in areas of

strategic importance for the nation are essential, not only for

the next generation of researchers who need to generate the

ideas, but also for nurturing the skills required to ultimately

enable the application and commercialisation of the ideas on

South African soil. The projects featured in this

section represent a minute sample of the

NRF’s research projects funded under its

various programmes.

It all starts with the

germ of an idea which

takes root in the desire

to improve quality of life.

Project Highlights

Purkinje cell in a colour-enhanced laser

scanning confocal micrograph. These cells are

specialised neurons found in great numbers

in the cerebellum and consist of an axon, a

large cell body, and a single dendrite which is

branched like a tree.

NATURAL-BORN KILLERS

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Top: A colony of wax-moth larvae artifi cially

reared for use in extracting and screening

entomopathogenic nematodes.

Above: Dr Astrid Jankielsohn searches for

diseased insects following inoculation of the plants

with an entomopathogenic fungus.

Left: Technician, Gloria Macucwa, pictured at a

specially designed double-door autoclave inside the

quarantine unit at ARC-SGI. This autoclave is

used to sterilise material before leaving the facility.

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Why work against Nature, when she can be your biggest ally?

This is the premise behind a consortium’s search for the ultimate

agricultural arsenal: bio-pesticides.

Insects pose the most significant biological threat to world

agriculture. However, the chemical insecticides traditionally used to

kill insects are expensive as well as damaging to the environment.

Biological control of insect and mite pests, diseases and weeds is

the preferred choice for many agriculturalists, all naturalists and

a growing number of informed consumers. And, if South Africa

wishes to appropriate a significant slice of the export pie, it should

also heed international opposition to the use of chemical pesticides.

Bio-pesticides offer an environmentally-friendly, non-chemical

method of controlling pests and diseases and, in certain cases, they

provide control where no other control method is effective.

Moreover, they can protect edible fruits from rot diseases and

also protect consumers, as there is no residue of chemicals that

would otherwise be used to control these rots. Other bio-pesticides

that protect plant roots from disease often have the added

advantage of stimulating and increasing plant growth.

South Africa has a vast, untapped resource of indigenous insect-

pathogenic microbes. This project, headed by Prof Mark Laing of

the University of KwaZulu-Natal and Dr Justin Hatting of the ARC-

Small Grain Institute (SGI), has allowed for the establishment of

one of the largest insect biocontrol groups in the world, to ensure

that our country takes full advantage of this natural resource. The

project intends developing commercial bio-pesticides based on

indigenous fungi, viruses, bacteria and nematodes.

The consortium combines the disciplines of entomology and

fungal taxonomy (Agricultural Research Council), plant pathology

(University of KwaZulu-Natal), and industrial microbiology (Plant

Health Products (Pty) Ltd). Seven field collaborators are involved,

representing five ARC institutes and two private sector institutions

(Rooibos Ltd and the South African Sugar Research Institute). A

centralised quarantine facility has been established at ARC-SGI,

co-ordinating countrywide surveys for the isolation and testing of

indigenous microbial control agents.

Many previous attempts at biological control have failed because

of the gap between research results and commercial production.

This project makes the manufacturing process a central focus, with

the overall aim of producing a series of indigenous bio-pesticides

for local and international sale.

Insecticide residues on crops and commodities are of concern

to South African fruit and vegetable producers. The European

Community has strict residue limits that inhibit our export

potential. The development of bio-pesticides would result in an

increase in the export market of fruit and vegetable products as

well as novel plant-based health products. Plant Health Products

(Pty) Ltd is working on patentable techniques for the commercial

mass production of suitable organisms as well as formulations to

address adverse environmental conditions, compatibility with other

agro-chemicals and prolonged shelf-life.

The project promises positive socio-economic outcomes. The

cost of chemical insecticides is often beyond the means of small-

scale and developing farmers. With land re-distribution being a

government priority, an increase in the number of small-scale

and developing farmers is suggested in the immediate future.

Thus, the development of local bio-pesticides will support long-

term sustainability and food security by providing affordable and

environmentally sound pest control options for both commercial

and small-scale farmers. The growing organic industry, traditionally

a labour-intensive agricultural sector, will also benefit and job-

creation may be facilitated. Additional jobs will be created through

expansion of commercial production plants for development of

new products.

Which all goes to prove another South African aphorism: Local is

lekker. Except if you’re a mealie-bug.

Project funded through the Focus Area Programme –

Sustainable Livelihoods: Eradication of Poverty

for the period 2001 – 2004

to the amount of R777 000.

Dr Justin Hatting inspects a tube

containing pure spores of an

entomopathogenic fungus stored

at low temperature inside the

quarantine facility.

FLOWER POWER

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Charlize Theron may be South Africa’s bloom from Benoni, but a

delicate daisy from Mpumalanga promises to be an even bigger star.

Berkheya coddii, a member of the daisy family with pretty,

yellow flowers, holds in its leaves and roots the power to clean

contaminated soil, which is a major burden on the environment.

Worldwide, there is much concern about the impact of high

concentrations of heavy metals in soil. Generally, soil is either

removed mechanically or cleaned with chemicals. These methods

are expensive, usually harmful to the natural soil environment, and

generate large amounts of waste. A far cheaper and safer method is

that of phytoremediation, where plants remove heavy metals from

the soil by absorbing the metals or rendering them harmless.

Thus, in many countries, phytoremediation is perceived as a

useful method for reclaiming agricultural and post-industrial lands.

Hyperaccumulator plants – those that demonstrate an unusual

capacity to absorb metals – as well as fast-growing crop plants with

a high biomass production, are most effective for phytoremediation.

Dr Jolanta Mesjasz-Przybylowicz from the Materials Research

Group at iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Sciences

(iThemba LABS), says Berkheya coddii is already being used in South

Africa to clean soils contaminated with nickel.

This indigenous species absorbs, transports and stores nickel

differently to other plants as, most unusually, the highest nickel

levels are found in the inner tissue of its leaves. Dr Mesjasz-

Przybylowicz’s team is trying to analyse and understand this unique

biochemical pathway, as well as how fungi help the roots of the

plant filter nickel, and the role insects play in weed control.

While it is useful for phytoremediation purposes in other

countries, Berkheya coddii can become an invasive weed outside

its natural habitat. This is where a tiny bug, Chrysolina pardalina,

steps into the research limelight. (Chrysolina pardalina is a member

of the Chrysomelidae, the same insect family that houses the

Colorado potato beetle.) It is the one insect that feeds exclusively

on Berkheya coddii and can complete its entire life cycle for several

generations utilising leaves of this species. It can thus effectively

control the growth and spread of this plant by feeding off its

leaves. Together with Prof. Pawel Migula and his team of scientists

from the Department of Animal Physiology and Ecotoxicology,

University of Silesia, Poland, the local team is studying the

developmental biology and detoxifying abilities of Chrysolina

pardalina and other insects.

Other species from this genus (Chrysolina quadrigemina) were

successfully introduced in the United States to control St. John’s

Wort.

Another team of scientists, under leadership of Prof. Katarzyna

Turnau from the Mycology Unit, Institute of Botany, Jagiellonian

University, Poland, is investigating heavy metal biofiltering in

mycorrhizas on polluted sites. This symbiosis between a fungus

and the roots of a plant was reported for the first time for

hyperaccumulating plants – Berkheya coddii and three others. Pilot

studies have shown that the symbiosis in Berkheya coddii caused

both the plant to grow more prolifically as well as store more nickel

in its shoots.

Phytoremediation is a growing and promising technology, but

there is still much we need to learn about the complex circuit-

board that exists in a simple leaf.

Project funded by the International Science Liaison Strategic

Priority: UK and Polish Agreement for the period 2001 – 2004


Opposite page:

Top: Prof. Pawel Migula and Dr Maria Augustyniak from the Department of

Animal Physiology and Ecotoxicology, University of Silesia, Poland.

Centre: Berkheya coddii, Nature’s very own vacuum cleaner.

Bottom: Chrysolina pardalina; its detoxifying abilities are under the microscope.

This page:

Dr Jolanta Mesjasz-Przybylowicz, from the Materials Research Group at

iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Sciences (iThemba LABS), with

full-grown examples of Berkheya coddii.

LOG ON TO YOUR DOCTOR

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Imagine living in a remote rural area, where the nearest hospital

is a day’s travel away and even on arrival you’re not assured of

immediate attention. Your child is ill. Can you afford to delay

treatment for a day? Can you afford not to?

This dilemma, which thousands of mothers face every day, will

soon be a thing of the past if the MRC’s Telemedicine Centre

operates as planned. The plan is that an experienced doctor or

specialist will be just a mouse click away, no matter how remote

the healthcare facility being visited.

One of the MRC’s current projects, headed by Dr Moretlo

Molefi, aims to develop Primary Health Care Telemedicine

Workstations (PHCTWSs) to facilitate the use of telemedicine in

rural clinic settings.

The workstations will be designed according to rural

practitioners’ needs and capability levels. The hardware will be able

to withstand the challenging conditions of a rural environment and

the software will be more user-friendly than that currently being

imported.

South Africa’s healthcare system ranges from highly specialised

urban academic centres to small rural clinics. The legacy of

recent decades has resulted in an inappropriate number of health

practitioners and a high degree of expertise being concentrated in

major urban centres, while people living in rural areas have limited

access to basic healthcare because of geographical isolation and

poor public transport.

Telemedicine is a developing country’s answer to these

challenges. With this technology, medical expertise can be

transmitted to a rural clinic, conclusive results can be obtained

in minutes and patients save time and money by immediately

accessing accurate medical advice. Since all telemedicine links are

bidirectional, telemedicine can also be used for distance learning

and simulating professional associations for doctors in isolated areas

that medical practitioners benefit from in urban areas.

Besides the humane benefits of the PHCTWSs, the workstations

will result in a truly South African product that utilises local

expertise, is cost-effective and has definite export potential,

especially to other developing countries.

The potential of this project stretches beyond improved public

healthcare. It will also partially alleviate the inequitable distribution

of medical health practitioners throughout South Africa. Further,

the resulting extended application and knowledge of information

and communication technology will give benefit beyond the public

health service.

Telemedicine’s diagnosis for our country is excellent.

Project funded by the Innovation Fund


to the value of R6,0 million.

NO MORE BOVINE B.O.*

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* Body odour

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There’s no need to cry over spoilt milk anymore. If a project

headed by Prof Leon Dicks and Dr Johann Görgens from

Stellenbosch University proceeds as planned, the milkman who

used to guarantee fresh milk to your home will soon get a high-

tech facelift and take the shape of a milk meter.

Milk is prone to microbial spoilage and this can cause serious

food poisoning. Poor quality dairy products offered in retail stores

also cause customer dissatisfaction and can ruin a brand that a

company has spent millions on establishing. The control of milk

quality and other dairy products is therefore of cardinal importance

for personal health and company wealth. Most of the methods

that are currently used to predict the shelf-life of liquid milk are

cumbersome and time-consuming.

Enter a brainwave by a team of engineers and microbiologists:

to find a simple, highly effective, way to “forecast” when milk is

about to go off. Researcher Hanno Barnard from the Department

of Process Engineering at Stellenbosch University, discovered that

the relative capacitance (the ability to carry an electric load) of

milk increases substantially a day before the pH of the milk starts

changing. This change makes it possible to use capacitance as a

real-time predictor of the milk’s remaining shelf-life.

The pH of fresh milk is close to neutral (pH 6,6 to 6,8).

Microbial growth causes a decrease in pH (sour milk is typically 6,0

to 6,1) over a period of about three days. Tests have shown that

milk kept at 8°C turned sour one day after the best-before date on

the container. However, milk kept at room temperature for one

hour per day turned sour two days before the best-before date.

As it is not always possible to store milk at consistent refrigeration

temperatures in supermarkets or at home, the shelf-life may be

shortened by two and even three days.

The team is busy designing a “milk meter” (probe), which

supermarkets and consumers could use in-store and at home to

test the freshness of milk. The probe will be placed on the outside

of the container for hygienic reasons. The shelf-life of milk can be

determined simply by holding the container against a wall-mounted

sensor.

The project has been filed as a provisional patent and

collaboration with the dairy industry could speed up the

development of the capacitance meter.

A case of milking technology for all it’s worth?

Prof. Leon Dicks (front) and Dr Johann Görgens assess microbial spoilage

levels in milk in their search to develop a real-time predictor of milk’s

remaining shelf-life.

Opposite page from top:

Milk, still one of the best protein sources.

Ms Tarryn Fraser and Ms Marelise Brink, postgraduate students busy with

milk testing.

Project funded through the Focus Area Programme –

Sustainable Livelihoods: Eradication of Poverty, and THRIP,


to the amount of R1,164 million.

PUTTING EDUCATION TO WORK

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CREDIT: HOWARD CLELAND / ARTEL COMMUNICATIONS

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Can theory afford to ignore practice? And what value is education

when joblessness is the only currency?

Professor Pumela Msweli-Mbanga of the University of KwaZulu-

Natal is of the opinion that graduates are not being prepared for

the dual economy that is a reality in South Africa. With funding

from the Thuthuka programme and Saint Mary’s University,

Canada, she is researching the link between organisational

citizenship behaviour (how we think about traditional work roles)

and national citizenship behaviour (how formal training can be

applied to community economic development).

It is every student’s dream to land a good job at a top company.

But statistics show that this is a pipe-dream as the formal economic

sector is no longer the provider of employment. The real driver of

growth and employment is the SMME sector. Academics need to

take cognisance of this reality and help their students bridge the

gap between the rural and urban economies.

As women are a major focus in the government’s economic

development initiatives, Professor Pumela Msweli-Mbanga is

concentrating on the economic empowerment of women.

This meets one of the key objectives of the Broad-based Black

Economic Empowerment Act, 2003 of South Africa, which aims

to increase the extent to which black women own and manage

existing and new enterprises, as well as their access to economic

activities, infrastructure and skills training.

Despite the many political, social and economic changes

that have happened in South Africa during the first decade of

democracy, women continue to play a limited role in business

either as small-scale entrepreneurs or business leaders.

One of the ways in which this project hopes to rectify this

under-utilisation of women, is through the development of a

Centre of Excellence for Women in Business. The Centre will

prepare black women to undertake middle- and high-level decision-

making positions in the South African business community, as

well as provide hands-on-training for those women involved in the

SMME sector. The Centre will also serve as a living laboratory for

B.Comm students.

Promoting a culture of entrepreneurship among the rural

population is a key extension of formal training. Women are

exposed to professional associations and government bodies that

can help them market their products or services so that they are

equipped to identify and pursue self-employment opportunities.

The lack of opportunities for meaningful employment is one of

the principal determinants of poverty in South Africa, especially as

it relates to women. Now women can create their own destiny.

A scarcity of business acumen is a major constraint when

embarking upon new initiatives. Now women can undertake a new

enterprise with confidence.

Unemployment is rife, particularly among the younger age

groups and among women. Now a major sector of the population

can put its ideas to work.

Project funded through Thuthuka, the Women in Research

Development Programme, for the period 2003 –2004


Opposite page top: These students working on the link between

organisational citizenship behaviour and national citizenship behaviour

know that they won’t necessarily find a job in the formal sector once they

graduate.

Main photograph: Professor Pumela Msweli-Mbanga of the University of

KwaZulu-Natal.

Bottom: A culture of entrepreneurship needs to be created to help students

bridge the gap between the rural and urban economies.

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Key Performance Indicatorreport

S I G H T

The ability to see a solution

cannot produce the same results

as the vision to make it work.

62 63

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V I S I O N

64 The NRF core missions and strategic priorities

64 Rationale for adopting the core missions and strategic priorities

66 The NRF approach to Key Performance Indicators

68 KPI report summary

68 Stakeholder perspective

70 Financial perspective

70 Organisational perspective

71 Learning annd growth perspective

71 Human resources and transformation perspective62 63

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64 65

The NRF is committed to complying with the governance and

management structures of government-funded Science and

Technology institutions. Hence, both the planning and reporting

activities of the NRF are based on the Balanced Scorecard

framework required by the DST from the Science Councils.

During the year under review, the NRF again reflected on the

alignment of its strategy and operations with the National R&D

Strategy. Given the dynamic process of continuous improvement,

the process of building on existing Key Performance Indicators

(KPIs) and obtaining new, effective measures and benchmarks is

ongoing.

The NRF has both a substantial agency function in Research

and Innovation Support and Advancement (RISA) and a research

component in the National Research Facilities. Despite this

diversity, a uniform set of corporate core missions and cross-cutting

strategic priorities has been identified for the entire organisation.

The NRF core missions and strategic priorities

The four corporate core missions of the NRF are to develop and

support:

• high-quality human resources in aggressively increasing

quantities;

• the generation of high-quality knowledge in prioritised areas

that are responsive to national and continental development

needs;

• the utilisation of knowledge, technology transfer and

innovation to ensure tangible benefits to society from the

knowledge created; and

• the provision of state-of-the-art research infrastructure that is

essential to facilitating the development of high-quality human

resources and knowledge.

The six cross-cutting corporate strategic priorities are:

• redressing and ensuring equity in race and gender;

• adhering to quality;

• internationalising research;

• focusing on Africa;

• positioning the NRF within the National System of Innovation

(NSI); and

• transforming the NRF organisationally.

A visual summary of the core missions, strategic priorities and

high-level objectives and how they relate to expected outcomes

and impacts, is provided in the diagram on page 67 under the

heading: Summary of NRF core missions, strategic priorities and

high-level objectives.

Rationale for adopting the core missions and strategic priorities

Several policy documents (among them South Africa’s National

R&D Strategy of August 2002) underpin the NRF corporate core

missions and strategic priorities. Key illustrative arguments for

adopting these missions and priorities as areas of key performance

are outlined below:

Corporate Core Missions

Human resource development

The current human resource capacity for research and innovation

in South Africa is way below what the country requires to achieve

its objectives:

• South Africa’s professional R&D workforce comprises around

30 000 people (NACI Report, 2002: 9) or seven researchers

per 10 000 members of the population, compared with 48 in

Australia and 28 in Korea;

• 18,6 PhDs per million of population graduate in South Africa,

compared with 170 in Australia and 118 in Korea; and

• The ageing profile of active researchers is a serious threat

to the sustainability of the R&D workforce. In 1998,

45,0% of all the research publications on the South African

Knowledgebase, were produced by authors over the age of 50

(NACI Report, 2002: 30-31).

Key Performance Indicatorreport

64 65

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The potential R&D human resource capacity for research,

technology development and innovation is also under threat. The

secondary school pass rates with university exemptions in Science

and Mathematics, and the enrolment in these disciplines at tertiary

education institutions, are unacceptably low. Another major concern

is the impact of HIV/Aids which affects mainly young adults who

are the capital base of knowledge generation and regeneration.

Knowledge generation (research and

development in prioritised areas)

Global competitiveness is dependent on new knowledge that

delivers competitive advantage. South Africa produces, in terms of

the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) indexed articles, about

0,5% of the global published research output. Between 1997 and

1999, South Africa’s citations per million of the population ranged

between 81 and 87 citations (NACI Report, 2002: 26). When

compared with Australia’s 1 072 or Korea’s 259, then a significant

improvement is called for. Knowledge generation in prioritised

areas and shifting the boundaries of all knowledge domains are

imperative for finding solutions to local and continental problems.

The appropriateness of the national expenditure in R&D by major

research field therefore needs to be continually monitored:

Natural Sciences 22,2%

Engineering Sciences 20,0%

Applied Sciences and Technologies 15,0%

Information, Computer and Communication Technologies 12,9%

Social Sciences and Humanities 10,6%

Medical and Health Sciences 10,1%

Agricultural Sciences 9,2%

(Reference: National R&D Survey, 2004: 3)

Utilisation of research results,

technology transfer and innovation

Publicly funded science is regarded as a driving force behind

technological and economic advancement. This implies that

there should be a knowledge dissemination or transfer linkage

between science and industry. Currently, only 10,0% of South

Africa’s economic growth is attributable to technological progress.

High and medium technology exports constitute only 30,0%

of all exports. South Africa needs to improve its score on the

Technology Achievement Index (TAI) developed by the United

Nations Development Programme as a measure of technology

development (e.g. number of patents, royalties/licenses, tertiary

science enrolments, internet hosts, etc).

Provision of state-of-the-art

research equipment infrastructure

Equipment renewal to arrest the rapidly ageing state of research

equipment and the attendant marginalisation of South Africa’s

scientific endeavours has become an urgent priority within the

R&D strategy of the country. State-of-the-art research equipment

is essential for technological innovation, training of highly skilled

human resources and the ability of our scientists to conduct

internationally competitive research.

Cross-cutting corporate strategic priorities

Redress and equity: race and gender

Within South Africa the only means to build a quality research

system is to open access to all and thereby maximise the

opportunity to develop a critical mass of researchers reflecting our

demographic and cultural diversity. Equally, the sustainability of

a quality-based knowledge system requires that it systematically

creates opportunities for young people of all races to enter and

progress through the system.

Currently, 94,0% of the scientific publications recorded in

the South African Knowledgebase (SAK) are authored by white

researchers. SAPSE (South African Post-secondary Education) data

indicate that women produce only 17,0% of the total research

publications recorded (NACI Report, 2002: 27-28), even though

women researchers constitute 35,3% of the total of 8 661 full-time

equivalent (FTE) researchers in higher education (National R&D

Survey, 2004: 3).

Adherence to quality

To be competitive internationally, quality and excellence in the

creation, application and transfer of knowledge may not be

compromised. Hence, a fundamental principle for the NRF in

exercising its mandate is that resources, be they for research,

human resource development or expensive facilities, are made

available to the research community on a competitive basis in

a system where independent assessment of quality is a critical

factor.

Internationalisation of research

South Africa’s goal of becoming competitive in the global

economy requires professionals and intellectuals who are able to

compete with the best in the world. It is the NRF’s task to build

the capacity of South African researchers to become leaders in

the international research context. To achieve this, opportunities

must be created for constructive collaboration with researchers

internationally in the generation, transfer and exchange of

knowledge.

Focus on Africa

South Africa’s fortunes are inextricably linked with the continent

of Africa. Strategies to move South Africa onto a high-growth

path cannot be achieved in isolation. NEPAD, which has the

support of many of the developed countries, will undoubtedly

create opportunities for the NRF to link up with special R&D

interventions.

Positioning the NRF within the

National System of Innovation

The NRF’s mandate covers the entire spectrum of the innovation

chain, from the most fundamental research to technological

development and commercialisation. This, in addition to managing

the National Research Facilities and its task to service the entire

spectrum of disciplines, gives the NRF a unique and central role

within the NSI. With the incorporation of SAASTA, the NRF

has consolidated its role as intermediary between science and

society. The success of positioning the NRF within the NSI will

depend both on the ability of the NRF to become the knowledge

organisation servicing both organisational and national needs

and on its ability to leverage sufficient resources in pursuit of its

mandate.

Organisational transformation

There are several critical elements in the strategy for

transformation of the NRF. These are to:

• maintain financial sustainability;

• improve business processes and procedures;

• enhance organisational learning and growth; and

• become an organisation that transforms to benefit fully from

the cultural and ethnic diversity in the country and thereby to

attain employment equity.

The NRF approach to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Given the synergy between, and diversity of, the two main

functions of the NRF, common objectives are set, but different

interventions are implemented. Therefore, it stands to reason that

each set of interventions requires a separate set of concomitant

performance measures.

The approach of the NRF to the Balanced Scorecard dictates

that the stakeholder perspective is regarded as the category that

captures most of its KPIs. In the case of the National Research

Facilities, which have research as one of their in-house activities,

some core missions and strategic priorities are achieved by the

facilities themselves. Others may be achieved in collaboration

with, or by members of, the stakeholder community, supported

by the interventions and infrastructure provided by the facility.

In the case of RISA, the outcomes of its activities – such as the

disbursement of funds – are only achieved in the ambit of the

stakeholder community. Performance indicators therefore include

Key Performance Indicator report

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66 67

Core missions Human Resource

Development

Knowledge generation

(research and development)

in prioritised areas

Utilisation of research

results, technology

transfer and innovation

Provision of

state-of-the-art-research

equipment infrastructure

Hig

h-le

vel

obje

ctiv

es

To stimulate undergraduate and

honours students’ interest in

postgraduate studies

To promote and support knowledge

production

To promote utilisation of

knowledge, technology

transfer and innovation

To provide a research infrastructure

To support Master’s and PhD

student training in higher education

R&D staff development

Perf

orm

ance

indi

cato

rs

Outputs The expected outputs for RISA and the National Research Facilities differ.

For detailed performance information, kindly refer to the full KPI report.

Outcomes Increased enrolment and completion

rates of SET students at honours

degree level

Increased number of quality research

outputs

Visibility (of relevance) of RISA-funded

research

Increase in quality patents

Increase in knowledge and

technology dissemination and

uptake

Improved quality and quantity of

research output

Increased completion rate of NRF-

funded higher degrees, especially

doctoral students in prioritised areas

New/expanded research activities, in

line with national priorities, by staff

with improved qualifications

Increase in number of NRF

grantholders with good track record

Impacts Increase in Master’s and doctoral

enrolments

Increase in global share of relevant

knowledge production and exploitation

Societal benefit of research

Greater participation in global

knowledge economy

Increased competitiveness

Improved rating in UN Technology

Achievement Index

Increased number of doctorates per

million population

Increase in number and quality of

R&D staff per million population

Strategic

priorities

Redress and

equity: race,

gender, etc.

Adherence to

quality

Focus on Africa Internationalisation

of research

Positioning

in the NSI

Organisational

transformation

Financial perspective

Business processes and procedures

Organisational learning and growth

Human resources and transformation perspective

Summary of NRF core missions, strategic priorities and high-level objectives

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66 67

the performance in the stakeholder community as a measure of

the effectiveness of RISA.

The other Balanced Scorecard perspectives, namely, the

financial/investment perspective, organisational learning and

growth, and human resources and transformation, are regarded as

corporate, internal NRF performance areas that support the NRF’s

ability to fulfill its mission (see diagram on previous page).

In view of this approach, the detailed Key Performance

Indicator Report of the NRF is structured to provide uniform

key performance information on corporate aspects, and separate

information on the stakeholder perspective for RISA and the

National Research Facilities respectively.

KPI report summary

Please note that the full KPI report is available on request from

the NRF and can also be accessed at www.nrf.ac.za.

Stakeholder perspective

Key Result Area: Fulfilling the mandate of

the National Research Foundation

During 2003/04 the NRF Board continuously monitored the

alignment of the activities of the Foundation with its mandate

as stipulated in the National Research Foundation Act, No. 23

of 1998. The Board also guarded against a shift in priorities that

could weaken the ability of the NRF to deliver on its primary

goals. The mandate of the NRF is:

“… to support and promote research through funding, human

resource development and the provision of the necessary

research facilities in order to facilitate the creation of knowledge,

innovation and development in all fields of Science and

Technology, including indigenous knowledge, and thereby to

contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of all the

people of the Republic.”

Key Result Area: Support of the NSI and

R&D Strategy and goals

As the reason for the existence of the NRF is to advance certain

national priorities in accordance with its mandate, the NRF

identified, under the guidance of its Board, core missions and

strategic priorities. As indicated in the introduction to the KPI

report, all the business units of the NRF are aligned to support the

NSI and to address the issues raised in the National R&D Strategy.

The NRF’s performance related to the R&D Strategy is measured

and managed through the respective Key Performance Indicators

used.

The themes of the Focus Areas funded by RISA, and the

clustering of National Research Facilities according to areas

of importance (see page 13), reflect the commitment of the

organisation to address areas of national priority. The organisation

also has a good track record for bringing new entities, such as

HMO and SAASTA, in line with its core missions and strategic

priorities.

In addition to proper alignment with national priorities, the

NRF also promotes a seamless approach in its operations. The

NRF covers through all its activities and facilities the full range of

the innovation chain. This includes building the knowledge base

(by developing human resources, generating and using knowledge

and providing research facilities) and facilitating a mindset change

among researchers to be constantly mindful of how the nation

could benefit from their research. It also includes support for

value-added research, technology development, innovation and

eventual commercialisation. Hence, a major challenge is to identify

the synergies that need to emerge from the various funding

programmes.

In the year under review the NRF made huge strides in finding

synergies between the activities and orientation of the different

programmes and facilities. A process of actively bridging gaps in

the service delivery within the NSI, has commenced.


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68 69

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Comparison of actual sources of funding received

■ 2002/03 R’000 ■ 2003/04 R’000 % Change

DST RISA core grant + Ring-fenced 236 309 255 568 8%

RISA Contracts, Sundry & Other 33 634 29 894 -11%

DTI THRIP 154 939 140 418 -9%

DoL Scarce Skills Development Fund 11 479 21 366 86%

DST Innovation Fund 60 886 125 526 106%

DEAT Marine & Coastal Programmes 3 327 5 100 53%

RISA

SAASTA MTEF 2 559 9 130 215%

SAASTA Contracts & Other 5 752 12 701 121%SA

AST

A*

iThemba MTEF 63 697 69 261 19%

iThemba Contracts & Other 8 286 6 663 -20%

SAAO MTEF 14 853 17 478 18%

SAAO Contracts & Other 3 212 3 475 8%

HartRAO MTEF 9 205 10 751 -5%

HartRAO Contracts & Other 288 158 -45%

SAIAB MTEF 4 151 7 764 107%

SAIAB Contracts & Other 4 999 5 108 2%

HMO MTEF 3 710 4 311 2%

HMO Contracts & Other 2 748 2 566 -7%

Nat

iona

l Res

earc

h Fa

cilit

ies

Total NRF Science Vote Funding 334 484 374 263 13%

Contract & other funding 289 550 352 974 22%

Total funding 625 982 731 940 17%

SUM

MA

RY

* Only reflects four months’ financial information for 2002/03.

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Key Result Area: Ensuring quality of policy/decision-making

All business units of the NRF made use of external expertise from

academia, industry and government to guide policy and decision-

making. Several Advisory Panels/Boards were involved and the

input of external peer reviewers formed the backbone of the

decision-making process in RISA and in the National Research

Facilities. Sound and auditable business procedures and processes

in line with international best practice have been adopted to

ensure the implementation of these decisions. The impact of

decisions are monitored through the performance information,

and changes are made, once trends that may not be fully aligned

with the National R&D Strategy in support of the NSI have been

detected.

Financial perspective

Key Result Area: Financial sustainability

During 2003/04 the financial function has, through appropriate

control mechanisms, policy implementation and timely reporting,

complied in all material respects with the PFMA, Treasury

Regulations and all other applicable legal and accounting

principles, with the exception of AC116 of General Accepted

Accounting Practice (see pages 76 and 77). This is substantiated

in internal and external audit reports. Funds have been prudently

utilised to an almost breakeven situation, excluding ring-fenced

activities where discussions with key stakeholders regarding action

plans, are ongoing. The newly implemented financial system

(Great Plains) has been functioning optimally. A company-wide

risk assessment was undertaken and various interventions are

ongoing.

Although the raison d’être of a Science Council is not to make

money, sound financial management, creating economies of

scale and obtaining additional sources of income to discharge its

mandate, remain objectives of, and challenges for, the NRF.

The diagram on page 69 outlines the sources of income and

the ratio of contract income to total income for both RISA and

the National Research Facilities. The diagram also provides a

comparison with the previous year.

The use of finances as indicated in the financial report enabled

and supported the attainment of NSI goals.

Organisational perspective

Some of the standard efficiency indicators for organisational

performance are:

• ratio of overhead cost* to total cost;

• proportion of researchers to total staff; and

• salaries to total expenditure.

* Overhead expenses comprise total running expenses (excluding salaries

and grants).

Key Result Area: Overhead efficiency

Ratio overhead to total cost

Entity Numbers in R’000 Percentage

RISA *38 014 : 564 494 6,73%

National Research Facilities

(including SAASTA and SAEON)

81 648 : 172 161 47,43%

* Total overhead costs exclude salaries and grants

Salaries to total expenditure


RISA 37 040 : 564 494 6,56%


(including SAASTA and SAEON)

89 290 : 172 161 51,86%

Proportion of researchers to total staff


RISA 0 : 172 0%


(excluding SAASTA and SAEON)

64 : 438 14,6%


70 71

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National Research Facilities: Proportion of researchers to total staff

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Key Result Area: Customer service

One of the indicators of organisational performance is the

stakeholder satisfaction. Towards the end of the financial year,

planning commenced for a stakeholder survey as part of a five-

yearly review of the NRF.

Regular feedback is received from stakeholders in the broad

scientific community through the NRF/talk, which is a listserv-

type, email discussion group where stakeholders and NRF staff

gather and discuss NRF-related issues. Information about research

opportunities is posted to the list. The list is immediate and

accessible and in the past had some 600 active subscribers who

used the list to provide feedback on NRF issues. It has proved to

be an extremely useful communication tool.

Learning and growth perspective

Competitiveness of an organisation is largely determined by the

availability of suitably qualified staff. For a research facility, the

quality and quantity of research output is a performance indicator

for possible growth and learning, while at an agency function such

as RISA, the research output of researchers funded is used as

measure of its indirect success.

Key Result Area: Quality of scientific output

(National Research Facilities)

Category Number Number per researcher

Number per employee

Research reports 23 0,36 0,05

Journal articles (ISL &

other refereed)

217 3,39 0,5

Full-length conference

proceedings

27 0,42 0,06

Chapters in books 16 0,25 0,04

Books 1 0,02 0

Publications with external

co-authors

182 2,84 0,42

Patents awarded 1 0,02 0,42

Quality of scientific output through RISA stakeholders in Focus Area

and Development Programmes

Peer-reviewed publications 2 476

Books 286

Patents filed 14

Patents awarded 27

Key Result Area: Quality of staff capacity

Entity Number Percentage

Master’s PhD Master’s PhD

RISA (incl. SAASTA) 18 : 204 8 : 204 9% 4%


(excl. SAASTA and SAEON)

21 : 438 31 : 438 5% 7%

70 71

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Human resources and transformation perspective

Transformation, in particular changing the demographic profile of

the organisation, is one of the foci of the NRF strategic priority,

organisational transformation. The graphs that follow give an

indication of organisational demographics:

Key Result Area: Organisational demographics

The status and representation of NRF employees by occupational level as at 31 March 2004

Occupational level Men Women Total


Top management 5 2 0 10 0 1 1 2 21

Senior management 9 3 1 20 0 2 1 17 53

Professionally qualified and experienced

specialists and mid-management

20 15 4 67 13 10 5 31 165

Skilled technical and academically

qualified workers, junior management,

supervisors, foremen and superintendents

6 21 1 33 5 16 4 19 105

Semi-skilled and discretionary decision-

making

29 45 0 11 31 14 4 52 186

Unskilled and defined decision-making 20 18 0 0 8 18 1 0 65

Total Permanent 89 104 6 141 57 61 16 121 595

Non-permanent employees 9 4 1 17 3 4 1 8 47

Total 98 108 7 158 60 65 17 129 642


72 73

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Black and women managers and researchers

National Research Facilities and RISA (excl. SAASTA)

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72 73

The equity and redress profile per NRF business unit

Business Unit Men Women Total


HartRAO 19 0 0 16 3 0 1 8 47

HMO 1 4 1 9 1 3 0 2 21

iThemba LABS 15 76 1 79 12 45 0 21 249

SAAO 13 20 0 27 1 8 5 5 79

SAASTA 6 1 1 6 5 2 1 10 32

SAIAB 5 2 0 10 5 1 0 18 41

RISA 39 5 4 11 35 7 10 62 173

Total 98 108 7 158 62 66 17 126 642

HARVESTING

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Financial report

Seeds sown with forethought,

and cared for diligently,

sustain generations to come.

74 75

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76 Statement of responsibility by the Board of Directors

77 Report of the Audit Committee

78 Report of the Auditor-General

80 Income statement

81 Balance sheet

82 Statement of changes in funds

83 Cash flow statement

84 Accounting policies

86 Notes to the annual financial statements

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The Board is responsible for the preparation, integrity and fair

presentation of the annual financial statements of the National

Research Foundation (NRF). The Auditor-General is responsible for

independently reviewing and reporting on these financial statements

to Parliament.

The Auditor-General has audited the annual financial statements.

He was given unrestricted access to all financial records and related

data, including minutes of meetings of the Board of Directors

and committees of the Board. The Board believes that all the

representations made to the independent auditors during their audit

were valid and appropriate. The report of the Auditor-General is

presented on page 78. As reported, the NRF is complying with the

Public Finance Management Act of 1999 in all material aspects.

The annual financial statements for the year ended 31 March

2004, as presented on pages 80 to 101, have been prepared in

accordance with South African Statements of Generally Accepted

Accounting Practice, with the exception of AC116 in respect of

the provision of the full liability on the Post-retirement Healthcare

Benefit. Should the liability be provided in line with AC116, trade and

other payables in the balance sheet will increase by R28,0m and the

deficit in the income statement will increase by R28,0m. The annual

financial statements are based on appropriate accounting policies

which have been consistently applied and which are supported by

reasonable and prudent judgements and estimates. The going concern

basis has been adopted in preparing the annual financial statements.

The Board is also responsible for the NRF’s system of internal

controls. These are designed to provide reasonable but not absolute

assurance as to the reliability of the annual financial statements and

to adequately safeguard, verify and maintain accountability of assets.

These controls are monitored throughout the NRF by management

and employees with the necessary segregation of authority and

duties. Processes are in place to monitor internal controls, to identify

material breakdowns and implement timely corrective action.

An internal audit function assists members of executive

management to effectively discharge their responsibilities, including

compliance with the Public Finance Management Act, 1999

(PFMA). During the financial year under review, internal audits were

conducted to promote the safeguarding and control of the NRF’s

assets, and of the economical and efficient management of the

organisation’s resources and the effective performance of its functions.

A materiality and significant framework has been developed for

reporting losses through criminal conduct and irregular, fruitless and

wasteful expenditure, as well as for significant transactions envisaged

per section 54(2) of the PFMA that requires ministerial approval.

The framework was finalised after consultation with external

auditors and was formally approved by the NRF Board.

The NRF Board endorses, and during the period under review,

has applied, the Code of Corporate Practices and Conduct as set

out in the King II Report, as far as possible. The NRF is unable

to comply with some of the sections of the Code of Corporate

Practices and Conduct, which are in conflict with the National

Research Foundation Act (Act No. 23 of 1998). These sections

relate to the Board of Directors and associated issues. The NRF has

developed and implemented an Employment Equity and Redress

Policy. The NRF’s Code of Ethics commits the organisation to the

highest standards of behaviour and ethics in dealing with all its

stakeholders. By supporting the Code of Corporate Practices and

Conduct the NRF Board has recognised the need to conduct the

enterprise with integrity and in accordance with South African

Generally Accepted Corporate Practices.

Audit Committee meetings were held on 13 June 2003,

31 October 2003 and 15 March 2004.

The external auditors have free access to the Audit Committee.

The Audit Committee meets periodically with management and the

external auditors to review the financial statements and accounting

policies, the effectiveness of management information and other

systems of internal control, the effectiveness of the internal audit,

and to discuss the auditors’ findings.

The annual financial statements were approved by the Board on

6 July 2004 and are signed on its behalf by:

Prof B Reddy Dr K Mokhele

CHAIRPERSON PRESIDENT

Statement of responsibility by the Board of Directors

76 77

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Report of the Audit Committee

The audit committee has adopted appropriate formal terms of

reference, which have been confirmed by the NRF Board, and has

performed its responsibilities as set out in the terms of reference.

In performing its responsibilities, the audit committee has

reviewed the following:

• effectiveness of the internal control systems;

• effectiveness of the internal audit function;

• risk areas of the entity’s operations to be covered in the scope

of the internal and external audits;

• adequacy, reliability and accuracy of financial information

provided to management and other users of such information;

• accounting or auditing concerns identified as a result of the

internal or external audits;

• compliance with legal and regulatory provisions;

• activities of the internal audit function, including its annual

programme, co-ordination with the external auditors, the

reports of significant investigations and the responses of

management to specific recommendations;

• independence and objectivity of the external auditors;

• scope and results of the external audit function, its cost-

effectiveness and performance quality, as well as independence

and objectivity of the external auditors.

The audit committee is also responsible for:

• reporting to the NRF Board and the Auditor-General where a

report implicates any member(s) of the accounting authority in

fraud, corruption or gross negligence;

• communicating any concerns it deems necessary to the NRF

Board and the Auditor-General;

• confirming the internal auditors’ charter and internal audit plan;

• encouraging communication between members of the Board,

senior executive management, the internal auditors and the

external auditors;

• conducting investigations within its terms of reference;

• concurring with the appointment and dismissal of the

outsourced internal audit function;

• approving the internal audit work plan and the associated

costs;

• deciding whether or not an interim report should be subjected

for review by the external auditors; and

• setting the principles for the recommended use of the external

auditors for non-audit services.

The audit committee is satisfied that internal controls and systems

have been put in place and that these controls have functioned

effectively during the period under review. The audit committee

considers the NRF’s internal controls and systems appropriate in all

material respects to:

• reduce the entity’s risks to an acceptable level;

• meet the business objectives of the entity;

• ensure the entity’s assets are adequately safeguarded; and

• ensure that the transactions undertaken are recorded in the

entity’s records.

The audit committee has evaluated the annual financial

statements of the NRF for the year ended 31 March 2004 and

concluded that they comply, in all material respects, with the

requirements of the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (Act

No. 1 of 1999), as amended, as well as South African Statements of

Generally Accepted Accounting Practice. However, the NRF does

not comply with AC116 of the SA Statements of GAAP in respect

of the provision of the full liability on the Post-retirement Healthcare

Benefit. Should the liability be provided in line with AC116, trade

and other payables in the balance sheet will increase by R28,0m

and the deficit in the income statement will increase by R28,0m.

Investigations are under way to find the most appropriate and cost-

effective mechanism of managing this liability and providing the

necessary benefits to all employees concerned.

The audit committee agrees that the adoption of the going

concern premise is appropriate in preparing the annual financial

statements. It has therefore recommended the adoption of the

annual financial statements by the Board of Directors at their

meeting held on 6 July 2004.

Dr JL Job

Chairperson

23 June 200476 77

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Report of the Auditor-Generalto Parliamant on the financial statements of the National Research Foundation for the year ended 31 March 2004

Audit assignment

The financial statements as set out on pages 80 to 101, for the

year ended 31 March 2004, have been audited in terms of section

188 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996

(Act No. 108 of 1996), read with sections 3 and 5 of the Auditor-

General Act, 1995 (Act No. 12 of 1995) and section 18 of the

National Research Foundation Act, 1998 (Act No. 23 of 1998).

These financial statements, the maintenance of effective control

measures and compliance with relevant laws and regulations are

the responsibility of the accounting authority. My responsibility is

to express an opinion on these financial statements, based on the

audit.

Nature and scope

The audit was conducted in accordance with Statements of South

African Auditing Standards. Those standards require that I plan and

perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance that the financial

statements are free of material misstatement.

An audit includes:

• examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts

and disclosures in the financial statements;

• assessing the accounting principles used and significant

estimates made by management; and

• evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.

Furthermore, an audit includes an examination, on a test basis,

of evidence supporting compliance in all material respects with the

relevant laws and regulations, which came to my attention and are

applicable to financial matters.

I believe that the audit provides a reasonable basis for my

opinion.

Qualification

Post-retirement health medical aid benefit

Post-retirement medical aid benefits are provided for retirees. The

National Research Foundation (NRF) opted to recognise this post-

retirement medical aid liability as an expense on a straight-line basis

over a five-year period that commenced in 2002.

An actuarial valuation was performed as at 30 September 2003

and the valuation indicated that the unfunded liability has increased

to R77,481 million compared to R43,045 million for the previous

financial year. For the financial year ended 31 March 2004 an

amount of R35,25 million (2002/2003: R22,385 million) has

been provided. The post-retirement medical aid liability is therefore

understated by an amount of R27,983 million.

NRF has approached the Department of Science and Technology

for assistance to resolve this deteriorating situation.

Qualified audit opinion

In my opinion, except for the effect on the financial statements

of the matter referred to in the above paragraph, the financial

statements fairly present, in all material respects, the financial

position of the National Research Foundation at 31 March 2004

78 79

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78 79

and the results of its operations and cash flows for the year then

ended, in accordance with generally accepted accounting practice

and in the manner required by the Public Finance Management

Act, 1999 (Act No. 1 of 1999).

Emphasis of matter

Without further qualifying the audit opinion expressed above,

attention is drawn to the following matter:

Audit certificates supporting grant claims – Research and

Innovation Support and Advancement

A number of institutions have not submitted audit certificates

supporting grant claims for the financial year ended 31 March 2004.

The total value of grants for which no audit certificates have been

obtained amounts to R10,6 million, compared to R8,0 million in

the 2002/2003 financial year. Audit certificates relating to the

2002/2003 financial year still outstanding, amount to R406 391.

Information Technology Audit

An information technology (IT) audit was performed on the

general controls review (GCR).

A number of weaknesses were identified, the most significant of

which were the following:

• formal IT security policies have not yet been finalised to

provide for the overall direction and implementation of

information security;

• a formal change control policy and procedures are not in

place. Without a document/formal change control policy

encompassing clear details and guidelines on procedures to

follow regarding all changes, inconsistent procedures may be

followed and the risk of undetected unauthorised changes

increase; and

• there is no company-wide Business Continuity Plan. There is

a draft Disaster Recovery Plan for the recovery of IT systems

in the event of a disaster. This has, however, not yet been

formally completed and approved by management.

Weaknesses pertaining to IT security policies, change control

and programmers’ access to the production environment raised

concerns regarding the integrity of the data.

Appreciation

The assistance rendered by the staff of the National Research

Foundation during the audit is sincerely appreciated.

N Manik

For the Auditor-General

Pretoria

14 July 2004

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Income statementfor the year ended 31 March 2004

Notes 2004 2003

R’000 R’000

Government grants 3 378 966 336 431

Other income 353 850 289 551

Total income 1 732 816 625 982

Grants and bursaries 1 (490 663) (396 965)

Salaries 1 (126 330) (106 942)

Other expenses (119 662) (102 320)

Net (deficit) unspent funds for the year 1 (3 839) 19 755

80 81

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Balance sheetas at 31 March 2004

Notes 2004 2003

R’000 R’000

Assets

Non-current assets 197 439 206 334

Property and equipment 4 125 339 131 282

Investment 5 58 250 58 250

Retirement benefit fund deficit 13 719 16 544

Staff loans 6 131 258

Current assets 554 280 435 122

Inventory 7 1 878 1 846

Grants and bursaries paid in advance 63 763 119 317

Trade and other receivables 8 31 311 35 309

Short-term portion of staff loans 6 403 765

Bank balances and cash 9 456 925 277 885

Total Assets 751 719 641 456

Funds and Liabilities

Funds and reserves 245 083 253 625

Income funds 119 744 123 583

General capital fund 1 903 1 903

Deferred income 123 436 128 139

Non-current liabilities 180 680 134 950

Trust funds 10 180 680 134 950

Current liabilities 325 956 252 881

Accrued grants and bursaries 204 276 198 345

Grants and bursaries payable 335 209

Trade and other payables 11 75 373 23 124

Provisions 12 45 972 31 203

Total Funds and Liabilities 751 719 641 45680 81

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Statement of changes in fundsfor the year ended 31 March 2004

Accumulated

fund

Contingency

fund SALT fund

General

capital fund

Deferred

income TotalR’000* R’000* R’000* R’000 R’000 R’000

Balance as at 31 March 2002

40 875 3 465 52 500 273 130 086 227 199

Net unspent funds for the year

19 755 –. –. –. –. 19 755

Funds transferred from SAASTA

5 258 1 730 –. 1 630 –. 8 618

Transfer to SALT fund (5 750) –. 5 750 –. –. –.

Acquisition of fixed assets (Note 3)

–. –. –. –. 12 751 12 751

Allocated to income (Note 3)

–. –. –. –. (14 698) (14 698)


60 138 5 195 58 250 1 903 128 139 253 625

Net deficit for the year (3 839) –. –. –. –. (3 839)

Transfer from contingency fund

3 179 (3 179) –. –. –. –.

Acquisition of fixed assets (Note 3)

–. –. –. –. 12 347 12 347

Allocated to income (Note 3)

–. –. –. –. (17 050) (17 050)


59 478 2 016 58 250 1 903 123 436 245 083

* These balances are included under income funds totalling R119,7 million (2003: R123,6 million).82 83

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Cash flow statementfor the year ended 31 March 2004

Notes 2004 2003

R’000 R’000

Operating activities

Cash receipts from government 374 263 334 484

Cash receipts from other sources 343 464 256 352

Cash paid to grantholders (429 052) (354 653)

Cash paid to suppliers and employees (158 272) (185 728)

Cash generated by operations 19 130 403 50 455

Interest received 14 384 15 515

Interest paid (105) (112)

Funds transferred from SAASTA – 8 618

Increase in trust funds 45 730 84 481

Net cash from operating activities 190 412 158 957

Investing activities

Increase in investments –. (5 750)

Acquisition of property and equipment (12 318) (15 750)

Replacement of property and equipment (1 017) (1 931)

Additions to property and equipment (11 301) (10 986)

Transferred from SAASTA – (2 833)

Proceeds from sale of property and equipment 457 156

Decrease (increase) in staff loans 489 (101)

Net cash used in investing activities (11 372) (21 445)

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 179 040 137 512

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year 277 885 140 373

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year 20 456 925 277 885

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Accounting policiesfor the year ended 31 March 2004

Basis of preparation

The annual financial statements are prepared on the historical cost

basis and incorporate the following principal accounting policies,

which have been consistently applied in all material respects

unless stated otherwise. The annual financial statements comply

with Statements of Generally Accepted Accounting Practice in all

material respects, except for AC116 in respect of the provision for

the full liability on the Post-retirement Healthcare Benefit (Note 17).

Government grants and contributions

Government grants and contributions are recognised in the

income statement in the period to which the grant or contribution

relates. The portion of government grants utilised to acquire non-

depreciable property and equipment is transferred to the general

capital fund. The portion of government grants utilised to acquire

depreciable property and equipment is allocated to income over

the periods and in the proportions in which depreciation on those

property and equipment is charged.

Property and equipment and depreciation

Property and equipment are shown at cost and, where appropriate,

are depreciated on the straight-line basis at rates which are deemed

reasonable for the asset to be written off over its estimated useful

life. Land is stated at cost and provision is made to recognise any

permanent decline in value. All assets costing R1 000 or less, as

well as computer software, are written off when purchased. Self-

constructed property and equipment are stated at cost, which

includes all costs necessarily incurred to bring the assets to the

condition and location essential for their intended use. Costs, which

include salaries and overhead expenses, have been capitalised as

from 1 October 1993. No retrospective adjustments were made as

no reasonable estimates of costs incurred prior to 1 October 1993

could be made.

The depreciation rates are:

Buildings 2% – 4%

Research equipment 2% – 20%

Administrative computer equipment 33%

Office equipment 20%

Office furniture 10%

Motor vehicles 20%

Inventories

Inventories are valued on the first-in-first-out basis at the lower of

cost and net realisable value.

Financial instruments

Financial assets

The NRF’s principal financial assets are bank balances and cash,

trade receivables and equity investments. Trade receivables are

stated at their nominal value as reduced by appropriate allowances

for estimated irrecoverable amounts.

Investments, where the NRF is not in a position to exercise

significant influence or joint control, are stated at cost less

impairment losses recognised, where the investment’s carrying

amount exceeds its estimated recoverable amount.

Financial liabilities and equity instruments

Financial liabilities and equity instruments are classified according

to the substance of the contractual arrangements entered into.

Significant financial liabilities include trade and other payables.

Foreign currency transactions

Transactions in foreign currencies are accounted for at the rates of

exchange ruling on the date of the transaction. Assets and liabilities

in foreign currencies are accounted for at the rates of exchange

ruling at the balance sheet date. Exchange differences arising from

conversion are recognised in the income statement in the period in

which they occur.84 85

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Grants and bursaries

Grants and bursaries are recognised in the income statement in the

period to which the commitments relate.

Retirement benefit costs

The cost of providing retirement benefits under the defined

benefit plans is determined by using an accrued benefit valuation

method. Current service cost is recognised as an expense in the

current period. Past service costs, experience adjustments, the

effects of changes in actuarial assumptions, and the effects of plan

amendments in respect of existing employees, are recognised as an

expense or as income systematically over the expected remaining

working lives of those employees. The effects of plan amendments

in respect of retired employees, are measured as the present value

of the effect of the amended benefits and are recognised as an

expense or as income in the period in which the plan amendment

is made.

Investments

Investments are carried in the balance sheet at cost less any

provisions for permanent diminution in value.

Segments

All segment revenue and expenses are directly attributable to the

segments. Segment assets include all operating assets used by a

segment and consist principally of property and equipment, as well

as current assets. Segment liabilities include all operating liabilities

and consist principally of trade creditors. These assets and liabilities

are all directly attributable to the segments. Segment revenue,

expenses and results include transfers between business segments

and between geographical segments. Such transfers are accounted

for at competitive market prices charged to unaffiliated customers

for similar goods. These transfers are eliminated on consolidation.

Taxation

The NRF is exempt from paying normal taxation.

Provisions

Provisions are recognised when the following conditions have

been met:

• the NRF has a present legal or constructive obligation to

transfer economic benefits as a result of past events; and

• a reasonable estimate of the obligation can be made.

A present obligation is considered to exist when the NRF has no

realistic alternative but to make the transfer of economic benefits.

The amount recognised as a provision is the best estimate at

the balance sheet date of the expenditure required to settle the

obligation. Only expenditure related to the purpose for which the

provision is raised is charged against the provision.

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2004 2003

R’000 R’000

1. Net (deficit) unspent funds for the year

Income

Government grants (refer Note 3) 378 966 336 431

Contributions 329 418 265 584


Other income 9 872 8 824

Total income 732 816 625 982

Expenditure

Audit fees 877 876

Regularity auditing 830 837

Under-provision previous year 47 39

Books and journals 1 675 2 045

Computer requisites 3 162 2 191

Depreciation (refer Note 4) 17 380 14 535

Buildings 1 647 1 636

Research equipment 10 847 9 209

Administrative computer equipment 3 223 2 453

Office furniture and equipment 1 012 767

Motor vehicles 651 470

Electricity 5 246 3 998

Fees for services 20 523 15 796

Technical 20 041 14 807

Administrative 482 989

Grants and bursaries 490 663 396 965

Interest paid 105 112

Loss on foreign exchange transactions 426 199

Notes to the annual financial statementsfor the year ended 31 March 2004

86 87

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2004 2003

R’000 R’000

Loss on disposal of property and equipment 453 167

Research equipment 467 256

Administrative computer equipment 21 2

Office furniture and equipment 2 (7)

Motor vehicles (37) (84)

Printing and stationery 4 948 2 853

Purchases 4 909 5 694

Repairs and maintenance 5 627 6 521

Salaries 126 330 106 942

Subsistence and travel 12 961 11 107

Telephone, data lines, faxes and postage 3 024 2 843

Uninet data lines 1 022 803

Post-retirement healthcare benefits 16 459 15 443

Other expenditure 21 154 17 521

Salaries and overheads capitalised (289) (384)

Salaries (155) (243)

Accommodation costs, insurance (14) (11)

Computer requisites (2) (1)

Depreciation (29) (30)

Purchases (81) (92)

Telephone, data lines, faxes and postage (8) (7)

Total expenditure 736 655 606 227

Net (deficit) unspent funds for the year (3 839) 19 755

86 87

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2. Board members’ and Executive members’ remuneration

Non-executive Board members’ fees 90 76

Executive Board members’ and Executive members’ remuneration 8 580 7 360

Salaries 6 790 5 993

Benefits 1 460 1 088

Bonuses (13th cheque) 330 279

Total 8 670 7 436

3. Government grants

Government grants received 374 263 334 484

Portion of government grants utilised to acquire depreciable property and

equipment during the year allocated to deferred income (refer Note 4) (12 347) (12 947)

Portion of deferred income recognised in the income statement 17 050 14 894

Government grants (refer Note 1) 378 966 336 431

4. Property and equipment

CostAccumulatedDepreciation

Carryingamount

R’000 R’000 R’000

2004

Land and buildings 41 683 7 438 34 245

Research equipment 114 022 33 624 80 398

Administrative computer equipment 13 235 8 968 4 267

Office furniture and equipment 7 889 3 565 4 324

Motor vehicles 4 308 2 203 2 105

181 137 55 798 125 339


88 89

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4. Property and equipment (continued)

CostAccumulatedDepreciation

Carryingamount

R’000 R’000 R’000

2003

Land and buildings 41 557 5 790 35 767

Research equipment 107 517 22 837 84 680

Administrative computer equipment 11 379 5 789 5 590

Office furniture and equipment 5 998 2 575 3 423

Motor vehicles 3 487 1 665 1 822

169 938 38 656 131 282

Land andbuildings

Researchequipment

Administrativecomputer

equipment

Office furniture and

equipmentMotor

vehicles TotalR’000 R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000

Cost

At beginning of the year 41 557 107 517 11 379 5 998 3 487 169 938

Additions during the year (refer Note 3) 126 7 307 1 934 1 932 1 048 12 347Disposals during the year – (802) (78) (41) (227) (1 148)

At the end of the year 41 683 114 022 13 235 7 889 4 308 181 137

Accumulated depreciationAt beginning of the year 5 790 22 837 5 789 2 575 1 665 38 656

Depreciation for the year (refer Note 1) 1 647 10 847 3 223 1 012 651 17 380Disposals during the year 1 (60) (44) (22) (113) (238)

At the end of the year 7 438 33 624 8 968 3 565 2 203 55 798

Carrying amount 34 245 80 398 4 267 4 324 2 105 125 33988 89

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2004 2003

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Land and buildings

Portion 1 of the farm Scientia No. 627, Pretoria, with buildings thereon 7 183 7 057

At cost on 1 October 1990 6 244 6 244

Improvements – 1991 to 2001 1 751 1 751

Write-off – 2000 (1 186) (1 186)

Improvements – 2002 84 84


Improvements – 2004 126 –

Portion 4 of the farm No. 996, Blue Downs, Stellenbosch, with buildings thereon 29 796 29 796

At cost on 1 April 1991 39 120 39 120

Improvements – 1992 to 1999 3 123 3 123

Write-off – 2000 (12 447) (12 447)

Portion 6 of the farm Kuilenburg No. 96, Sutherland, with buildings thereon 1 603 1 603

At cost on 1 April 1991 2 854 2 854


Write-off – 1995 to 2000 (1 436) (1 436)


Erf 26423, Observatory, Cape Town, with buildings thereon 1 106 1 106

At cost on 1 April 1991 1 964 1 964

Write-off – 2000 (858) (858)

Leasehold premises 38 38


Write-off – 2000 (12) (12)

Erf 252 and 243, Hermanus, with buildings thereon 327 327




90 91

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2004 2003

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Stand No. 2859, Pretoria, with buildings thereon 1 630 1 630

At cost on 1 December 2002 1 630 1 630

Total land and buildings 41 683 41 557

The land and buildings situated in Pretoria are subject to a pre-emptive right in favour of the CSIR should the NRF decide to sell the property and will revert back to the CSIR for no consideration should the NRF be disbanded.

5. Investment

Unlisted:

SALT Foundation (Pty) Ltd (7 127 410 ordinary shares, 40,68% shareholding) (2003: 7 127 410 ordinary shares, 45,49% shareholding):

Shares at cost 58 250 58 250

Directors’ valuation of investment 58 250 58 250

6. Staff loans

Total staff loans 534 1 023

Short-term portion (403) (765)

Long-term portion 131 258

54,0% of the total staff loans consist of interest-bearing loans, at an average interest rate of 12,0%. The short-term portion of staff loans is repayable within the next 12 months, while the long-term portion is repayable within the next 24 months.

7. Inventory

Consumable stores and maintenance spares 1 878 1 84690 91

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2004 2003

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8. Trade and other receivables

Trade receivables 17 073 27 101

Prepayments 1 328 1 553

Receiver of Revenue – VAT 353 274

Other receivables 12 557 6 381

Total trade and other receivables 31 311 35 309

The carrying amount of accounts receivable and prepayments is considered to approximate their fair value.

Financial assets, which potentially subject the NRF to concentrations of credit risk, consist principally of cash, short-term deposits and trade receivables. The NRF’s cash equivalents and short-term deposits are placed with high-credit quality financial institutions. Trade receivables presented in the balance sheet are net of allowances for doubtful receivables, estimated by management based on prior experience and the current economic environment. Credit risk with respect to trade receivables is limited due to the large number of customers comprising the NRF’s customer base and their dispersion across different industries and geographical areas. Accordingly, the NRF has no significant concentration of credit risk.

The NRF does not have any significant exposure to any individual customer or counterparty.

9. Bank balances and cash

Bank balances and cash comprise cash, funds on call and short-term deposits. The carrying amount of these assets approximates their fair value.The NRF has guarantee facilities of R2 000 000 of which R400 000 has been used in favour of the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority, effective from September 2000. This project was completed in the prior year.


92 93

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2004 2003

R’000 R’000

10. Trust funds

Department of Trade and Industry trust fund

Balance at the beginning of the year 34 164 50 163

Contributions received 134 930 135 684


Repaid to the dti (16 608) (7 007)

Grants paid (136 683) (151 203)

Expenses paid (7 662) –

Balance at the end of the year 12 154 34 164

Von Humboldt trust fund

Balance at the beginning of the year 359 328

Interest received 17 31

Grants paid (118) –

Closed account and paid Von Humboldt Foundation (258) –

Balance at the end of the year – 359

Innovation Fund trust fund

Balance at the beginning of the year 100 427 –

Transferred from DST – (16 688)

Contributions received 184 450 169 995

Grants cancelled 1 311 10 569

Grants repaid 4 671 –


Grant debtor 7 589 –

Grants paid (129 065) (66 218)

Expenses paid (10 598) (1 336)

Balance at the end of the year 168 526 100 427

Total trust funds 180 680 134 95092 93

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2004 2003

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11. Trade and other payables

Trade payables 12 660 7 073

Other payables 62 713 16 051

Total trade and other payables 75 373 23 124

The carrying amount of trade and other payables is considered to approximate their fair value.

12. Provisions

Bonusprovision

Retirementbenefit

provisionLeave payprovision Total

R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000

2004

Opening balance 1 547 22 385 7 271 31 203

Charged to income statement – – (635) (635)

Additional provision 52 13 340 2 012 15 404

Closing balance 1 599 35 725 8 648 45 972

2003

Opening balance 1 374 9 886 7 104 18 364

Charged to income statement (45) – (1 361) (1 406)

Additional provision 218 12 499 1 528 14 245

Closing balance 1 547 22 385 7 271 31 203


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2004 2003

R’000 R’000

13. Grants and bursary commitments

Grant and bursary commitments for 2004/2005 507 075 534 815

14. Contingent liabilities

Litigation claim 2 500 2 500

These outstanding litigation claims relate to two claims by patients who were treated in 1998 for cancer at iThemba LABS, which are being contested by the NRF’s insurers and is covered by the Professional Indemnity insurance policy.

15. Capital commitments

Contracted 5 987 5 805

The capital expenditure will be financed from internal funds.

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16. Uncovered foreign currency monetary itemsThere were no significant foreign currency transactions not covered

by forward exchange contracts at the end of the year.

17. Retirement benefitsRetirement benefits are provided for employees through the

National Research Foundation Pension and Provident Funds. The

new NRF funds provide guaranteed benefits in line with former

funds in respect of former employees of the CSD, the FRD and

the JLBSI. Employees who joined from 1 October 1999, and

HMO staff who transferred from the CSIR, are covered under new

defined contribution arrangements of the NRF Pension Fund. All

employees contribute to NRF funds, with the exception of those

employees who are on fixed-term contracts of a short duration.

Staff from SAASTA were transferred to the defined contribution

section of the NRF Pension Fund with effect from 1 October 2003.

17.1 Benefit structures

The revised rules of the Fund have been drafted to accommodate

the benefit structures of the various categories’ members. The

benefit structures have been included in the rules as follows:

Main rules: These are largely the old Foundation for Research

Development (FRD) Pension Fund rules and stipulate the benefit

structure in respect of employees of iThemba LABS, the SAAO,

HartRAO and RISA who were employed prior to 1 October 1999.

Annexure A: This section allows for pensioners who were

receiving pensions from the AIPF and transferred, as pensioners, to

the FRD Pension Fund in January 1995.

Annexure B: This section allows for members who terminated

service with the FRD prior to 1 January 1995, became dormant

members of the AIPF and then elected to become deferred

pensioners of the FRD Pension Fund from 1 January 1995.

Annexure C: This section applies to members who were

employed by the NRF with effect from 1 October 1999 and

HMO employees who transferred from the CSIR with effect from

1 April 2001, and SAASTA staff who were transferred from the

Museum Pension and Provident Fund in October 2003.

Annexure D – Part 1: This section stipulates the benefit

structure applicable to former CSD employees who had elected to

remain on a defined benefit basis in the HSRC Pension Fund and

transferred to the NRF Pension Fund on 1 April 1999.

Annexure D – Part 2: This section stipulates the benefit

structure applicable to former CSD employees who had elected to

convert to a defined contribution basis in the HSRC Pension Fund

and transferred to the NRF Pension Fund on 1 April 1999.

Annexure E: This section applies to employees of the SAIAB

who transferred from Rhodes University Pension Fund to the NRF

Pension Fund on 1 April 1999.

17.2 Contribution rates and funding level

The contribution rates are in line with the inherited benefit

structures as follows:

• Ex-FRD Pension Fund members (iThemba LABS, the SAAO,

HartRAO and RISA) employed from 1 October 1999: 24,2%

of pensionable salaries of which members contribute 7,5%;

• Ex-Rhodes University Pension Fund members (SAIAB) who

transferred to the NRF Pension Fund on 1 April 1999: 22,5%

of pensionable salaries of which members contribute 7,5%;

• Ex-HSRC Pension Fund members who transferred to the NRF

Pension Fund on 1 April 1999: 21,5%, 23,5% and 27,5%

(depending on benefit category) of which members contribute

7,5%; and

• New NRF employees who joined 1 October 1999: 22,0% of

pensionable salaries of which members contribute 7,5%.

Included in the deficit for the year are expenses in respect of

retirement benefit costs of R11,2m (2003: R9,8m).

The fund is administered by Alexander Forbes Consultants and

Actuaries in terms of the Pension Fund Act No. 24 of 1956, as

amended.

The fund will be actuarially valued at intervals of not more


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than three years. At inception, it has inherited the deficits of its

predecessor funds. The under-funding was mainly from the FRD

Pension and Provident Funds and the Associated Institutions

Pension Fund. The under-funding from the Rhodes University

Pension and Provident Funds will be made good in instalments

of R0,5m over three years of which the first payment has been

processed in the 2003/04 financial year.

The effective date of the last actuarial valuation of the NRF

Pension and Provident Funds was 30 September 2003. The

actuarial present value of promised retirement benefits as at

30 September 2003 was R102,9m (30 September 2002: R87,2m).

The fair value of the plan assets as at 30 September 2003

was R86,9m (30 September 2002: R83,5m). The funds were

underfunded by an amount of R16,0m (2002: R3,7m) and the

combined funding level was 84,5% as at 30 September 2003 (30

September 2002: 95,8%).

The principal actuarial assumptions used in determining the cost

of retirement benefits were:

• the discount rate assumed in determining the actuarial present

value of promised benefits reflects the long-term rates at which

the obligations are expected to be settled;

• plan assets are valued at fair value;

• salary increases to the date of termination reflect factors such

as inflation and promotion; and

• automatic retirement benefit increases are taken into account.

The past service costs are expensed over the remaining working

lives of employees and the resulting asset amounts to R13,7m

(2003: R16,5m).

17.3 Post-retirement healthcare benefits

Post-retirement healthcare benefits are provided for retirees. The

entitlement of these benefits is usually based on the employee

remaining in service up to retirement age and the completion of the

minimum service period. The NRF’s liability in this regard amounts

to R77,5m (2003: R43,0m) based on a valuation undertaken as at

30 September 2003.

The principal actuarial assumptions applied in determination of

fair values include:

CPI inflation 5,75% p.a.

Healthcare cost inflation 7,75% p.a.

Discount rate 9,75% p.a.

Normal retirement age 60

Expected average retirement age 58,8

Included in the deficit for the year is a provision of R13,3m

(2003: R12,5m) in respect of those liabilities.

The NRF has opted to recognise its post-retirement healthcare

liability as an expense on a straight line basis over five years with

effect from the 2002 financial year. The projected increase in the

liability for each year since the valuation at 30 September 2000

was recognised as an expense in total in each year. No provision

is made for the increase in the liability of R28,0m as per the

30 September 2003 valuation. Should the liability be provided,

trade and other payables in the balance sheet will increase by

R28,0m and the deficit in the income statement will increase by

R28,0m. The unprovided for post-retirement healthcare liability at

31 March 2004 is R41,8m (2003: R20,6m).

Investigations are under way to find the most appropriate and

cost-effective mechanism of managing this liability and providing

the necessary benefits to all employees.

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18. Interest rate risk

Floatinginterest rate

Non-interestbearing Total

R’000 R’000 R’000

2003

Total financial assets 314 217 177 567 491 784

Total financial liabilities – (356 628) (356 628)

314 217 (179 061) 135 156

2004

Assets

Bank balances and cash 456 925 – 456 925

Trade and other receivables 31 311 – 31 311

Staff loans 534 – 534

Grants and bursaries paid in advance – 63 763 63 763

Shares – 58 250 58 250

Total financial assets 488 770 122 013 610 783

Liabilities

Trade and other payables – (75 373) (75 373)

Grants and bursaries payable – (335) (335)

Accrued grants and bursaries – (204 276) (204 276)

Trust funds – (180 680) (180 680)

Total financial liabilities – (460 664) (460 664)

488 770 (338 651) 150 119


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2004 2003

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19. Reconciliation of net unspent funds for the year to cash

generated from operations

Net (deficit) unspent funds for the year (3 839) 19 755

Adjusted for:

Deferred income (4 703) (1 947)

Interest received (14 560) (15 143)

Depreciation 17 351 14 505

Total depreciation 17 380 14 535

Depreciation capitalised (29) (30)

Interest paid 105 112

Loss on disposal of property and equipment 453 167

Operating (deficit) unspent funds before working capital changes (5 193) 17 449

Working capital changes 135 596 33 006

Decrease in retirement benefit fund deficit 2 825 1 594

Increase in inventory (32) (246)

Decrease in grants and bursaries paid in advance 55 554 66 902

Decrease (increase) in trade and other receivables 4 174 (18 056)

Increase (decrease) in accrued grants and bursaries 5 931 (24 555)

Increase (decrease) in grants and bursaries payable 126 (35)

Increase in trade and other payables and provisions 67 018 7 402

Cash generated by operations 130 403 50 455

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2004 2003

R’000 R’000

20. Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year

Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash on hand and balances with banks and investments in money market instruments. Cash and cash equivalents included in the cash flow statement comprise the following balance sheet amounts:

Funds on call and on deposit 365 161 190 001

Bank balances and cash 91 764 87 884

Cash and cash equivalents 456 925 277 885


100 101

21. Financial information by segmentFor management purposes, the NRF is currently organised into the

following segments and these segments are the basis on which the

NRF reports its primary segment information:

Research and Innovation Support and Advancement (RISA):

This segment’s main business is to provide for the promotion of

research, both basic and applied, and the extension and transfer of

knowledge in the various fields of Science and Technology.

iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Sciences

(iThemba LABS): This National Research Facility provides

advanced, viable, multi-disciplinary facilities for training, research

and services in the fields of nuclear science and radiation medicine

for the pride and benefit of all the people of Africa.

South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO): This

National Research Facility performs fundamental research in

astronomy and astrophysics at a national and international level.

SAAO is the National Research Facility for optical/infrared

astronomy in South Africa.

Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO):

This National Research Facility was established as the national

facility for radio astronomy research in South Africa. Today its

primary function is the support of research and training in radio

astronomy and space geodesy.

South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB):

This National Research Facility serves as a research hub for aquatic

biodiversity in southern Africa by housing and developing the

National Fish Collection and associated resource collections as

research tools and sources of aquatic biodiversity data. It also

generates knowledge on aquatic biodiversity through interactive

and collaborative scientific research, and disseminates scientific

knowledge at all levels.

Hermanus Magnetic Observatory (HMO): This National

Research Facility is part of a worldwide network of magnetic

observatories that monitor and model variations of the Earth’s

magnetic field. HMO’s activities also include fundamental and

applied space physics research, and the provision of geomagnetic

field-related services on a commercial basis.

South African Agency for Science and Technology

Advancement (SAASTA): SAASTA is positioned as an agency in

advancing the public awareness, appreciation and understanding of

Science, Engineering and Technology in South Africa, as well as the

integration of science promotion activities across the NRF.

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21. Financial information by segment (continued)

RISA iThemba LABS SAAO HartRAO SAIAB HMO SAASTA Total

2004 2003 2004 2003 2004 2003 2004 2003 2004 2003 2004 2003 2004 2003 2004 2003R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000

Revenue

Government grants 255 754 237 020 77 827 65 674 17 193 14 581 8 950 9 432 7 625 3 688 3 559 3 478 8 058 2 558 378 966 336 431

Contributions 309 051 248 960 4 550 6 273 2 277 2 375 – – 4 435 4 655 – – 9 105 3 321 329 418 265 584

Other income 14 130 15 305 2 112 2 013 1 197 837 158 288 673 344 2 566 2 748 3 596 2 432 24 432 23 967

Total income 578 935 501 285 84 489 73 960 20 667 17 793 9 108 9 720 12 733 8 687 6 125 6 226 20 759 8 311 732 816 625 982

Expenses

Salaries 37 040 33 368 50 184 45 078 13 531 11 272 6 982 6 249 7 511 5 312 3 984 3 576 7 098 2 087 126 330 106 942

Running costs 35 443 35 313 29 104 29 628 9 673 7 791 3 731 3 393 5 753 4 361 1 632 1 693 15 479 4 749 100 815 86 928

Grants and bursaries 489 440 396 477 – – – – – – – – 13 31 1 210 457 490 663 396 965

Other expenses 2 571 3 540 13 669 11 692 865 953 715 584 372 (1 638) 210 98 445 163 18 847 15 392

Total expenses 564 494 468 698 92 957 86 398 24 069 20 016 11 428 10 226 13 636 8 035 5 839 5 398 24 232 7 456 736 655 606 227

Net (deficit) unspent funds 14 441 32 587 (8 468) (12 438) (3 402) (2 223) (2 320) (506) (903) 652 286 828 (3 473) 855 (3 839) 19 755

Property and equipment

Additions 1 616 1 116 4 786 8 835 1 362 1 300 2 847 442 513 708 1 026 348 197 198 12 347 12 947

Depreciation (1 787) (1 809) (12 819) (10 559) (1 065) (1 029) (695) (660) (374) (221) (274) (114) (366) (143) (17 380) (14 535)

Assets 540 098 427 757 102 039 114 163 9 304 9 389 7 641 7 063 12 567 9 733 3 955 2 586 17 865 12 515 693 469 583 206

Investment 58 250 58 250 – – – – – – – – – – – – 58 250 58 250

Liabilities 453 685 350 522 23 485 17 830 8 619 5 599 3 597 2 649 5 531 7 782 588 408 10 355 3 041 505 860 387 831

Number of employees 137 179 249 263 79 70 47 47 41 40 21 22 32 35 642 656

100 101

102

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nt

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at

io

n

AAAS American Association for the Advancement of

Science

ACEP African Coelacanth Ecosystem Programme

AIDS Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

BEE Black Economic Empowerment

BIPP Business and Industry Partnership Programme

BRICS Basic Research in Computer Science

CEED Chairs in Entrepreneurship and Enterprise

Development

CEIRD Centres of Excellence in Industrial Research and

Development

CHIETA Chemical Industries Education and Training

Authority

CODATA Committee on Data for Science and Technology

CoEs Centres of Excellence

CoP Communities of Practice

COSALC Coalition of South African Library Consortia

COTII Council of Trade and Industry Institutions

DACST Department of Arts, Culture, Science and

Technology

DoC Department of Communication

DoE Department of Education

DFA Department of Foreign Affairs

DST Department of Science and Technology

ED Executive director

ELTOSA Environmental Long-Term Observatories of

Southern Africa

FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation

FEST Foundation for Education, Science and Technology

FTE Full-time equivalent

GBIF Global Biodiversity Information Facility

GM General manager

GPS Global Positioning System (a constellation of

satellites for measuring precise positions on Earth)

HartRAO Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory

HDI Historically disadvantaged institution

HEI Higher education institution

HESS High-energy stereoscopic system

HIV Human immunodeficiency virus

HMO Hermanus Magnetic Observatory

HR Human resources

IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency

ICE International Chairs in Entrepreneurship

ICSU International Council for Science

ICT Information and communication technology

IFCO Innovation Fund Commercialisation Office

IGS International GPS service

IKS Indigenous knowledge systems

ILTER International Long-Term Environmental Research

IPR Intellectual property rights

ISI Institute for Scientific Information

ISL International Science Liaison

IT Information technology

iThemba LABS iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Sciences

KISC Key international science capacity

KMS Knowledge management system

KPAs Key Performance Areas

KPI Key Performance Indicator

KPIs Key Performance Indicators

MASTT Mathematics and Science Teachers’ Training

MCM Marine and Coastal Management

MD Managing director

MoU Memorandum of understanding

MRMC Major Radiation Medicine Centre

MSc Master of Science

MTEF Medium-term expenditure framework

NACI National Advisory Council on Innovation

NEPAD New Partnership for Africa’s Development

NGO Non-governmental organisation

No. Number

NRF National Research Foundation

NSF National Science Foundation

List of acronyms

103

Li

st

o

f

Ac

ro

ny

ms

NSFAS National Student Financial Aid Scheme

NSI National System of Innovation

NZG National Zoological Gardens

p.a. per annum

PCST-7 7th International Public Communication of Science

and Technology Conference

PFMA Public Finance Management Act

PhD Doctor of Philosophy

PMS Performance Management System

PUB Public Understanding of Biotechnology

PUSET Public Understanding of Science, Engineering and

Technology

R&D Research and development

RCD Research capacity development

RDS Research Development and Support

REDIBA Research Development Initiative for Black

Academics

RI Research Information

RISA Research and Innovation Support and

Advancement

ROI Return on investment

RPS Research Promotion and Support

S&T Science and Technology

SAAO South African Astronomical Observatory

SAASTA South African Agency for Science and Technology

Advancement

SABI South African Biosystematics Initiative

SABIF South African Biodiversity Information Facility

SADC Southern African Development Community

SAEON South African Environmental Observation Network

SAIAB South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity

SAIP South African Institute of Physics

SAK South African Knowledgebase

SALT Southern African Large Telescope

SANAP South African National Antarctic Programme

SAPSE South African Post-secondary Education

SARIMA South African Research and Innovation Managers’

Association

SASCON South African Science Communication Network

SAUVCA South African Universities Vice Chancellors’

Association

SET Science, engineering and technology

SETI Science, engineering and technology institution

SKA Square Kilometre Array

SLA Service level agreement

SLRS Satellite Laser Ranging System

SMME Small, medium and micro enterprises

SSC Separated Sector Cyclotron

SSH Social Sciences and Humanities

STAC Science and Technology Agreements Committee

TAI Technology Achievement Index

the dti Department of Trade and Industry

THRIP Technology and Human Resources for Industry

Programme

TIPTOP Technology Innovation Promotion through the

Transfer of People

UN United Nations

USAID US Agency for International Development

WDIF World Data and Information Framework

Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO)

near Krugersdorp

Tel: +27 12 326-0742

Fax: +27 12 326-0756

Web: www.hartrao.ac.za

MD: Prof. Justin Jonas

Hermanus Magnetic Observatory (HMO) in Hermanus

Tel: +27 28 312-1196

Fax: +27 28 312-2039

Web: www.hmo.ac.za

Manager: Dr Peter Sutcliffe

iTHEMBA Laboratory for Accelerator Based Sciences

(iThemba LABS) near Somerset West

Tel: +27 21 843-1000

Fax: +27 21 843-3525

Web: www.tlabs.ac.za

MD: Prof. John Sharpey-Schafer

National Zoological Gardens (NZG) of South Africa in

Pretoria

Tel: +27 12 328-3265

Fax: +27 12 323-4540

Web: www.zoo.org.za

MD: Mr Willie Labuschagne

Research and Innovation Support and Advancement (RISA)

in Pretoria

Tel: +27 12 481-4000

Fax: +27 12 349-1179

Web: www.nrf.ac.za

MD: RISA and Vice-president, NRF: Dr Gerhard van Gruenewaldt

South African Agency for Science and Technology

Advancement (SAASTA) in Pretoria

Tel: +27 12 392-9300

Fax: +27 12 320-7803

Web: www.saasta.ac.za

ED: Mrs Beverley Damonse

South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) in Cape

Town and at Sutherland

Tel: +27 21-447-0025

Fax: +27 21-447-3639

Web: www.saao.ac.za

Acting MD: Dr Peter Martinez

South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON)

in Pretoria

Tel: +27 12 481-4216

Fax: +27 12 481-4196

Web: www.nrf.ac.za/saeon

Head: Mr Johan Pauw

South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) in

Grahamstown

Tel: +27 46-603-5800

Fax: +27 46-622-2403

Web: www.saiab.ru.ac.za

MD: Prof. Paul Skelton

Contact information

For further information on aspects of this document, please contact Magdal Pienaar,

Manager: Corporate Performance Planning, Assessment and Benchmarking

Tel: +27 12 481-4070 / Fax: +27 12 481-4006

Email: [email protected]

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Should anyone wish to refer to the full

Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Report,

please access the NRF website at

www.nrf.ac.za.


www.nrf.ac.za

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