News
The Deputy President (DP) of South Africa, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, visited the CSIR on Friday, 23 June 2017 in his capacity as Board chairperson of the Human Resources Development Council (HRDC). The HRDC had selected the CSIR as the venue for hosting its 18th council meeting.
The DP was accompanied by ministers and deputy ministers from various departments, as well as Mr Sizwe Nxasana, chair of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme and CSIR Board member, Prof. Mamokgethi Phakeng.
Over the past 15 years, the African Laser Centre (ALC) based at the Council for Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR) has contributed immensely to the development of young researchers in Science, Technology Engineering, Mathematics and Innovation (STEMI). With the ALC footprint in Africa, a number of young people across the continent have been positively impacted by its efforts to encourage research collaborations and skills transfer in an effort to advance science and technology in Africa.
The CSIR is using its expertise and technologies to help understand how environmental issues affect security, access to resources and development in Africa. The organisation has partnered with universities and governments across Africa, as well as the U.S. Africa Command, which is responsible for the U.S. government’s interaction with Africa on various issues, including humanitarian aid, military support and environmental needs.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is calling on South Africans to participate in a rapid citizen science survey to source knowledge on the distribution of Nile tilapia in South African watercourses.
The council tasked with the country’s scientific development says it wants to produce more PhD graduates so it can expand its research capability and output. Dr Thulani Dlamini, the CEO of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), on Friday said the council attracts the right skills, and it should use this to strengthen its image as a training ground for PhD graduates. Read more...
CSIR research into dynamic spectrum and future internet networks continues to garner international recognition; this after a paper co-written by the CSIR and the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) won Best Paper at this year’s IST-Africa Week in Namibia. In 2015, the CSIR’s research into dynamic spectrum management was also awarded Best Paper at the International Conference on Internet in Malaysia.
South Africa ratified the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in 1997 to promote international cooperation to combat desertification and the effects of drought. World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is commemorated annually on 17 June. This year’s theme, ‘Our land. Our home. Our future.’ speaks volumes to the central role productive land can play in turning the growing tide of migrants abandoning unproductive land, into communities and nations that are stable, secure and sustainable into the future.
A harmful Algal blooms (HABS) detection tool, developed by the CSIR, has recently gone live. This is the first Decision Support tool on the Oceans and Coast Information Management System (OCIMS) to be made available to users. This initiative forms part of Government’s Operation Phakisa Oceans Economy policy implementation. The CSIR is supporting the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) in building South Africa’s Ocean and Coast Information Management System.
In a speech that illustrated the relevance and responsibility of the CSIR in using science, technology and innovation to reverse the plight of marginalised and excluded South Africans, the Minister of Science and Technology, Mrs Naledi Pandor, outlined her Department’s priorities in her budget vote speech in Parliament on 16 May 2017.