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National Advisory Council on Innovation
Innovation is the key
The National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI) was created by legislation
[NACI Act of 1997] to advise the Minister of Science and Technology of South
Africa, and through the Minister, the Ministers Committee and the Cabinet, on
the role and contribution of science, mathematics, innovation and technology,
including indigenous technologies, in promoting and achieving national
objectives:
- improve and sustain the quality of life of all South Africans
- develop human resources for science and technology
- build the economy
- strengthen the country's competitiveness in the international sphere.
The membership of NACI is broadly representative of all sectors and is
constituted in a manner that ensures a spread of expertise and experience
regarding: national and provincial interests; scientific and technological
disciplines innovation the needs and opportunities in different socio-economic
fields; and research and development in all sectors.
NACI is charged
with carrying out inquiries, studies and consultations with respect to the
functioning of the National System of Innovation (NSI). NACI also provides a
focused and proactive mechanism to access and target critical science and
technology research and information for the purposes of socio-economic
development.
NACI is commissioned to advise the Minister of Science and Technology and
Cabinet, on the following issues:
- the coordination and stimulation of the
National System of Innovation (NSI).
- the promotion of cooperation within the
National System of Innovation; the development and maintenance of human
resources for innovation through selective support for education, training
and research and development in the higher education sector and at science
councils, other science and technology institutions in the public and
private institutions;
- strategies for the promotion of technology
innovation, development, acquisition, transfer and implementation in all
sectors;
- international liaison and co-operation in
the fields of science, technology and innovation;
- the coordination of science and technology
policy and strategies with policies and strategies in other environments;
- the structuring, governance and
coordination of the science and technology system;
- the identification of research and
development priorities in consultation with provincial departments and
interested parties, and their incorporation in the process of government
funding of research and development;
- the funding of the science and technology
system in respect of its contribution to innovation;
- the promotion of mathematics, the natural
sciences and technology in the education sector in consultation with the
Minister of Education and the Minister of Labour;
- strategies for the promotion of
dissemination and accessibility of scientific knowledge and technology;
- the promotion of the public understanding
of science and technology and their supportive role in innovation for
development and progress;
- the establishment and maintenance of
information systems to support the monitoring and evaluation of the overall
management and functioning of the science and technology system and the
national system of innovation;
- the continuous revision of science and
technology policy to address changing and new circumstances; developments in
the fields of science, technology and innovation which might require new
legislation; and
- any other matter relating to science,
mathematics, innovation and technology, including indigenous technologies,
which the Minister may refer to NACI, or in respect of which NACI may deem
it necessary to advise the Minister.
For more information on NACI, please visit: www.naci.org.za
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