Science needs to sell itself as a solution for everyday problems
Research and development is not only an economic indicator, but a key tool for tackling societal issues
SA’s science system has never lacked ambition: with a relatively small budget, it punches above its weight internationally. The latest National Survey of Research and Experimental Development shows that the country made the R29.3bn spent on research and development (R&D) in 2014-15 go a long way. But Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor’s target of spending R60bn by 2020 might be ambitious. The science system has dodged many of the fiscal bullets tearing holes in the rest of the economy, but it isn’t exactly flourishing. A major metric of economic development is the percentage of GDP spent on R&D. In 2014-15, this percentage edged up to 0.77%, up from 0.73% the previous year. The government had wanted to achieve a 1% spend of GDP by 2008, but the global financial crisis put a precipitous end to those ambitions. Now the government aims to double the percentage of GDP spent on R&D to 1.5%. While the number isn’t new, putting a deadline and an amount to it is. The percentage o...
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