Evolution of the South African Science, Technology and Innovation System 1994-2010: An Exploration

This paper is part of a longitudinal project on the evolution of the South African science, technology and innovation (STI) system since 1994, the year that marked the end of apartheid government. It was hypothesised that the overarching national (and international) commitment of the post-1994 government to reform society to become an inclusive system serving the needs of all would impact on four of the main pillars of the STI system, viz. national policy objectives, funding of the system, the human resource composition (specifically race) and steering/control mechanisms. The research approach consisted of qualitative analyses of official published information. The analyses supported the hypothesis with regard to policy changes, the transformation of the human resource base, at least at managerial and executive levels, and the tightening of steering of the public STI system. It was found, however, that funding of the system relative to GDP in effect stalled while new policies were put in place. Funding has started rising moderately since 2001. The paper concludes by identifying six sets of developments that both individually and in combination would probably influence the further evolution of the STI system.