Implementing a research data policy in South Africa

1
Implementing a research data policy in South
Africa
Michael Kahn Centre for Research Evaluation of
Science and Technology, University of
Stellenbosch, South Africa BISO-BRDI-CFRS
Symposium The National Academies, Washington D.C.
18-19 April 2011 mikejkahn_at_gmail.com
2
Outline

• South Africa Gateway for the BRICs?
• National innovation system policy
• Prospects for research data policy

3
South Africa Gateway for the BRICs?

• 1885 Berlin Conference colonization Scramble
  for Africa
• 1945 1989 Period of decolonization
  consolidation of states elite formation
• 1989 The fall of the Berlin Wall (or was it
  pushed?)
• FDI into Africa 2 of world total SA 3 after
  EU, China?
• Africa 2050 2 billion people SSA gt 1 billion
  new trade blocs new power relations

4
A New Scramble for Africa?
(EU)
RUSSIA
(USA)
BRAZIL
HR
SOUTH AFRICA
5
CO2/cap Gini Lit lt2 Life M yr Life F yr PhD/m GERD/GDP
BR 1.8 .57 89 21 67 75 44 0.83
RU 9.8 .41 99 12 59 72 209 1.08
IN 1.2 .37 61 80 63 64 13 0.80
CN 2.7 .47 91 47 70 73 18 1.33
ZA 7.6 .58 82 34 44 45 24 0.95
World Bank World Development Report 2007
Economist 31.10.09 ISSC WSSR 2010
6
Political economy

• From three decades of siege economy and racial
  exclusion
• Post 1994 - constructed crisis developmental
  state modulated by inclusion. Class tensions.
• Agriculture 3 Manufacturing 32 Services 65
• Minerals-energy complex
• Employment 9 26 65
• Business the main actor in RD. Evidence of
  Triple Helix at work
• ARC-Uni-agribusiness
• CSIR-Uni-Miners
• World class financial system with large carry
  trade.
• Domestic TNCs across Africa, Middle and Near
  East
• Open economy with symptoms of Dutch Disease

7
Into Africa
South Africa is the leading African source of
FDI, accounting for over 70 of the
regions total outward FDI stock. As early as the
1970s it had already become a major source of FDI
from developing countries. Flows have
been concentrated in developed countries three
quarters of the countrys outward FDI stock is in
Europe and about one tenth in North America.
Although only 9 of its outward FDI goes to
Africa, the country is among the leading foreign
investors in many African countries. UNCTAD
World Investment Report 2006
8
Roaring Lions small innovation systems but
poorly measured
Country GERD GERD/ Graduates KEI rank ISI (articles) Main
  PPP USD m  (2007) GDP  Sciences Engineers  (2009)  2006-10 Field
Angola - - 17 7 127 104 Health
Chad - - - - 81 Health
Congo (D.R.) 75 0.48 - - 378 Health
Ethiopia 106 0.17 2440 2613 141 2 035 Agric/Health
Mozambique 83 0.53 277 105 136 401 Health
South Africa 4 000 0.92 30k 10k 46 30 000 Env/eco Health
Zambia 3.8 0.036 - 123 689 Health
Sources UNESCO World Science Report, 2011 Web
of Science UIS http//info.worldbank.org/etools/
kam2
9
(No Transcript)
10
ZA and NO Activity and Impact factors of
two Western/bio-environmental systems (2004-2008)
11
Knowledge, networks and nations (Royal Society,
2011)
12

1. National innovation system policy

Financial system
EDUCATION TRAINING SKILLS DEV
INFORMAL SECTOR
Cultural- Political norms
UNIVERSITIES
BUSINESS
UTILITIES
Associations
ST SERVICES
GOVT. DEPTS INSTITUTES MUSEUMS
RESEARCH COUNCILS
NGOs
Information policy
Regulatory framework
Legal framework including IP
Standards
13
Innovation Policy context instruments

• RD Strategy (2002)
• Reorganization with some refocusing
• HRD - SA Research Chairs Centres of Excellence
• Framework conditions IP law Tax Incentive
• Innovation Plan (2008)
• Space Science remote monitoring telemetry
• Energy, hydrogen economy new materials
  -catalysis
• Farmer to Pharma-biotech, plant animal science
• Global dynamics climate change remote sensing
• Human and Social Dynamics social sciences
• Technology Innovation Agency (2010)
• Employment Equity Immigration Law
• New Growth Path Industrial Policy
• Support for African Union-NEPAD
• Promotion of international networking
• Infrastructure Center for High-speed Computing

14

1. Prospects for research data policy

• Data rich at system level
• Input, process and output data and indicators
• RD Innovation Survey
• Education Statistics
• Privately held bibliographic data SA
  Knowledgebase
• Higher Education Management Information System
• Research Information Management System - pending
• Regulatory frameworks and regulators
• Clinical trials register
• Gene banks fauna, insecta and flora
• Plant Breeders rights
• Biodiversity and indigenous knowledge compliance
• Ethical clearance built into funding awards
  process
• Promotion of Access to Information Act
• Patent Amendment Act

15

• Data rich at sector level Southern skies, fauna
  flora, people, earth and oceans
• SA Earth Observation Network
• Optical astronomy SAAO SALT
• Radio astronomy HART, MeerKAT SKA
• Hermanus Magnetic Seismographic Observatory
• Oceanographic and Antarctic data (MCM, SAAS)
• Geological (Council for Geosciences)
• Meteorological data SA Weather Service
• Social science (HSRC SADA)
• SA National Institute for Biodiversity
• SA Institute for Aquatic Diversity
• Statistics SA Census Labour Force Survey
  Household Expenditure
• Health Medical Research Council clinical trials

16

• Information poor at system and sector levels
• Two natural problems
• Bounded rationality
• Silos
• Fragmentation by default
• Statistics SA - coordination mandate for national
  surveys
• Department of Science and Technology has mandate
  to coordinate ST budgets, but not too coordinate
  information
• National Advisory Council on Innovation lacks
  authority (compare with National Council on
  Higher Education)
• The normal problem of MIS designed for one task
  being used to address other purposes
• Resource limitations inadequate meta data and
  training

17

• Prospects for coordination reasonable
• Commitment to monitoring and evaluation at
  highest level
• Minister for ME in the Presidency
• Indicator-based performance agreements for
  Ministers
• Commitment to Big Science Square Kilometre
  Array
• Support to AMCOST CPA ST ASTI flagships
• Implies high-speed wide area networking
• Data sharing regionally and internationally
• Supportive infrastructure and legislation
• Commitment to OECD Guidelines for Access to
  Publicly Funded Research 2007
• Review of Science System under way an
  opportunity to accelerate progress on data sharing

18

• Toward a data access policy
• Data sharing as the (qualified) norm
• Issues of sovereignty, resource protection,
  indigenous knowledge
• Ethical clearance to involve data sharing
  protocol?
• North-South relationships
• Academic hunters exploiting data gatherers?
• African datasets hosted abroad
• Abuse of research permit mechanisms to restrict
  inquiry security laws may be a barrier
• Digitization of paper MIS a priority
• Legislation for publication archiving in place
• Promotion of open access publishing
• Knowledge Divides (UNESCO/ISSC, 2010), but the
  Invisible College of Science functions witness
  co-publication