In 2015, IBM partnered with the CSIR and the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) to establish an IBM research laboratory to accelerate skills development and innovation-based economic growth. The laboratory is located inside Braamfontein’s new 3 000 m2 software hub, Tshimologong Precinct – which is also the home of the Wits Joburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE).
A global partnership aims to bring research and development solutions in the water and energy sectors to help address infrastructural and development challenges in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
The CSIR mandate encourages the organisation to harness its multidisciplinary skills to foster industrial and scientific development, and to cooperate with entities in the public and private sectors in doing so. This edition of ScienceScope features a small selection of work done in partnership with others. In all CSIR focus areas – energy, health, industry, the natural and built environments, and defence and security – we work with state-owned entities, tertiary education institutions, local and international research and technology organisations, as well as the private and public sectors.
The CSIR has partnered with Argentina’s National Institute of Limnology (INALI), combining the two countries’ expertise in water quality monitoring to deliver better water quality to communities. The collaboration will result in the development of new tools to evaluate the impact of certain types of human-induced pollution on the Berg River in South Africa and the Parana River in Argentina, which both deliver water to a number of communities.
The CSIR and the Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation (BITRI) are collaborating on dynamic spectrum access, a new approach to managing spectrum. The two organisations have participated in numerous workshops to share knowledge and build capacity in dynamic spectrum and broadband access. The capacity-building workshop organised by the CSIR in Botswana was attended by the University of Botswana, the Botswana International University of Science and Technology, Botswana Fibre Networks and the Botswana Regulatory Authority.
The CSIR has partnered with the Big Fish School of Digital Film Making to include rural and urban youth in the formal digital economy through a technology platform that makes it possible for entrepreneurs to operate their own television stations using a mobile internet protocol television platform.
Experts from three organisations in the Western Cape are collaborating to improve the knowledge and understanding of coastal aquifers – underground natural freshwater reservoirs – in the province.
Advances in technology have transformed today's society. Technology is so deeply embedded in society that we cannot imagine our lives without gadgets like mobile phones, tablets, computers, air conditioners, navigation systems and alarm systems. Technology keeps us connected to our friends and family, helps us get through our work and makes everyday tasks easier. Owing to the pervasiveness of cyberspace, the protection of our digital assets and activities is crucial. To ensure that technology only makes our lives better, cyber-security research is of critical importance.
CSIR experts in water chemistry and botany have found that certain indigenous vegetation are able to rehabilitate rivers polluted with metals such as iron, aluminium and manganese. Seven common and pollution-tolerant plant species prevalent on the banks of the Upper Olifants River were found to bioaccumulate these metals in areas where rivers are affected by mining and industry.
Wind speeds can vary greatly from minute to minute, and cloud cover/movement can cause the output of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy sources to vary. As a result, solar and wind power naturally and continuously fluctuates. The CSIR has embarked on research focusing on smoothing out the inherent volatility and fluctuations from wind and PV energy resources in South Africa. A key finding has been that when wind and PV plants are spatially distributed, it can result in a smoothing effect on the power output and also be made predictable.
The National Development Plan, when focusing on environmental matters, calls for South Africa to foster economic development with the least impact on the environment; move to a low carbon economy with less dependence on fossil fuels; introduce mixed sources of energy; and make communities more resilient to the impacts of climate change and less socio-economically vulnerable. In response to this, the Industrial Energy Efficiency Project has, between mid-2010 and July 2015, helped participating companies save 1 340 GWh of energy and R1.1 billion in energy costs. It has created or preserved an estimated 5 704 jobs within local communities with investment payback periods of generally less than two years.
Due to South Africa's unique history, the South African aerospace industry developed and implemented the capability to design, develop and produce aerospace technologies and products. The support of stakeholders in the National System of Innovation and government is vital to ensure that this industry remains viable.
Rabies deaths in humans worldwide have declined during the last few decades, yet this deadly animal-borne viral disease still kills thousands of people in poor regions, especially those burdened with uncontrolled stray dog populations. These poor communities are also least able to access expensive life-saving treatment after being bitten by a rabid animal.
Incidents of piracy on the east and the west coasts of Africa in recent years resulted in shipping companies reconsidering the Cape sea route. South Africa needed to act to ensure that such incidences did not escalate, as it would have dire consequences for trade.
Studies by CSIR researchers and traditional healers on indigenous plants with mosquito repellent properties in the mid-1990s led to the discovery of a novel mosquito repellent. The essential oil of the indigenous plant, Lippia javanica, has more effective repellent properties than similar or comparable commercial products on the market.
Our ability to understand the world, to measure and change perceptions, is facing a new challenge - how to draw insights, to forecast and to act on the massive data sets being delivered at ever-increasing speed and variety from thousands of satellites and millions of sensors. The CSIR's multidisciplinary skills set and the integration of these skills sets enable it to support the processing, analysis and application of this data.
In South Africa the demand for wood for various products significantly outstrips supply. Studies have shown that the current shortfall in the supply of wood is expected to continue over the next 30 years. To address this need, researchers developed two novel Eucalyptus hybrids with improved pulping properties.
The CSIR's mandate commits us to conduct research and foster technological innovation and industrial and scientific development to improve the quality of life of South Africa's people. Over the years, our efforts hove resulted - and continue to result- in many successful innovations and interventions. These efforts are a response to national priorities and are based on innovative ideas that can be practically applied to better the lives of citizens - Ideas that work.
The CSIR is developing a platform that will enable small, medium and micro enterprises in South Africa to work together to create eco-friendly and regulatory compliant products and deliver those products to the global market.
Core challenges of modern pathology service delivery in South Africa include a scarcity of diagnostic skills and the inability to meet the high volume and complex disease burdens encountered in medical practice. The problem is most acute in remote areas, as the country's pathology specialists are mostly located in major cities. The CSIR has joined forces with the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) to develop digital pathology technology to help train experts remotely and to extend these services to all corners of South Africa.
