President Cyril Ramaphosa has praised the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), an entity of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, for its commitment to excellence and its alignment with government priorities such as inclusive growth, job creation and building a capable State.

Ramaphosa, who was hosted by Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande, on April 8, toured several facilities at the CSIR to gain first-hand insights into the research and development activities taking place at the institution.

The CSIR celebrates it eightieth anniversary this year. 

“I got to see the vast array of work being done across the CSIR’s clusters, in areas such as advanced agriculture and food, chemicals, health, mining, manufacturing, defence, digital transformation, human settlements and the built environment.

"All of this impressive work is firmly aligned to government’s priorities of driving inclusive growth and job creation, reducing poverty and the high cost of living, and building a capable, ethical and developmental State,” Ramaphosa said.

Ramaphosa and Nzimande were also accompanied by Science, Technology and Innovation Deputy Minister Nomalungelo Gina and Portfolio Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation chairperson Tsakani Shiviti.

As part of the visit, Ramaphosa received an overview of the organisation from CSIR CEO Dr Thulani Dlamini, visiting a few exhibitions of CSIR technologies and also toured key CSIR facilities.

He visited the Energy Storage Testbed facility, which assesses the performance and reliability of batteries, as expressed by their storage capacity, lifecycle and depth of discharge. It helps build capacity in the South African battery industry, facilitating the improvement of overall market knowledge. 

The testbed was established within the framework of the World Bank Energy Storage Partnership, which recognises that energy transitions, with increased wind and solar power use, are under way in many countries, and that to integrate renewable resources into grids, energy storage is key. 

He also visited the Biomanufacturing Industry Development Centre, where the organisation provides technical product and process development support to small, medium-sized and microenterprises (SMMEs) within the biomanufacturing sector, with the objective of creating and expanding biomanufacturing activities and associated job creation.

During product and process development, the centre assists SMMEs in transitioning their ideas from the concept stage to market-ready products, supporting them until they reach pilot-scale production.

Ramaphosa also stopped by the CSIR’s cannabis facility, which has supported 23 SMMEs to develop and market more than 40 high-quality, regulatory-compliant, safe, efficacious and affordable cannabis products for local and international markets.

He also saw the Information and Cybersecurity Research Centre, which supports the private and public sectors in aligning with the national cybersecurity policy framework through research and innovation in home-grown identity management, as well as cyber and information security solutions.

This encompasses approaches to securely identify and safeguard individuals and systems against vulnerabilities, threats and risks. The centre focuses on securing information and communication technology systems, combating cybercrime, cyberwarfare, identity management, embedded security, as well as governance, risk and compliance.

Another stop was at the wind tunnel facility, which provides scientific research and experimental foundation for the aerodynamic design efforts of the South African aeronautics industry.

Testing in a wind tunnel simulates the flow environment encountered by an aircraft during flight. The tunnels, in order of test speed, are the seven-metre wind tunnel, the low-speed wind tunnel, the medium-speed wind tunnel and the high-speed wind tunnel.

Numerous airframes have been tested in the CSIR’s wind tunnels, including subsonic types, such as gyrocopters, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles and supersonic airframes of high-speed missiles and projectiles flying at more than four times the speed of sound.

To highlight the impact of science and innovation on the country’s economy, the CSIR also demonstrated advancements in areas such as transport safety, precision agriculture, oceans and coastal management and digital health.

These exhibitions included a precision agriculture information system that empowers farmers with near real-time insights for precision crop management; digital health interventions, including medical record and data hosting, telemedicine platforms and data analytics tools; and an oceans and coasts information system designed to detect and monitor harmful algal blooms, coastal floods, water quality and bilge dumping.

Finally, Ramaphosa was shown a newly developed laboratory that collects and analyses road safety data from real-world scenarios and simulations, which can be used to improve transportation safety policies and products.

The CSIR plays a key role in helping government implement its various programmes. 

“As new trade war threats risk hitting some of our vital industries hard, it is imperative that we diversify market access for South African goods. It will also be crucial to use homegrown innovative capabilities in areas where we have a clear advantage – such as critical minerals, renewable energy, green hydrogen and our biological heritage – to produce new generations of exportable goods to new markets,” Ramaphosa said.

He added that South Africa would also have to raise the impact of its technological innovations to build the resilience of vulnerable communities in the face of both climate change and new pandemics. 

“I see a crucial role for an expanded CSIR in tackling these epic challenges ahead. With more support from, and participation by, the private sector, we can help the CSIR to enlarge its impact and footprint,” he said.

Nzimande said that, over the next five years, he wanted to ensure that science, technology and innovation were placed at the centre of government, education, industry and society.

“We have the responsibility to ensure that the research, development and innovation emerging from our organisation translates into real and meaningful impacts, particularly in driving industrialisation and supporting a capable State,” Dlamini commented.