F. Innovation for Inclusive Development (IID) Seminar Series (incl. Proceedings)
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This Innovation for Inclusive Development (IID) learning intervention is hosted by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) and supported by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI). The purpose of seminars part of this series is to bring practitioners from the private and public sectors together to share evidence-based knowledge and understanding on science related topics.
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Enquiries: Dr Tebogo Mabotha
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Item The uptake of science, technology and innovation by sector departments(Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf); Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), 2022) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf); Department of Science and Innovation (DSI)The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) and Quantitative Evidence Research hosted a seminar titled “The Uptake of Science, Technology and Innovation by Sector Departments” on 20 July 2022, virtually, as part of the Innovation for Inclusive Development (IID) seminar series. The IID seminar series is one of the instruments designed to inform and influence the uptake of demonstrated innovation and technologies by other sector departments. The DSI has undertaken twelve (12) IID seminars in partnership with ASSAf, however, the integration of these technologies by various government departments in their policies and programmers is unknown. The partners went on to commission Quantitative Evidence Research to conduct a policy research study to ascertain whether departments are responsive to STI and open to innovation uptake. The report is available at https://research.assaf.org.za/handle/20.500.11911/249 The objective of the seminar was to provide a platform to share recommendations from the study based on policy document analysis and a survey of twelve (12) sector Departments; to create awareness in order to encourage sector Departments, both national and provincial, to adapt STIs in their policies and programmes; and also to encourage other sector Departments to participate in the next phase of the study.Item The uptake of science, technology and innovation by sector departments(Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) & Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), 2022) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf); Department of Science and Innovation (DSI)Webinar presented on 20 July 2022. Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) is an important construct in South Africa’s policy discourse as illustrated in key national planning frameworks, such as the National Development Plan (NDP) and the 2019 White Paper on Science, Technology and Innovation. The White Paper focuses on the use of STI to accelerate inclusive socio-economic growth, transformation and to respond to the global technological advancement, such as 4th industrial revolution (4IR). Furthermore, the White Paper seeks to ensure that all departments working in areas that affect STI are open to innovation uptake and that there is policy coherence across the national innovation system (NSI). The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) is committed to ensuring that STI is integrated into the planning of relevant government departments and STI programmes. The Innovation for Inclusive Development (IID) seminar series is one of the instruments designed to inform and influence the uptake of demonstrated innovation and technologies by other sector departments. The DSI has undertaken twelve (12) IID seminars thus far in partnership with the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) since inception in 2018, however, the integration of these technologies by various government departments in their policies and programmers is unknown. It is on this basis that the DSI and ASSAf commissioned Quantitative Evidence Research to conduct a policy research study to ascertain whether departments are responsive to STI and open to innovation uptake. The objective of the event is to share the preliminary report and recommendations based on policy document analysis and a survey of twelve (12) sector Departments. It is envisaged that the event will create awareness to encourage sector Departments, both national and provincial, to adapt STIs in their policies and programmes and also to participate in the next phase of the study. National and Provincial Government departments, policy and decision-makers and the public are encouraged to participate in the webinar. The IID seminar series is a project initiative of the DSI Programme 5, designed to provide a platform for open and collective thinking between the science policy and community of practice to generate evidence-based knowledge on Science and Technology (S&T) innovations to advance local economic development and also provide insights to support evidence-based policy and decision making to enhance service delivery.Item The District Development Model as a platform for inclusive innovation and innovative districts(Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) & Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), 2022) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf); Department of Science and Innovation (DSI)Date presented: 13 May 2022. The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) presented another episode in the INNOVATION FOR INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT (IID) SEMINAR SERIES (IID) on “The District Development Model as a Platform for Innovation for Inclusivity”. Background: The President of the Republic of South Africa introduced the District Development Model (DDM) which was subsequently approved by Cabinet on 21 August 2019 to express and actualise the intergovernmental relations framework as stipulated in the Constitution of South Africa, 1996. The model also present a new way of strengthening and synchronising planning by all spheres of government and enhancing the involvement of citizens, business and civil society to support the municipal districts and metros. The Department of Cooperative Governance (DCoG) has been mandated to manage the DDM across government departments and to ensure a programmatic outcome-based intergovernmental relations and initiatives across all spheres of government in support of the model. The DDM provides an approach through which national and provincial departments allocate budget that are geo-referenced to a particular district municipality and it’s an approach that the 6th administration has adopted in order to foster a whole of government response to the development needs in a particular geographical area. The DDM approach seeks to solve the challenge of silos in governments development programmes to maximise the impact, coordination and alignment of the resources to improve service delivery. DSI views the model as an ideal opportunity where national, provincial and local government can play a role in creating conditions and environments for entrepreneurial and innovative districts through inclusive innovation and where the DDM discourse and the district development programmes are inclusive. The model therefore provides a space for the implementation of the DSI’s Decadal Plan to support economic construction and recovery through innovation. The focus areas of the Decadal Plan to be implemented in the district will need to support existing sectors of the economy such as mining, tourism, agriculture etc. as well as initiatives to support new sources of growth such as the circular economy. These interventions will be implemented collectively through the DSI’s packaging model for DDM interventions. The implementation of the DDM initiatives in the districts will facilitate transformative innovation and inclusivity in district municipalities. The DDM approach will be implemented in close alignment with the activities that are initiated and directed towards women, youth, SMME’s and cooperatives. DSI and ASSAf hosted this seminar to: Showcase the DSI’s approach to the District Development Model and how it intends to position the model as a platform to drive innovation to solve development challenges, improve the delivery of services and create employment; Discuss how innovation can be used to create innovative districts, looking at both local and international experience; Ascertain various philosophical approaches and practices adopted by Government departments to implement the DDM as an instrument to improve responsiveness and collaboration on government interventions; Engage and solicit views and perspectives from other stakeholders including academia, industry, civil society and municipalities on the DDM in general and the DSI’s approach to DDM. The outcome of the seminar forms part of the DSI’s DDM interventions that will enable the Department to ascertain focus areas of the Decadal Plan to be implemented in the district. Government departments, municipal and local government policy and decision-makers, academia, civil society, research institutions and private sector partners supporting innovation and innovative programmes in municipalities participated in the webinar. The IID seminar series is a project initiative of the DSI Programme 5, designed to provide a platform for open and collective thinking between the science policy and community of practice to generate evidence-based knowledge on Science and Technology (S&T) innovations to advance local economic development and also provide insights to support evidence-based policy and decision making to enhance service delivery.Item Protection of Intellectual Property for Grassroots Innovation(Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) & Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), 2019) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf); Department of Science and Innovation (DSI)The seminar was hosted on 21 May 2019, at Protea Hotel Fire & Ice, Menlyn, Pretoria by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) in partnership with the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI). The seminar was centred around the Grassroots Innovation Programme (GIP), which is designed to identify and support innovators and inventors who do not have a formal education or access to formal innovation facilities. The GIP intents to provide grassroots innovators with technical skills development, access to technical expertise and intellectual property (IP) protection, among other things. The seminar set-out to provide a platform to raise awareness on policies that govern IP for grassroots innovation and to further discuss the importance of IPR, reinforcing national policy dialogues and processes around the interface between Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and grassroots innovation, both in South Africa and Globally, with particular interest on India. The seminar also showcased two innovators who shared their journeys, highlighting opportunities and challenges they experienced. One of the take-home messages was that supporting grassroots innovation is complex and it requires partnership with government and it’s agencies, private sector, academia, NGO’s and innovators themselves. The 2019 White Paper on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) requires a system which is responsive, inclusive and supports all forms of innovation, including effective grassroots innovation programme for the country.Item Annual Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)(Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) & Department of Science and Technology (DST), 2019) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf); Department of Science and Technology (DST)In 2015, South Africa joined other member states of the United Nations (UN) to sign and ratify the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda). The UN consequently established the Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM) to leverage STI in realising the 2030 Agenda. The annual UN STI Forum (Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for SDGs) was then established to discuss the inclusion of STI in the implementation of SDGs. The forum calls on for member states to develop and implement inclusive STI for SDG action plans/roadmaps or strategies as part of the national responses to the 2030 Agenda. In the South African context, the DST has been tasked to coordinate the development and implementation of the national STI for SDGs action plan. This action plan is intended to enhance and position the National System of Innovation (NSI) to meaningfully contribute to national, regional, continental and global efforts and to implement and integrate the SDGs into STI policies, specifically the draft White Paper on STI. The forum intended to solicit input from stakeholders to develop the national STI for SDGs Action Plan and reflect on its appropriate governance and coordination structure in preparation for the member states Voluntary National Review (VNR) report to be presented to the UN in 2019.Item Deployment of Open Data Driven Solutions for Socio-economic Value through Good Governance and Efficient Public Service Delivery(Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) & Department of Science and Technology (DST), 2018) Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf); Department of Science and Technology (DST)The notion of making data ‘open by default’ challenges the deep rooted cultures of national privacy as it calls for data to be treated as a public resource. South Africa embarked on several initiatives to endorse open data, especially government data in order to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance. However, the progress has been very marginal. In light of this, the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) brought together representatives from government, academia and the private sector to look at how open data-driven solutions can create economic and social value, improve service delivery in public services, support more transparent and accountable governments and foster innovation to transform citizens’ well-being, cities, and governments for good. The discussions unveiled that laws on open data need to move parallel to the progress and developments made in open data. It was noted that scientists, governments and policy makers need to approach open data realistically and acknowledge where we are as a country, were we want to go and how to get there. This approach to open data can potentially create economic and social value, improve service delivery in public services, support more transparent and accountable governments and foster innovation to transform citizens’ well-being. The outcome of the discussions aimed to contribute to and advance policy-relevant knowledge, provide a platform for the dissemination of evidence-based knowledge to inform and influence decision-making and identify policy gaps and suggest new research agendas.