President Cyril Ramaphosa: Council for Scientific and Industrial Research visit

Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande,
Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
Chairperson of the CSIR Board, Mr Vuyani Jarana,
CEO of the CSIR, Dr Thulani Dlamini,
Representatives of scientific and academic institutions,
Guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a pleasure to be here as the CSIR marks 80 years of innovation, advancement and progress.

Over many decades, the CSIR has been at the forefront of developing groundbreaking technologies and solutions that have profoundly shaped our country’s scientific and industrial progress.

With the advent of democracy in 1994, the CSIR embarked on a policy trajectory aligned with the values of our Constitution.

Since then, this remarkable public science institution has continued to achieve significant technological innovations.

Many do not know that the CSIR was the driving force behind the development of the world’s first lithium batteries that are today used in laptops, mobile phones and electric cars.

Twenty years ago, the CSIR also developed the world’s first digital laser, a disruptive technology holding great promise for use in a range of applications such as communications and medicine.

The CSIR has been agile and innovative in responding to pressing issues affecting our economy and impacting on our country’s development.

The CSIR developed the biometric technological platforms that Government used to introduce the current smart ID Card system, enabling us to reduce identity fraud and corruption.

The CSIR’s ongoing collaboration with the Department of Home Affairs is a clear example of the important role science and technology research can play in building a capable, ethical and developmental State.

At the height of the COVID-19 crisis, the CSIR brought together its network of engineers to produce 18,000 life-saving ventilators for patient care in record time.

The CSIR also developed the impact modelling technology platform, C-MORE, which helped us to do complex, integrative tracking of the impact of the pandemic, which in turn helped Government to direct its policy responses.

The CSIR has supported and incubated many SMMEs working on new technology and other innovations, many of which have gone on to become commercial products that are fueling our economy.

Today, I received a personal tour of the world-class facilities on this campus.

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.

I was particularly interested in the work being done around energy, water and climate change.

As a signatory to the Paris Agreement, South Africa is committed to contribute its fair share to the global effort to reduce emissions, as well as to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change.

One of the longstanding issues in the global climate negotiations is that developed economies must honour their obligations to provide financial support and technology and skills transfer to developing economies to enable them to respond to climate change.

The innovative work taking place at the CSIR inspires confidence; even as we look to our partners in developing economies for climate change adaptation and mitigation support, we are pioneering our own solutions at home.

The work being done in the digital space, including broadband technology innovations in remote areas, is most impressive.

Other important work includes the development of technologies to help reduce the cost and turnaround time of critical repairs of Eskom steam turbines, thereby improving the reliability of our national power system.

Another is the work being done in precision agriculture, that seek to unlock the power of satellite imagery to optimise crop yields for the benefit of local farmers.

I was able to see the recently launched Transport Safety lab that will deploy cutting-edge technology to help keep people safe on our roads.

The CSIR is supporting small businesses to develop new products in the bio-manufacturing space. The work being done to support cannabis beneficiation is extremely encouraging.

Today, I was also briefed on the various contributions made by the CSIR’s contribution to strengthening e-government capabilities in support of the National Health Insurance.

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.

As much as the innovation being pioneered at the CSIR is helping us achieve our developmental and economic goals, we also want to see more CSIR patent filings.

The World Intellectual Property Organisation ranks our country the highest in Africa in terms of patent registration, but globally we aren’t in the top 20 or even 30.

An economy that wants to grow must be at the forefront of innovation, not just locally but globally.

The CSIR must be at the forefront of developing and patenting solutions that contribute to the upliftment of humankind.

The CSIR is a South African success story.

The capacity that the CSIR possesses is absolutely critical to building state capacity throughout the country.

I call on Minister Nzimande and the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation to find innovative and sustainable ways to scale the work of the CSIR in our provinces and regions.

We congratulate the CSIR as it celebrates its 80 years.

As the CSIR continues to produce work that addresses some of our country’s most urgent challenges and supports the industrialisation of our economy, it can be assured of the support of Government and of all South Africans.

I thank you.