The state has committed to spending at least 1% of the GDP on research and development (R&D), science and technology minister Mosibudi Mangena said during his visit to the Telkom National Network Operations Centre in Centurion this week.
"At present we spend R10.1 billion on R&D, but that figure needs to increase if we are to work on our competitiveness," he said.
The minister acknowledged that it is hard to find skilled personnel who are qualified and able to keep up with the country`s needs, as there are not many young people who matriculate with good results in maths and science.
Of those who pass well, only a few do the same subjects at degree level. An even lower number do post-graduate study, resulting with SA producing fewer people who have the capacity to meet the country`s R&D needs.
"We need to promote the uptake of science and technology study if we are to modernise our society and economy," he said. "We also need to work hard to upgrade teachers."
Pierre Marais, managing executive for networks centre operations at Telkom, said: "As a philosophy, Telkom has an interest in R&D, specifically in applied research."
This is one of the reasons Telkom launched the Centres of Excellence eight years ago. The centres, which are formed as an alliance between Department of Trade and Industry, ICT companies and the institution of higher learning, aim to drive research and development to derive answers and solutions to some of the challenges faced by the ICT sector.
Because technology is an evolving phenomenon, the centres provide ICT partners with the opportunity to fund post-graduate study and research to test technology solutions and adopt those that work. Alumni from all the centres meet to share information on their research at the end of each year.
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