DST, SAP research ICT

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) and software company SAP yesterday renewed a partnership for an advanced human capital development programme in ICT.

Science and technology director-general Phil Mjwara and SAP Africa MD Pfungwa Serima signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU).

IT-led innovation can drive economic development and parity through resource-efficient growth, and this is what SAP bases its investments on, according to Serima.

“We believe that this partnership will go a long way towards enhancing the global competitiveness of SA."

The entities first partnered in 2006. “Since then, SA has seen over R140 million injected into ICT research and development activities. The partnership has also given rise to new and exciting innovations within the ICT sector, including the establishment of the SAP-Meraka Unit for Technology Development,” says the department.

It adds that, in future, SAP and the DST aim to develop market-relevant software products and commercialise research outputs in the country in collaboration with small, medium and micro enterprises.

Speaking at the event, Mjwara said the partnership could not have come at a better time. "Information and communication technologies are widely recognised as potent tools for socio-economic development and catalysts for the emerging knowledge economy."

He added that the DST has developed and adopted a strategic framework to enable effective engagement and collaboration with multinational companies such as SAP, and to contribute to the implementation of key objectives of the national ICT research, development and innovation strategy.

"As the Department of Science and Technology, we attach high value to meaningful strategic partnerships. I am very pleased that SAP Africa has extended the partnership with us to seek new and better solutions for improving the ICT research, development and innovation ecosystem."

Danie Kok, head of SAP Research, said: "This is a good example of how government can collaborate with the private sector in driving meaningful human capital development and research to address ICT sector, business and societal challenges.

“In the past five years, we saw almost 80% of PhD and master's candidates enrolled at various universities pass while also doing practical applied research on appropriate and contextual relevant projects.”

Mjwara said the need to facilitate world-class, needs-based research and innovation in ICT, the need to increase the number of highly-qualified ICT researchers who can undertake world-class research, and the need to establish world-class research infrastructure are some of the objectives of the partnership.

He added that over the last five years the collaboration has seen the enrolment of 16 undergraduate interns, 14 masters and 17 PhDs. Seven degrees have been completed. This includes six masters and one PhD.

Historically-disadvantaged individuals constitute more than half of the masters and PhD students.

“Despite these achievements, the partnership had its shortcomings, which included, among others, the mechanisms of managing it,” said Mjwara.

Kok expressed a need to identify people to bring onto the programme. They can come from a vast range of fields, including finance, IT and socio-economics because the idea is that the research must be coordinated between technology and business.

“We want to spend more time around the potential we see in people, as opposed to what they study.”

The partnership will place advertisements in local newspapers calling for applicants.

Kok added that the programme constitutes a research career for at least eight years. It prepares candidates to either move into SAP or an academic or research environment. There is no contract binding students to SAP.

The current research ranges from cloud computing to user interfaces. There is a large focus on mobile and mobile devices.

The next phase of the partnership will see the expansion of the existing advanced human capacity development programme; and of the collective research capacity of SA by strengthening alliances with universities, private and public research institutions and people exchange.

It will also see the establishment of the software development capacity programme, which will focus on developing market-relevant software products in collaboration with SMMEs.

The MOU was signed for three years, but both parties hope to expand the agreement beyond that period.

The department acknowledges that SA's ICT research and development (R&D) and innovation strategy and its implementation still have some weaknesses.

Mjwara explained that the country has not reached the level of intensity in these areas to make it globally competitive; and the national system of innovation lacks adequate capacity to produce the critical mass of human resources in ICT R&D required.

To address these challenges, the DST developed a strategic framework to enable effective engagement with multinational ICT companies.

The DG also said the department is developing a roadmap for ICT R&D and innovation to grow and strengthen the sector in SA.

He added that while the roadmap is still being finalised, the preliminary findings from workshops held for analysis of the sector, identified key themes.

“Alongside areas such as broadband infrastructure and services, sustainability and the environment, together with industry applications, the service economy has been identified as one of the future market pillars for ICT.”