First Quarter Performance Report

PROGRAMME 4: RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT

The purpose of the Programme is to provide an enabling environment for research and knowledge production that promotes strategic development of basic sciences and priority science areas, through science promotion, human capital development, the provision of research infrastructure and relevant research support, in pursuit of South Africa’s transition to a knowledge economy. The Programme has four chief directorates.

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  The Human Capital and Science Promotion focuses on developing and renewing science, engineering and technology human capital to promote knowledge generation, protection and exploitation, and to develop science platforms that exploit South Africa's geographical advantages. The Chief Directorate also promotes science, technology, engineering, mathematics and innovation literacy and awareness. Funding is provided to the NRF for programmes to develop research and human capital.
  
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  Basic Sciences and Infrastructure facilitates the strategic implementation of research and innovation equipment and infrastructure to promote knowledge production in areas of national priority and to sustain R&D-led innovation. The Chief Directorate also promotes development and strengthening of basic or foundational sciences, such as physics, chemistry, biological and life sciences, geographic and geological sciences, and the human and social sciences.
  
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  Science Missions promotes the development of research, the production of scientific knowledge, and human capital development within science areas in which South Africa enjoys a geographic advantage. These areas include the dynamics of climate change and its impact on earth systems, Antarctic and marine research, palaeosciences, and indigenous knowledge systems.
  
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  Astronomy supports the development of astronomical sciences around a multi-wavelength research strategy and provides strategic guidance and support to relevant astronomy institutions in the implementation of DST astronomy programmes. Of particular relevance are the MeerKAT, the African Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network (AVN) project, and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) projects.
  

Highlights of the Quarter
The following highlights against the DST strategic outcome-oriented goals are worth mentioning.
Building a responsive, coordinated, and efficient NSI

The National Research Foundation (NRF) Act, Act 23 of 1998 is being amended to include, in the NRF mandate, the functions of supporting and promoting public awareness of, and engagement, with science; and to codify the Minister’s powers on determination of: (i) national research and funding policy, and (ii) national research facilities as well as the withdrawal of such determination; and declaration of research institutions which can be funded through the NRF. The NRF Amendment Bill has been passed by the National Assembly and sent to the NCOP for concurrence.

The Department of Science and Technology embarked on the NCOP process on the IK Bill public hearings. In total, the Committee held 36 public hearings in all nine provinces during the months of May and June 2018. Prior to the public hearing, the Department briefed all nine provincial legislatures. In addition, the department provided technical support in 32 of the 36 hearings in the provinces.
The Department also embarked on a public awareness campaign prior to the public hearings, with a specific focus on communities.
Increasing knowledge generation

Student Cluster Competition (2018): The South African Center for High-Performance Computing Student Cluster Competition team received an overall third position during the 2018 International Student Cluster Competition held in Germany, in June 2018. China won first and Singapore second place. In this competition, students have to demonstrate their own innovative computer systems and are judged on the ability of their design to adhere to strict power constraints and high-performance benchmarks. e-Science Masters Programme: The delivery of the e-Science Masters coursework is progressing well with the enrolled 30 students, with the first-semester course modules being examined in June. Provisional titles and supervisors of the research projects for each of the 30 students were finalised.

Collaboration between the SKA and NICIS: The CSIR-NICIS and NRF SKA-(SARAO) Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was finalised and signed during quarter 1, and the draft national strategy for research big data was submitted to the DST for consideration and input.
Human Capital Development

On 10 May, the Programme hosted a Lindau Nobel Laureate pre-departure meeting. The meeting served to prepare six (6) postgraduate students who had been selected to attend a weeklong meeting with Nobel Laureates winners in the fields of Physiology and Medicine. All the selected South African students are women. The meeting took place from 24 to 29 June 2018 in Germany.

The launch of the MeerLICHT

The MeerLICHT telescope was successfully launched on 25 May 2018. The event was attended by a number of international stakeholders whose institutions are collaborating with South Africa in the project. The launch of the telescope highlights the importance and success of international collaborations in Astronomy. The telescope is a collaboration amongst research institutions of the Netherlands, South Africa and the United Kingdom. The MeerLICHT will complement the MeerKAT by following up on MeerKAT observations but in the optical spectrum. This facility will add an unprecedented and innovative dimension to the observing mode of the MeerKAT telescope, and will open up the regime of simultaneous, ‘round-the-clock’ radio and optical observations of astrophysical transients. The launch of the instrument was a key milestone in Multiwavelength astronomy development.

TABLE : PROGRAMME 4 – RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT

Strategic statement: To contribute to the development of representative, high-level human capital able to pursue locally relevant, globally competitive research and innovation activities
Annual target: Not less than 3 100 PhD students awarded an annual bursary as reflected in the reports from the NRF and relevant entities by 31 March 2019
Performance indicator: Total number of PhD students awarded bursaries annually as reflected in the reports from the NRF and relevant entities
1^st Quarter target as per APP	1^st Quarter actual output	Status	Reason for variance	Actions taken
Not less than 1 500 PhD students awarded an annual bursary as reflected in the reports from NRF and relevant entities	2 235 PhD students awarded an annual bursary as reflected in the reports from NRF and relevant entities	Achieved	The quarterly performance cannot be predicted or managed within closer margins because it depends on the pool of applicants, which cannot be predicted perfectly	None
Annual target: Not less than 10 800 pipeline postgraduate students awarded an annual bursary as reflected in the reports from the NRF and relevant entities by 31 March 2019
Performance indicator: Total number pipeline postgraduate students awarded bursaries annually as reflected in the reports from the NRF and relevant entities
1^st Quarter target as per APP	1^st Quarter actual output	Status	Reason for variance	Actions taken
Not less than 5 400 pipeline postgraduate students (BTech and honours, and masters students) awarded an annual bursary	6 010 pipeline postgraduate students (BTech and honours, and masters students) awarded an annual bursary	Achieved	The quarterly performance cannot be predicted or managed within closer margins because it depends on the pool of applicants, which cannot be predicted perfectly	The NRF will target offering more student bursaries in the second quarter after receiving contract funding from the DST
Annual target: 790 graduates and students placed in DST-funded work preparation programmes in SETI institutions by 31 March 2019
Performance indicator: Total number of graduates and students placed in DST-funded work preparation programmes in SETI institutions
1^st Quarter target as per APP	1^st Quarter actual output	Status	Reason for variance	Actions taken
350 graduates and students placed in DST-funded work preparation programmes in SETI Institutions	676 graduates and students placed in DST-funded work preparation programmes in SETI Institutions	Achieved	Most positions to workplace preparation programmes are allocated at the beginning of the financial year, and the pool of applicants was stronger than anticipated	None
Strategic statement: To ensure availability of and access to internationally comparable research and innovation infrastructure in order to generate new knowledge and train new researchers
Annual target: 30 annual research infrastructure grants awarded as per award letters by 31 March 2019
Performance indicator: Number of research infrastructure grants awarded annually per award letters
1^st Quarter target as per APP	1^st Quarter actual output	Status	Reason for variance	Actions taken
No target	No target due for the quarter	No target due	None	None
Annual target: 3 400 Gbps total available broadband capacity provided by SANReN by 31 March 2019
Performance indicator: Total available broadband capacity provided by SANReN per annum
1^st Quarter target as per APP	1^st Quarter actual output	Status	Reason for variance	Actions taken
No target	No target due for the quarter	No target due	None	None
Strategic statement: To support and promote research that develops basic sciences through the production of new knowledge and relevant training opportunities
Annual target: Not less than 4 500 researchers awarded an annual research grant through NRF-managed programmes as reflected by the NRF project reports by 31 March 2019
Performance indicator: Total number of researchers awarded research grants annually through NRF-managed programmes as reflected in the NRF project reports
1^st Quarter target as per APP	1^st Quarter actual output	Status	Reason for variance	Actions taken
Not less than 2 000 researchers awarded an annual research grant through NRF-managed programmes	2 219 researchers awarded an annual research grant through NRF-managed programmes	Achieved	The quarterly performance cannot be predicted or managed within closer margins because it depends on the pool of applicants, which cannot be predicted perfectly	None
Annual target: Not less than 7 000 research articles published by NRF-funded researchers and cited in the Thomson Reuters Web of Science Citation Database as reflected in the NRF project reports by 31 March 2019
Performance indicator: Number of research articles published by NRF-funded researchers and cited in the Thomson Reuters Web of Science Citation Database as reflected in the NRF project reports
1^st Quarter target as per APP	1^st Quarter actual output	Status	Reason for variance	Actions taken
No target	To be reported in quarter 4	No target due	None	None
Strategic statement: To strategically develop priority science areas in which South Africa enjoys a competitive advantage, by promoting internationally competitive research and training activities and outputs
Annual target: 64 Ultra High Frequency Science Mode Receivers installed on Meer-KAT by 31 March 2019
Performance indicator: Number of Ultra High Frequency (UHF) science modes receivers installed on MeerKAT
1^st Quarter target as per APP	1^st Quarter actual output	Status	Reason for variance	Actions taken
No target	No target due	No target due	None	None
Annual target: Second biennial report on the state of climate change S&T in South Africa submitted to Cabinet by 31 March 2019
Performance indicator: Number of biennial reports on the state of climate change S&T in South Africa approved by Cabinet
1^st Quarter target as per APP	1^st Quarter actual output	Status	Reason for variance	Actions taken
No target	No target due for the quarter	No target due	None	None
Strategic statement: To promote public engagement on science, technology and innovation
Annual target: Not less than 2.1 million participants (learners and members of the public) in science awareness and engagement programmes annually as reflected in the project reports of the NRF and other service providers by 31 March 2019
Performance indicator: Number of participants in science awareness and engagement programmes annually as reflected in project reports of the NRF and other service providers
1^st Quarter target as per APP	1^st Quarter actual output	Status	Reason for variance	Actions taken
Grant funding awarded to organisations implementing the initiatives by 30 June 2018	Grants have been awarded to 82 organisers of Science engagement activities	Achieved	None	None