Transcript Implementing a research data policy in South Africa Michael Kahn Centre for Research Evaluation of Science and Technology, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa BISO-BRDI-CFRS Symposium The National.

Implementing a
research data policy
in South Africa
Michael Kahn
Centre for Research Evaluation of Science and Technology,
University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
BISO-BRDI-CFRS Symposium
The National Academies, Washington D.C. 18-19 April 2011
[email protected]
Outline
1. South Africa – Gateway for the BRICs?
2. National innovation system & policy
3. Prospects for research data policy
1. South Africa – Gateway for the BRICs?
 1885 – Berlin Conference; colonization;
“Scramble for Africa’
 1945 – 1989 Period of decolonization;
consolidation of states; elite formation
 1989 – The fall of the Berlin Wall (or was it
pushed?)
 FDI into Africa = 2% of world total; SA #3 after
EU, China?
Africa 2050 = 2 billion people; SSA > 1 billion – new
trade blocs; new power relations
A New Scramble for Africa?
(EU)
RUSSIA
(USA)
CHINA & INDIA
BRAZIL
HR
SOUTH AFRICA
CO2
/cap
Gini
Lit%
%<
$2
Life
M yr
Life
F yr
PhD/m
GERD/GD
P%
BR
1.8
.57
89
21
67
75
44
0.83
RU
9.8
.41
99
12
59
72
209
1.08
IN
1.2
.37
61
80
63
64
13
0.80
CN
2.7
.47
91
47
70
73
18
1.33
ZA
7.6
.58
82
34
44
45
24
0.95
World Bank World Development
31.10.09;
ISSC WSSR 2010
Report 2007; Economist
Political economy
 From three decades of siege economy and racial exclusion
 Post 1994 - ‘constructed crisis’ – developmental state
modulated by “inclusion”. Class tensions.
 Agriculture 3%; Manufacturing 32%; Services 65%
 Minerals-energy complex
 Employment: 9%; 26%; 65%
 Business the main actor in R&D. Evidence of Triple Helix at
work:
 ARC-Uni-agribusiness
 CSIR-Uni-Miners
 World class financial system with large carry trade.
 Domestic TNCs across Africa, Middle and Near East
 Open economy with symptoms of Dutch Disease
Into Africa
South Africa is the leading African source
of FDI, accounting for over 70% of the region’s
total outward FDI stock. As early as the 1970s it
had already become a major source of FDI from
developing countries. Flows have been
concentrated in developed countries: three quarters
of the country’s outward FDI stock is in Europe
and about one tenth in North America. Although
only 9% of its outward FDI goes to Africa, the
country is among the leading foreign investors in
many African countries.
UNCTAD World Investment Report 2006
Roaring Lions: small innovation systems –
but poorly measured
Country
Angola
Chad
Congo (D.R.)
Ethiopia
Mozambique
South Africa
Zambia
GERD
PPP
USD
m (2007
)
-
GERD/
GDP
-
Graduates
KEI
ISI
rank (articles)
Main
Sciences;
Engineers (2009) 2006-10 Field
17; 7
127
104 Health
81 Health
75
0.48
-
-
106
0.17
2440; 2613
141
83
0.53
277; 105
136
4 000
0.92
30k; 10k
46
3.8
0.036
-
123
Sources: UNESCO World Science Report, 2011; Web of Science; UIS;
http://info.worldbank.org/etools/kam2
378 Health
Agric/He
2 035 alth
401 Health
Env/eco
30 000 Health
689 Health
ZA and NO: Activity and Impact factors of two
‘Western/bio-environmental systems (2004-2008)
Knowledge, networks and nations (Royal Society, 2011)
2. National innovation system & policy
EDUCATION
Financial
system
TRAINING
INFORMAL
SKILLS DEV
Cultural-
SECTOR
Political norms
UNIVERSITIES
BUSINESS
UTILITIES
Associations
S&T SERVICES
GOVT. DEPTS
INSTITUTES &
MUSEUMS
RESEARCH
COUNCILS
NGOs
Information
policy
Regulatory
framework
Legal framework
including IP
Standards
Innovation Policy – context & instruments
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
R&D Strategy (2002)
• Reorganization with some refocusing
• HRD - SA Research Chairs; Centres of Excellence
• Framework conditions: IP law; Tax Incentive
Innovation Plan (2008)
• Space Science – remote monitoring & telemetry
• Energy, hydrogen economy & new materials -catalysis
• Farmer to Pharma-biotech, plant & animal science
• Global dynamics – climate change – remote sensing
• Human and Social Dynamics – social sciences
Technology Innovation Agency (2010)
Employment Equity & Immigration Law
New Growth Path & Industrial Policy
Support for African Union-NEPAD
Promotion of international networking
Infrastructure – Center for High-speed Computing
3. Prospects for research data policy
•
Data rich at system level

Input, process and output data and indicators


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

R&D & Innovation Survey;
Education Statistics;
Privately held bibliographic data: SA Knowledgebase
Higher Education Management Information System
Research Information Management System - pending
Regulatory frameworks and regulators

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

Clinical trials register
Gene banks – fauna, insecta and flora
Plant Breeders rights
Biodiversity and indigenous knowledge compliance
Ethical clearance built into funding awards process
Promotion of Access to Information Act
Patent Amendment Act
•
Data rich at sector level – Southern skies, fauna
& flora, people, earth and oceans
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
SA Earth Observation Network
Optical astronomy – SAAO & SALT
Radio astronomy – HART, MeerKAT & SKA
Hermanus Magnetic & Seismographic Observatory
Oceanographic and Antarctic data (MCM, SAAS)
Geological (Council for Geosciences)
Meteorological data – SA Weather Service
Social science (HSRC; SADA)
SA National Institute for Biodiversity
SA Institute for Aquatic Diversity
Statistics SA: Census; Labour Force Survey; Household
Expenditure
Health: Medical Research Council; clinical trials
•
Information poor at system and sector levels
•
•
•
•
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•
Two ‘natural’ problems:
• Bounded rationality
• Silos
Fragmentation by default
Statistics SA - coordination mandate for national surveys
Department of Science and Technology has mandate to
coordinate S&T budgets, but not too coordinate information
National Advisory Council on Innovation – lacks authority
(compare with National Council on Higher Education)
The normal problem of MIS designed for one task being used
to address other purposes
Resource limitations – inadequate meta data and training
•
Prospects for coordination – reasonable
•
•
•
•
•
Commitment to monitoring and evaluation at highest
level
• Minister for M&E in the Presidency
• Indicator-based performance agreements for
Ministers
Commitment to Big Science – Square Kilometre Array
Support to AMCOST CPA S&T ASTI & flagships
• Implies high-speed wide area networking
• Data sharing regionally and internationally
• Supportive infrastructure and legislation
Commitment to OECD Guidelines for Access to
Publicly Funded Research 2007
Review of Science System under way – an opportunity
to accelerate progress on data sharing
•
Toward a data access policy
•
•
•
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•
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Data sharing as the (qualified) norm
Issues of sovereignty, resource protection, indigenous
knowledge
Ethical clearance to involve data sharing protocol?
North-South relationships:
• Academic hunters exploiting data gatherers?
• African datasets hosted abroad
Abuse of research permit mechanisms to restrict inquiry –
security laws may be a barrier
Digitization of paper MIS a priority
Legislation for publication archiving in place
Promotion of open access publishing
Knowledge Divides (UNESCO/ISSC, 2010), but the Invisible
College of Science functions – witness co-publication