Media advisory

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is celebrating 77 years of touching lives through innovation. As part of this milestone, the organisation will host its 8th Biennial Conference on Wednesday, 2 and Thursday, 3 November 2022.

The two-day conference will bring together scientific experts, academia and industry leaders from around the world, and members of the public to evaluate how research, development and innovation (RD&I) can be harnessed to build a robust South African economy. This year’s conference will be held under the theme: ‘Harnessing research, development and innovation for a robust South African economy’.

The conference, which is one of the flagship initiatives to celebrate the organisation’s contribution to RD&I in South Africa, will provide a platform to showcase the CSIR’s multiple research capabilities and the continued impact of its strategy in contributing to industrial development and supporting a capable state.

Challenges such as power outages, water cuts, climate change and the high unemployment rate in South Africa, have all added enormous pressure on an already volatile economy that is slowly recovering from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. As such, the CSIR and its stakeholders will use this gathering to deliberate on how R&D can play a role in co-building a capable state, an inclusive economy and competitive South African industries.

The conference will also look at South Africa’s opportunity to become a significant player in the hydrogen market. The programme will include a plenary session that will feature key industry speakers. Some of the topics that will be discussed include empowering the South African workforce to embrace the fourth industrial revolution; precision medicine in Africa; the role of small, medium, and micro enterprises in growing the cannabis and hemp industry; and creating a circular plastics economy in South Africa.

The conference will have an interactive exhibition covering technologies such as Cardiflo, a point-of-care screening technology designed to detect cardiovascular risk factors to advise patients on care and preventative lifestyle changes. Technologies for precision agriculture, point-of-care diagnostic technologies to detect human, animal, and zoonotic diseases and more, will also be on display.

To participate in these and other conversations, register on: https://conference.csir.co.za/.
 

Play this Audio for more information on the conference.
 

Members of the media are invited as follows:

Date: Wednesday, 2 and Thursday, 3 November 2022
Time: 08:30
Venue: CSIR International Convention Centre
RSVP: CSIR Media Relations Practitioner: Chumisa Ndlazi (CNdlazi@csir.co.za)

-ENDS-

Issued by CSIR Strategic Communications

For more information, contact:

David Mandaha, CSIR Media Relations Manager
Mobile: 072 126 8910
E-mail: dmandaha@csir.co.za  
 

About the CSIR:

The CSIR, an entity of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, is one of the leading scientific and technology research, development, and implementation organisations in Africa. Constituted by an Act of Parliament in 1945 as a science council, the CSIR undertakes directed and multidisciplinary research and technological innovation, as well as industrial and scientific development, to improve the quality of life of all South Africans. For more information, visit www.csir.co.za
 

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