Universities SA decries erosion of academic research in South Africa
The body bemoans the Department of Science and Technology’s decision to slash funding for its 26 universities
Universities SA, the body that represents the country’s 26 public universities, has decried state funding cuts for research enterprises at universities. The cuts would undermine the research system and compound the strain faced by universities as a result of the uncertainty surrounding funding policy, warned Universities SA. SA’s research and higher education system is underfunded by the government, with the country spending less than 1% of its GDP on research, placing it behind most of its peers. The National Research Foundation, which falls under the Department of Science and Technology, announced it would slash funding for rated researchers, citing underfunding by the government. The foundation is part of a number of funding agencies. The Department of Higher Education and Training remains the single, largest state research investment arm through its higher education subsidy system. There is also a considerable amount of research funding derived from industry and international so...
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