In a globalised environment in which developments in information and communication technologies continue apace, innovation must remain at the heart of all government policies.
Governments exert a strong influence on the innovation process through the financing and steering of public organisations that are directly involved in knowledge generation and diffusion, and through the provision of financial and regulatory incentives to all actors in the innovation space.
The government has recognised the ever-changing global environment and has shifted gear to ensure the country is not left behind. Strategic plans such as the Nine-Point Plan, launched in 2015 as part of the implementation of the National Development Plan (Vision 2030) to reignite growth and create jobs, takes into consideration the changes needed for increased growth. The Nine-Point Plan focuses on areas such as energy, tourism, agriculture, industrialisation and transportation.
The National Development Plan acknowledges science, technology and innovation (STI) as fundamental in improving people’s lives. It is therefore unsurprising that STI is a significant contributor to all areas in the government’s Nine-Point Plan, demonstrating its importance to socioeconomic growth.
Initiatives of the Department of Science and Technology have been leveraged by other departments that lead elements of the Nine-Point Plan to advance their own objectives in areas such as growing the oceans economy, ensuring a higher-impact Industrial Policy Action Plan (Ipap), unlocking the potential of small and medium enterprises, developing innovative alternatives in the provision of water and sanitation and advancing minerals beneficiation.
The department has sharpened the focus on how our work can contribute to the reduction of inequality, poverty and unemployment. We have identified a few areas in which we can support the Nine-Point Plan, including agriculture, the beneficiation of minerals, energy and boosting small enterprises.
Agriculture is being revitalised by STI. We are using space-based technologies and information and communication technologies (ICTs) for smart agriculture. Space-based technologies are employed to obtain information relevant to farmers’ planning.
Knowing about weather patterns in advance can assist farmers in identifying and optimising irrigation frequency to increase crop yields. Early warnings of fire hazards and disease outbreaks are other examples.
ICTs enable farmers in far-flung areas to receive this crucial information in good time on cellphones, so that they can take early action to avoid crop failure.
SA is increasingly exposed to the dire effects of climate change in a water-scarce region. We are engaging in research to develop drought-resistant crops to help avoid food insecurity in the future.
Industry also needs input from STI. In recent times, SA has experienced a decline in industrial activity, with manufacturing being especially affected. Ipap lists a number of challenges facing the manufacturing sector, and the department supports several of these areas through mineral-beneficiation initiatives. The platinum group metals, of which SA has high reserves, are one of the minerals being beneficiated. They are used for hydrogen fuel-cell technology, which the department hopes will boost the country’s manufacturing capacity and competitiveness.
The Hydrogen SA (HySA) initiative was launched in 2008 and the country is now seeing its benefits — from renewable energy to power schools in rural Cofimvaba, to partnerships with global mining companies such as Impala Platinum whose stationary fuel-cell applications and hydrogen fuel-cell-powered forklifts illustrate how STI investments are paying off.
Through public and private partnerships, the department aims to deploy more fuel-cell units in public infrastructure such as schools and clinics, as well as in sectors such as mining, particularly in the underground environment to mitigate against diesel particulate emissions. This will be part of the target of deploying 25 hydrogen fuel cell units incorporating HySA technology by the 2019-20 financial year.
SA’s first indigenous fuel-cell company, HyPlat (a spin-off company from HySA), has gained significant and rapid market entry into the global billion-dollar fuel-cell market. HyPlat successfully launched its products in Germany in 2016, showing that, through sustained commitment, SA can deliver world-class technology that is globally competitive.
It bodes well for the future when considering current research initiatives that fall under the Nine-Point Plan. Projects such as the titanium metal powder production project will, if successful, complete the local beneficiation value chain for a globally strategic metal, resulting in a new industry with substantial value addition.
Titanium power is widely used in industries such as aerospace, medical applications, transport and chemical processing where high-performance, lightweight parts are essential. Titanium powder, a precursor to titanium alloy, has become even more important because of its use in additive manufacturing (3D printing) — a cost-effective manufacturing process for complex or customised components that continues to grow rapidly.
The department is also funding the research and technology development of the next generation of additive manufacturing machines, the "Aeroswift" developed jointly by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s National Laser Centre and the Aerosud Innovation and Training Centre.
"Next generation" refers to a substantial increase in printing speed (between five and 10 times faster), and to the almost five-fold increase in part size that can be printed in the machine. The first flight component was printed in December 2016, and the aim is to build the first production aircraft components in 2018.
In parallel, the industrialisation of the production of the Aeroswift printing machines is also under way. The substantial improvement in printing capability and build speed will open up new areas and types of components that can be produced in SA, resulting in competitiveness enhancement and new industry creation.
Supporting the Nine-Point Plan’s energy commitments, the department recently launched the first South African Bioenergy Atlas. It plots the country’s biomass resources to assist in the exploitation of this renewable energy option.
It is expected that public-private partnerships will use the information to create jobs while ensuring energy security.
To scale up the Ipap, the department has a Technology Localisation Programme that provides technological assistance to large and small companies. This is intended to increase their capability and competitiveness, enabling them to secure contracts from state-owned companies such as Eskom, or from multinational corporations working on contract for them, such as General Electric.
The department is also funding broad-based technology support in the Technology Stations Programme. This helps small and medium enterprises to mature their technologies, prototypes or innovations, facilitating market penetration and increased turnover.
These cross-cutting STI activities are essential for building future industries, as well as the required human capital and skills that are expected to change drastically as the next industrial revolution materialises. Increased investment in STI is, therefore, essential for SA’s current and future economic growth, which is the bedrock for alleviation of poverty, unemployment and inequality.
- Dr Mjwara is director-general at the Department of Science and Technology.
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