• Introduction
• NACI and governance
• Organisation
• Focus
• Strategic thrusts
• SET4W
• Assessment of performance
• Advice
• Finances
• Studies
• Conclusions

Introduction

• Apologies for chair
• Appreciation for invitation
• Members of delegation

- Ms Luci Abrahams (ExCo ofNACI)

- Dr Bok Marais (Head: Secretariat)

- Mr Tjaart van der Walt (DST: Director Finances)

- Mr Charles Mokonoto (Specialist: Indicators)

• Selected documents tabled

The Council

• Council 22 members

• Chair: Prof Calie Pistorius (VC, UP)
• ExCo: Prof Pistorius, Ms Abrahams, Dr Adam, Dr Potgieter, Dr Tsengwa

• Members appointed by Minister

• Business: 8; HE: 7; SC: 4; government: 3
• Black: 11; white: 9;
• Female: 6; male: 14

• Resources (staff and finances) provided and governed by DST

Governance Practices (1)

• Meetings

• Council four times p.a
• Sub-committees :As needed ExCo 10 times pa

• Innovation infrastructure
• HR & knowledge base competitiveness social dimensions and NACI’ s roleSET4W four times p.a

• All actions approved by Council /ExCo ;items supported by docs

• Annual Corporate Business Plan as framework
• All Initiatives approved on basis of ToR and project plan

Governance Practices (2)

• All reports peer-evaluated & published as discussion docs
• Advice to the Minister in the form of alt advisory letter and summary report
• Annual performance review; 4-yearly external review
• Expenditure controlled by DST

NACI is not a listed public entity in terms of the PMFA, bat observes the King Code guidelines as far as the NACI Act permits

Organisation of Annual Report

Focus 2004 - 2005

• Second Council took office on 1 April
• First meeting: 27 May 2004
• Strategic planning: 19 August

The focus of the report year was the strategic and operational rethinking of NACI's mandate, priorities and procedures with a view to better advice rendering to the Minister and Government

Strategic thrusts & priorities (1)

1. Infrastructure for innovation promotion

• Overview first decade
• Best practices
• Required physical infrastructure
• Provincial innovation systems

2. Human capital & knowledge base

• Modeling of HR demand & supply
• Mapping of national knowledge base

3. STI for Competitiveness

• Dynamics of innovation in business
• Use of indicators to monitor innovation **
• IPR

Strategic thrusts & priorities (2)

4. Social dimensions of innovation

• State of ethics in NSI **
• Subthemes:

• Social nature of the development of innovation
• Social conditions for innovation
• Social consequences of innovation

5. NACI’s position & role in the NSI

• Best practice in advice rendering

• Alignment with government priorities
• Flexibility to adjust programme
• Steered by sub-committees

Reference Group for Women in S&T SET4W (I)

• SET4W is a national advisory committee of NACI appointed by the Minister

• Key issues:

• Female staff are less qualified than their male counterparts in both academic institutions and the R&D
• The more advanced the level of study the fewer the females in both academic institutions and among the R&D staff
• The highest ranks of academic institutions and the R&D staff were occupied by men
• Racial distribution white females comprise the bulk of female staff in both academic institutions & R&D staff

Reference Group for Women in S&T SET4W(2)

Racial composition of women in SET[PMG Note : Graph not included]

Assessor on NACI Performance

"The NACI self-assessment process, incorporating a thorough re-evaluation of its priorities and a well-defined assessment framework, is to he applauded (...)The NACI Corporate Business Plan, and progress against the targets/performance metrics defined therein, is core. The Council itself is best positioned to adjudicate on progress here, and their judgement as reflected in the report must he taken at face value, and duly supported.. continuous improvement (evolution) seems the order of the day, rather than any more drastic revolutionary changes."

• Mobility of research workers
• Utilisation of research findings
• Impact of skills shortages in the construction industry

Financial report 2004-2005(R’000)

Studies

• Facing the facts: Women 'S participation in SET
• The NSI after the decade of democracy
• The state of ethics in the NSI
• Appropriate human resources for a productive NSI
• Women in industrial SET
• Looking at SET through women 's eyes
• A monitoring and evaluation framework: Performance of women

• Longitudinal study on women in SET

ConcIusions

• Independent assessor satisfied with 2003/2004 performance
• Intensive strategic and operational rethinking in 2004/2005
• Better alignment with national priorities
• NACI set for further increasing its service rendering
• Important initiatives launched
• Need to 'prove' return on R&D investment

Thank you