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| Abbreviation | CSIR |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1945[1] |
| Type | Research and development organisation |
| Location |
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Region served | South Africa |
President and CEO | Thulani Dlamini[2] |
| Website | www |
TheCouncil for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is aSouth African scientific research and development (R&D) organisation. It was established by an act ofparliament in 1945 and is situated on its campus inPretoria.[3] It is Africa's largest research and development organisation and accounts for about 10% of the entire African R&D budget.[citation needed] It has a staff of approximately 3,000 technical and scientific researchers.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is a leading scientific and technology research organisation that researches and develops transformative technologies to accelerate socioeconomic prosperity in South Africa. The organisation’s work contributes to industrial development and supports a capable state. The CSIR is an entity of the Department of Science and Innovation.[4]
The organisation plays a key role in supporting the public and private sectors through directed research that is aligned with the country’s priorities, the organisation’s mandate and its science, engineering and technology competences. The nine high-impact sectors identified by the CSIR to achieve its aims are:
Industry advancement clusters
Industry and society enabling clusters
| Role | Name | Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| President | Basil Schonland | 1945–1950 | Founding president[5] |
| President | Petrus Johann du Toit | 1950–1952 | |
| President | Stefan Meiring Naude | 1952–1971 | |
| President | Christiaan van der Merwe Brink | 1971–1980 | |
| President | Christoph Friedrich Garbers | 1980–1990 | |
| President | James Brian Clark | 1990–1995 | |
| President | Geoff Garrett | 1995–2000 | |
| President | Sibusiso Sibisi | 2002–2008 | |
| CEO | Sibusiso Sibisi | 2008–2017 | |
| CEO | Thulani Dlamini | 2017–present |
In 1999, a strategic alliance, theSouthern Education and Research Alliance (SERA), was formed between theUniversity of Pretoria and the CSIR.[6] SERA collaborates locally and internationally with universities, NGOs, companies, and multinational bodies in various research areas.[7]
In July 2016, theamaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism published an article that alleges that South Africa's Science and Technology MinisterNaledi Pandor and Director-GeneralPhil Mjwara were attempting to put undue pressure on the CSIR, at the behest of theAfrican National Congress (ANC) treasurer-generalZweli Mkhize, to favour the Chinese multinationalHuawei Technologies in the purchase of a new 116 million South African rand (US$8 million)supercomputer for the institute. This followed the publication of the council's long-time CEO, Sibusiso Sibisi's, open letter of resignation stating that irregularities and political pressure on the awarding of contracts to suppliers were of great concern.[8]
In a case ofbiopiracy,bioprospectors from CSIR became interested in theHoodia plant as anappetite suppressant for weight loss after a marketing campaign falsely claimed its efficacy. They patented it without recognising theSan people's traditional claims to knowledge of the plant and its uses.[9] The patent was later sold toUnilever, which marketed Hoodia products as diet supplements.[10][11][12] In 2003, the South African San Council made an agreement with CSIR in which they would receive from 6 to 8% of the sales revenue ofHoodia gordonii products, money that would be deposited in a fund to purchase land for the San people who had been dispossessed of their lands by migrating tribes.[13]
25°44′53″S28°16′34″E / 25.7481°S 28.2762°E /-25.7481; 28.2762
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