DST to monitor R&D

By Staff Writer for Department of Science and Technology
Johannesburg, 20 Feb 2008

Science and technology minister Mosibudi Mangena will next Tuesday morning unveil "a one-stop Web-based tool" to capture statistical information on research and development (R&D) activities by universities, science councils and other government R&D funding agencies.

The integrated Research Information Management System (RIMS) will provide real-time information on human resources for science, engineering and technology, R&D capacity and technology improvement and innovation, Mangena`s office says.

"RIMS will be a strategic tool for research development and support at institutional and national level, and facilitate internal and external monitoring of research inputs, outputs and processes. This will enable the monitoring of the science and technology capacity and research productivity at these entities.

"It will be completely integrated with other existing systems at institutional level."

The system is being tested at three universities and three science councils have already agreed to pilot the system.