SAP yesterday announced the establishment of a South African ICT research group in Pretoria.
Joachim Schaper, VP of SAP research in EMEA, says the South African research group is the first of four research initiatives that will be set up in the EMEA sector.
"The centre is an opportunity to grow IT from a South African perspective and lay the groundwork for identifying emerging IT trends in SA.
"It is an opportunity for local innovation and will strengthen the human capital here in SA," he adds.
The initiative will create 120 full-time jobs, while another 60 will be created through PhD internships, 16 of which are to be made available for previously disadvantaged individuals.
The research group will work in conjunction with higher education, research institutions, the government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
The focus areas are virtual and e-learning, business systems for NGOs, scalable health data and patient management, creating access to ICT for people with inabilities, and cultural interfaces for access and ease of use.
Rob Adams, director-general of the Department of Science and Technology, says the research group is a landmark for South African IT.
"In SA we have 0.5% of global research capacity; the SAP research group will allow us to connect to the other 99.5%.
"The access to research networks that SAP provides will open up broader networks and not just to the institutions," adds Adams.
Share
