The CSIR: Council for Scientific and Scientific and Industrial Research Shaping a better future...

The CSIR: Council for Scientific and Scientific and

Industrial Research

Shaping a better future through research and development

Forestry Sector Skills Development Forum

Flic Blakeway

Forestry Competence AreaAugust 2008

© CSIR 2008 www.csir.co.za

In this presentation

• CSIR mandate and role• Organisational objectives

- Human capital- Science, engineering and technology (SET) base- Knowledge-generating research and technology transfer

• Management structure• Research and development (R&D) activities• Scarce research skills in the FTPP sector• Opportunities to improve research skills

http://www.csir.co.za/


The CSIR mandate

“The objects of the CSIR are, through directed and particularly

multidisciplinary research and technological innovation, to foster, in the national interest and in fields which in its

opinion should receive preference, industrial and scientific development, either by itself or in co-operation with principals from the private or public

sectors, and thereby to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of the people of the Republic, and to perform

any other functions that may be assigned to the CSIR by or under this Act.”

(Scientific Research Council Act 46 of 1988, amended by Act 71 of 1990)



Track record of S&T excellence

• CSIR established in October 1945• Engaged in technical innovation and

multidisciplinary research in support of national imperatives to serve industrial and socio-economic development

• Delivers R&D in support of private and public sectors

• Considerable contribution to national initiatives, strategies and projects

• Some 2 300 employees; main campus in Pretoria, plus operations in Johannesburg, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Port Elizabeth, Stellenbosch and Cape Town

• Strategic relationships with science peers in the region as well as internationally, and emphasis on links with tertiary education institutions (TEIs) with skills development objectives


The CSIR objectives


Organisational priorities

Building and transforming human capital

Strengthening the science and technology base

Performing relevant knowledge-generating research and

transferring technology and skilled human capital

Contributing to national

programme of development and fulfilling

mandate

Maintaining financial sustainability and good governance

}



Building and transforming human capital

Investing in our people• Proportion of Parliamentary Grant devoted to human capital

development (HCD)

• Professional growth through formal career planning and mentorship

• Encourage staff to improve qualifications- Master’s and Doctoral qualifications 2006/07: 28.4% with

highest number in 30-39 years age bracket (target: 39%)

• Use CSIR expertise and facilities to assist in mentoring Master’s and Doctoral students

• Demographics (research base): 36% black, 31% women



Strengthening the S&T base

Partners

• Member of Regional Research Alliance and Global Research Alliance, regional focal point for the World Association of Industrial and Technological Research Organizations (WAITRO)

• Engagement with TEIs aimed at skills development and collaboration

S&T outcomes

• Pursue research-intensive strategy, with emphasis on publication in peer-reviewed literature

• CSIR publication output 2006/07: 220

• International patents 2006/07: 12

• Technology demonstrators 2006/07: 49

• Advocate open access publishing

• Leading role in migration to open source software



Performing relevant knowledge- generating research and technology transfer• Support relevant national strategies, including

- Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative- European Union S&T Framework- National Biotechnology Strategy- National Nanotechnology Strategy

• R&D in support of NEPAD

• Public and private sector collaboration- Some 50% of contract R&D income supports

public sector strategies- Business sector is major performer and

financier of R&D – tax incentives could see this increase

• Patents

• Technology transfer

• Technology transfer for social impact


CSIR Management Structure

CSIR Board

CSIR President and Chief Executive Officer

Group Executive:

R&D

Group Executive:

R&D Outcomes and Human

Capital Development

Group Executive:Operations

Executive Director:Services

Chief Financial Officer

R&D

Information Services

R&D Outcomes

Human Capital

Development

Stakeholder Management and Research

Alliances

Operating Units & Research

Centres

Knowledge Services

Contract R&D Coordination

CSIR Shared Services

ST

RA

TE

GY

&

LE

AD

ER

SH

IPR

&D

CO

RE

Management structure

CSIR R&D activities

R&D conducted at the CSIR

• Research, development and innovation chain encompasses what the CSIR terms types A, B and C research- Guided by the Frascati Manual, the basic international source of methodology

for collecting and using R&D statistics• Type A : Directed basic or applied research that explores underlying

nature of systems • Type B: Experimental development that typically results in new

prototypes, which capture new knowledge into products, services or policies• Type C: Technology transfer, the first step of knowledge application

Basicresearch

Directedresearch

Develop-ment Impact

Tertiary education

institutions

Science councils

Industry


R&D conducted at the CSIR (continued)

Work undertaken in the following domains:

• Biosciences

• The built environment

• Defence, peace, safety and security

• Information and communications technology

• Laser technology

• Materials science and manufacturing

• Natural resources and the environment

• Space technology

• Specialised analysis and testing facilities

• New areas of research such as nanotechnology



Natural resources and the environment

• Forestry• Pollution and waste• Water resources• Ecosystems• Energy• Environmental assessment and

management• Mineral resources• Sustainability science

CSIR research in this field seeks to address challenges to sustainable development in South Africa, focusing

on the optimal utilisation of natural resources in

support of economic growth and human well-being



SET leadership

Competence management

Co

ntr

act

R&

D le

ader

ForestryFlic Blakeway

Tree Improvement (TI)Dr Steve Verryn

Wood ScienceDr Tammy Bush

Forest Assessment(Dr Tammy Bush/

Fibre ProcessingDr Tammy Bush

Forestry Competence Area –

operates within the Forest Resources Theme

Op

erat

ion

s &

SE

T m

anag

emen

t

Forestry and Forest Products (FFP)



• Economic growth of the FTPP sector• Impact in first and second economies• Increased benefit to small-scale growers• Sustainable plantation management• Strengthening research alliances and partnerships• Development of skills and depth in competence

Forestry Resources Theme – impact:

• generate knowledge for impact• build the required capacity and competence• research that integrates information across the plantation forestry and processing value chain

• Social• Economic• Environmental



• Engineers with a Research background: • Sector lacks people who understand aspects of

engineering (such as process / industrial / chemical engineering) with an in-depth knowledge / experience in research methodology

• Often one but not the other – leading to research that has minimal impact

• Product Development Engineers: • No skills exist (esp. within the pulp and paper industry

to do proper Product Development• Applied Scientists:

• Most of the applied scientists that South Africa has (very few of those!) landed in the Forestry sector by chance

• Many applied scientists are not trained in a Forestry environment as well – thus do not QUICKLY add value in their respective applied fields

Scarce research skills in the FTPP sector:



• Forest Economists and Resource Economists: • ALL so-called Forest Economists in South Africa are

improvised economists from other aspects of the economy.

• Forestry, with its longer outlook on investment and opportunities has a different outlook on business management

• Wood Scientists (MSc & PhD), Pulp and Paper Scientists: • There are no South African institutions training these

researchers • Quantitative Geneticists• Contractors/practitioners• Forestry workers employed by contractors and growers• Professional and technical foresters (i.e., BSc graduates

and diplomates respectively)

Scarce research skills in the FTPP sector:



• There is a serious lack of research capacity in research organisations and education institutions

- the sector is not attractive to school leavers and graduates

- insufficient appropriate graduates being trained by the higher education institutions

- negative effect on the level of skills development, training and capacity development required for growth in the sector

• Success of the BBBEE strategy in the FTPP sector depends on trained people

• Second economy development can only be meaningful if there are trained people available to do the research that will result in growth of the sector

Scarcity of trained researchers:



• Research institutions and HEIs are constrained by decreasing level of R&D funding in the sector

• Sector stakeholders agree that the sector (e.g. pulp & paper industry) is not attracting new e.g. chemical science and technology graduates as well as competing industries e.g. petroleum industry.

• Scarcity of specific process and technical courses (there is a partnership between PAMSA, TAPPSA, Durban University of Technology and UKZN to attempt to address this challenge)

• Forest staff/student exchange difficulties:

- Unnecessarily difficult to effect student/staff exchange

- Desired collaboration often does not materialise because of the problems with South African requirements for foreign students to work here on a temporary basis

Scarcity of trained researchers:



• Improve the profile of the sector in schools and HEIs

• Make the research opportunities exciting and rewarding- have a well-understood sector research strategy

• Provide bursaries/scholarships

• Help graduates get jobs in the sector (public and private)

• Invest in international researcher and student exchange programmes

• Get rid of some “exchange” bureaucracy

Opportunities to increase skills:


Thank-you!

Contact details:Telephone +27 31 2422322Email [email protected] www.csir.co.za

The CSIR: Council for Scientific and Scientific and Industrial Research Shaping a better future...

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