Draft White Paper on Science, Technology and Innovation neglects to prioritise issues of performance and human capability

Abstract

The release for public comment of the Draft 2018 White Paper on Science, Technology and Innovation 1 marks the culmination of a lengthy internal process within the Department of Science and Technology (DST).As noted in the Minister's Foreword to the Draft White Paper, the document is intended to replace both the 1996 White Paper on Science and Technology 2 and the 2008 Ten-Year Innovation Plan 3 .Its publication is the outcome of a strategic project initiated and driven several years ago by the then Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor, which has involved several cycles of input from members of the DST and its associated entities, such as the National Intellectual Property Management Office and the National Advisory Council on Innovation, and wide consultation with external experts and consultants.Inevitably, although the draft document is relevant and broad-ranging, it carries the scars of this consultative process.There are inconsistencies (e.g. the use of terms for human development), there is a lack of detail in certain key areas (e.g.public sector innovation and new funding sources) and there is an impossibly long list of policy interventions (26 policy intents and 340 policy actions/sub-actions). (These numbers were obtained by coding the relevant chapters with ATLAS.ti and then manually filtering the coded quotes to remove statements about the future without reference to a specific action.)Of greater concern, however, is that the document fails to ignite a convincing sentiment that science and technology can indeed contribute to the solution of South Africa's social and economic challenges.In our opinion, the following are needed to strengthen the weaknesses, before finalisation of the document:

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