Keynote Address by the Minister of Science and Technology, the Honourable Mosibudi Mangena, at the 10th National Science and Technology Forum awards, Emperor's Palace, Johannesburg, on 27 May 2008

Programme Director;
National Science and Technology Forum Chair, Prof. Brenda Wingfield;
Executive Committee and Members of the NSTF;
Executive Director of the NSTF, Ms Jansie Niehaus;
Vice Chairperson of SETAG, Prof. Stephanie Burton;
Heads of Science Councils and Institutions;
Heads of Professional Bodies;
Sponsors and Funders;
Previous Winners and Nominees;
Adjudicators, Finalists,
Educators and Learners;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen

Yesterday I was here to launch a PhD Faire. After passing Grade 12, a good student takes an average of ten years of academic and research work to complete a PhD. After ten such illustrious years, don't you think the NSTF Awards also deserves a ‘doctorate’?

Many organisations find it difficult to survive this long. But the members of the National Science and Technology Forum have demonstrated tenacity, perseverance and commitment. Your mettle is recognised by all of us who have come to celebrate with you tonight.

While this anniversary is an occasion for celebrating the NSTF Awards, it also creates a space for us to reflect on the metamorphosis of this event since the Year of Science and Technology in 1998. Since then, the NSTF Awards grew from two winners in two categories to 13 winners in 10 categories last year. After signing a collaborative agreement with Eskom and the National Research Foundation, the NSTF was able to address the question of representivity, and three new categories, each with two places, were established to reward black researchers, female researchers and young researchers.

Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to share with you the performance of both female and black researchers in the past few years. Looking at the list of the 72 past winners, one can see that the number and proportion of black and female award winners has increased dramatically. On average, over the past nine years, individual women winners have made up approximately 31% of the total number of winners each year, and black winners about 46%. The highest number of black winners was in 2004, when they made up 67% of the total, and last year they made up 60%, which is also very commendable.

It has been satisfying to see that the increase in the number of categories, and fluctuations in the number of nominations have in no way led to a decline in the standard of winners. On the contrary, the NSTF Awards have made a valuable contribution to building research capacity by giving recognition to the supervision and mentorship of young researchers. Today, the total number of awards presented will be 84, with 57 going to individuals and 27 to organisations.

This list of achievements begs an important question about when will we be able to do away with categories for designated groups. We need to strive towards a stage where, for example, a black woman can win in a category that is not specifically for either black or female researchers. It is vital for us to respond to such questions as we strive to develop an equitable science and innovation system for South Africa.

I am particularly impressed by the three places for teams or individuals from organisations – corporate businesses, small businesses and non-governmental organisations – which should do a great deal to promote teamwork. I am equally pleased about the new category introduced last year, the SAASTA Award for Science Communication. While in developed countries science communication is a well developed profession, in South Africa it is a relatively new field. We hope that the new award category will provide us, in time, with a breed of science communicators able to present science in a way that makes it better understood by the general public and more attractive to our young.

Giving recognition to educators and learners is an excellent idea. A robust education system is the foundation for our National System of Innovation, and it is therefore pleasing to see good teachers and talented learners in our midst.

The National Science and Technology Forum is much more than an organiser of award ceremonies; its strategic objectives include, among others, the need to–

• influence and catalyse the delivery of quality science, engineering, technology and innovation policy;
• monitor and promote the health of the SETI system; and
• celebrate, recognise and reward excellence within the SETI sector.

Those of us who have been observing or working with the NSTF are proud to attest to its efforts. At the moment, it is managing two projects implemented under the Cabinet-approved Youth into Science Strategy.  These are the National Youth Service and the Youth Incentive Scheme.

The National Youth Service entails the deployment of unemployed science graduates at 22 centres throughout the country. I will be formally launching the Department of Science and Technology's National Youth Service next month, at the SciEnza Science Centre of the University of Pretoria.

The NSTF also manages my Department's Incentive Scheme. The purpose of the scheme is to support young people from poor backgrounds who wish to pursue careers in science, engineering and technology. The scheme is currently supporting 12 such students ‑ six of which are female and six male.  Three of these students are also receiving financial support from Germany. Germany committed to making funds available for this purpose when I launched the Max Planck Science Tunnel Exhibition during the 2007 National Science Week. The students supported by the scheme were initially assisted through my Department's science and mathematics camps, a project we launched in 2005, and it is heartening to see that they have chosen to pursue careers in fields such as engineering, biotechnology and architecture.

To ensure a robust future for our National System of Innovation, we need to identify and nurture talent and potential in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. And I know of no better way to do this than through science, engineering and technology Olympiads and competitions, and my Department has been facilitating talks to establish an umbrella body for these, which I will be launching with the National Youth Service on 27 June 2008. I am happy to announce that key players have resolved to place this important new body under the National Science and Technology Forum.

With a strong membership from government, science councils, professional bodies, higher education, business and civil society, the NSTF has made an invaluable contribution to policy development. My Department has presented its Ten-Year Innovation Plan, a draft Science, Engineering and Technology Human Capital Strategy, a draft strategy for the Energy Grand Challenge, and various Bills at many of the various forums and plenaries convened in the last year by the NSTF. This is consistent with the Forum's objective of influencing and catalysing the delivery of quality SETI policy. I must admit my Department has an outstanding partner in the NSTF.

The future invites us to work even harder at creating innovative systems and institutions for a knowledge economy. I would like to use this opportunity to call on the corporate sector specifically, to support my Department's efforts to create employment opportunities for our SET graduates. I also invite you to go beyond your current investments in innovation to encourage and promote the development of products with tangible social and economic benefits. South Africa's National Industrial Policy Framework creates a favourable environment for implementing these interventions; so let us exploit the opportunities we have to create a brighter future for posterity.

We cannot ensure optimal capacity for innovation without increasing the output of our higher education system. We greatly appreciate the cordial relationship that has developed between my Department and the Department of Education, and believe this collaboration will stand our country in good stead.

As demonstrated over the past decade, the NSTF Awards provide a platform for interacting and sharing ways of working together to strengthen and improve the performance of our National System of Innovation. Let us support and use this platform to produce even better scientists and researchers.

In closing, I urge the previous winners to become role models and plough back what they gained back into the National System of Innovation. I extend the same to tonight's winners. Although the focus of the Awards is on winners, let us not forget the contribution that runners-up and other nominees are making. They, therefore, also deserve applause, and I appeal to to the NSTF to consider ways of encouraging them to enhance their contributions.

It is now my pleasure to wish the National Science and Technology Forum well on its 10th anniversary. May it use the lessons of the past ten years to develop an even better strategy for supporting our science and innovation system, and enable it to contribute more meaningfully to the enhancement and modernisation of our economy. We need a vibrant and growing economy to address challenges associated with poverty and underdevelopment.

I thank you.