Department of Science and Innovation Survey Reports

This Statistical Report presents data tables from the 2016/17 South African National Survey of Research and Experimental Development (R&D Survey). The report provides key findings of the survey with commentary and standard summary tables of 2016/17, along with time series data from previous iterations of the survey. The Statistical Report is published together with the Main Analysis Report, which provides selected analyses of survey data.The survey covers the following institutional sectors that perform R&D in South Africa:• The business enterprise sector, comprising all industries and size classes of enterprises, including state-owned enterprises (SOEs).• The government sector, comprising departments in the three spheres of national, provincial and local government with an R&D component, government research institutions, and museums.• The not-for-profit sector, comprising non-governmental and other organisations formally registered as not-for-profit institutions.• The higher education sector, comprising all public higher education institutions and private higher education institutions with an R&D component.• The science council sector, comprising the nine science councils established through Acts of Parliament.This approach is followed in order to maintain consistency with the institutional sector categories recommended by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in The Measurement of Scientific and Technological Activities: Proposed Standard Practice for Surveys on Research and Experimental Development, known as the Frascati Manual (OECD, 2015). It adjustsfor the South African situation, which demands a split of government into a government sector and a science council sector.

This report provides analysis and commentary on the results of the 2014/15 South African National Survey of Research and Experimental Development.This Main Analysis Report is accompanied by the Statistical Report, which presents key findings and trend data. The analysis in this report is presented in terms of the following categories of indicators:• Gross domestic expenditure on research and experimental development (GERD);• GERD by R&D-performing sectors;• Sources and flows of funding for R&D;• R&D expenditure by economic sector, field of research and socio-economic objective;• R&D personnel by occupation (researchers, technicians and support staff) and full-time equivalents (FTEs);• R&D expenditure in multidisciplinary and selected areas of policy interest, namely biotechnology, nanotechnology, environment-related, open-source software, new materials, and tuberculosis (TB), HIV/AIDS and malaria research;• R&D involving local and international collaborations.The survey covered the main institutional sectors that perform R&D in South Africa, namely the business, not-for-profit, government, science council and higher education sectors. This approach is followed in order to satisfy national data needs and, at the same time, maintain consistency with the international sector categorisation for measuring R&D recommended by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in The Measurement of Scientific andTechnological Activities: Proposed Standard Practice for Surveys on Research and Experimental Development, commonly known as the Frascati Manual (OECD, 2002).

This Statistical Report presents data tables from the 2015/16 South African National Survey of Research and Experimental Development (R&D survey). The report provides key findings of the survey with commentary and standard summary tables of the overall findings from 2015/16, along with time series data from previous instances of the survey. The Statistical Report is published together with the Main Analysis Report, which provides selected analysis of survey data.The survey covers the following institutional sectors that perform R&D in South Africa:• The business enterprise sector, comprising all size classes of enterprises, including state-owned enterprises (SOEs).• The government sector, comprising departments in the three spheres of national, provincial and local government with an R&D component, government research institutions and museums.• The higher education sector, comprising all public higher education institutions and private higher education institutions with an R&D component.• The not-for-profit sector, comprising non-governmental and other organisations formally registered as not-for-profit institutions.• The science council sector, comprising the nine science councils established through Acts of Parliament.This approach is followed in order to maintain consistency with the institutional sector categorisation recommended by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in The Measurement of Scientific and Technological Activities: Proposed Standard Practice for Surveys on Research and Experimental Development, known as the Frascati Manual (OECD, 2002), and to adjust for the South African situation, which demands a split of government into a government sector and a science councils sector. 

This Statistical Report presents data tables from the 2017/18 South African National Survey of Research and Experimental Development (R&D Survey). The report provides key findings of the survey with commentary, standard summary tables of the overall findings from 2017/18 along with time series from previous instances of the survey. The Statistical Report is published annually, along with the Main Report, which provides selected analysis of the survey data.The survey covers the sectors that perform R&D in South Africa:• The business enterprise sector, comprising large, medium and small enterprises, including state-owned enterprises.• The government sector, comprising national, provincial and local government with an R&D component, government research institutions, and museums.• The higher education sector, comprising all public and private higher education institutions with an R&D component.• The not-for-profit sector, comprising non-governmental and other organisations formally registered as not-for-profit institutions.• The science council sector, comprising the nine science councils established through Acts of Parliament.This approach is followed in order to maintain consistency with the institutional sector categorisation recommended by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in The Measurement of Scientific and Technological Activities: Proposed Standard Practice for Surveys on Research and Experimental Development, known as the Frascati Manual (OECD, 2002, 2015)2. The split of Government into two sectors - a Government sector and a Science Councils sector - is an adjustment to the South African situation.

This Statistical Report presents data tables from the 2014/15 South African National Survey of Research and Experimental Development (R&D survey). The report provides key fi ndings of the survey with commentary, standard summary tables of the overall fi ndings from 2014/15 along with time series from previous surveys. The Statistical report is published together with the Main Analysis report, which provides analysis of the survey data. The survey covers the sectors that perform R&D in South Africa.• The business enterprise sector, comprising large, medium and small enterprises, including state owned enterprises.• The government sector, comprising national, provincial and municipalities, government research institutions and museums.• The higher education sector, comprising all public higher education institutions and private higher education institutions.• The not-for-profit sector, comprising non-governmental and other organisations formally registered as not-for-profit institutions.• The science council sector, comprising the seven science councils established through Acts of Parliament.This approach is followed to maintain consistency with the institutional sector categorisation recommended by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in The Measurement of Scientifi c and Technological Activities: Proposed Standard Practice for Surveys on Research and Experimental Development, known as the Frascati Manual (OECD, 2002).

This report provides descriptive analysis and commentary on the results of the 2016/17 R&D Survey. It is accompanied by the Statistical Report, which presents data tables for 2016/17 against the previous ten years of trend data. Based on the data trends, the reports can assist to catalyse policy and research questions, though the answers and solutions may require further indepth investigation.The R&D Survey covers the main institutional sectors that perform R&D in South Africa, namely the business, not-for-profit, government, science council and higher education sectors. This approach is followed in order to satisfy national data needs and, at the same time, maintain consistency with the international sector categorisation for measuring R&D recommended by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in The Measurement of Scientific andTechnological Activities: Proposed Standard Practice for Surveys on Research and Experimental Development, commonly known as the Frascati Manual (OECD, 2002, 2015). The discussion in this report is presented in terms of global standard categories of indicators, namely:• Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD);• GERD by R&D-performing sectors;• Sources and flows of funding for R&D;• R&D expenditure by economic sector, field of research and socio-economic objective (SEO);• R&D personnel by occupation (researchers, technicians and support staff) and full-time equivalents (FTEs);• R&D expenditure in multidisciplinary and selected areas of policy interest, namelybiotechnology, nanotechnology, environment-related R&D, open-source software, new materials, space, tuberculosis (TB), HIV/AIDS and malaria research; and,• R&D expenditure by province.

This report provides analysis and commentary on the results of the 2015/16 South African National Survey of Research and Experimental Development (R&D Survey). It is a companion piece to the Statistical Report, which presents detailed data tables for 2015/16 in the context of trend data for the past ten years.The Survey covers the main institutional sectors that perform R&D in South Africa, namely the business, not-for-profit, government, science council and higher education sectors. This approach is followed in order to satisfy national data needs and, at the same time, maintain consistency with the international sector categorisation for measuring R&D. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recommends standards in The Measurement of Scientificand Technological Activities: Proposed Standard Practice for Surveys on Research and Experimental Development, commonly known as the Frascati Manual (OECD, 2002).

This Statistical Report presents data tables from the 2012/13 South African National Survey of Research and Experimental Development (R&D survey). The report provides key findings of the survey with commentary, standard summary tables of the overall findings from 2012/13 along with time series from previous instances of the survey. The Statistical Report is published together with the Main Analysis Report which provides selected analysis of the survey data.The survey covers the sectors that perform R&D in South Africa, namely the business, not-for-profit, government, science councils and higher education sectors. This approach is followed in order to maintain consistency with the institutional sector categorisation recommended by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in The Measurement of Scientific and Technological Activities: Proposed Standard Practice for Surveys on Research and Experimental Development, known as the Frascati Manual (OECD 2002).R&D statistics are presented in tables according to the following categories:• Gross domestic expenditure on research and development (GERD), and R&D expenditure by R&D-performing sectors,• Local and international sources of funding for R&D sectors,• R&D expenditure by field of research and socio-economic objective, and by industrial sector in the business sector,• R&D expenditure in selected areas of policy interest, namely biotechnology, nanotechnology, environment-related, opensource software, new materials, and tuberculosis (TB), HIV/AIDS and malaria research, and• R&D personnel.

This statistical report presents data tables from the 2010/11 South African National Survey of Research and Experimental Development (R&D survey). It is published together with a separate Main Results Report that provides trends and brief analysisof the survey data. The tables are arranged according to the sections below, covering different dimensions on Research and Development (R&D) expenditures and human resources in 2010/11.• Gross expenditure on research and development (GERD)• GERD by R&D-performing sectors• Sources and flows of funding for R&D• R&D expenditure by economic sector, field of research and socio-economic objectives• R&D personnel by occupation (researchers, technicians and support staff) and the time devoted to R&D• R&D involving local and international collaborations.The survey covered all sectors that perform R&D in South Africa; namely the business, not-for-profit, government, science councils and higher education sectors. The technical description of the survey methodology is contained in the ‘Technical notes’ section of this report.

South Africa has come a long way in the measurement of science, technology and innovation (STI) indicators. Over the past twenty-five years, since 1994, there have been several attempts to understand the science, technology and research landscape of South Africa, and to develop indicators of progress in implementing policy initiatives. Information gleaned from the annual R&D surveys assists in responding to and monitoring policy progress.This report provides descriptive analysis and commentary on the results of the 2017/18 R&D Survey. It is accompanied by the Statistical Report, which presents data tables for 2017/18 in the form of trend data for the past ten years, as well as key findings and commentary placing the results in context. Together, these reports provide R&D data and indicators that enable the reader to raise policy issues and research questions for further exploration.The R&D Survey covers the main institutional sectors that perform R&D in South Africa, namely the business, not-for-profit, government, science council and higher education sectors. This approach is followed to satisfy national data needs and, at the same time, maintain consistency with the international sector categorisation for measuring R&D recommended by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in The Measurement of Scientific and Technological Activities: Proposed Standard Practice for Surveys on Research and ExperimentalDevelopment, commonly known as the Frascati Manual (OECD, 2002, 2015).

This report presents the main results of the 2010/11 National Survey of Research and Experimental Development. The report is published together with a separate Statistical Report that presents the statistical tables and the survey methodology.The R&D survey is commissioned by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) as part of the statistical series to monitor the performance of the National System of Innovation (NSI). The 2010/11 survey is the ninth R&D survey that hasbeen conducted by the Centre for Science Technology and Innovation Indicators (CeSTII) at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC). The survey is compiled according to the international guidelines proposed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in “The Measurement of Scientific and Technological Activities: Proposed Standard Practice for Surveys on Research and Experimental Development” known as the Frascati Manual (OECD 2002). The data are collected from R&D-performing entities within government departments, business enterprises, higher education institutions, science councils and not-for-profit organisations. Trend data used in this report are sourced from the R&D survey database (South African National Survey of Research and Experimental Development, 1991/92 to 2010/11).The main indicators tracked through this survey include:• Gross domestic expenditure on research and development• Flows of funding for R&D• R&D expenditure by economic sector, field of research and socio-economic objectives• R&D personnel by category (researchers, technicians and related skilled R&D personnel) and the time that they devote to R&D• R&D involving local and international collaborations.

This report provides analysis and commentary on the results of the 2012/13 South African National Survey of Research and Experimental Development (R&D survey). This report is accompanied by the Metadata report as well as the Statistical Report that presents key findings and trend data.The survey covered the main institutional sectors that perform R&D in South Africa, namely the business, not-for-profit, government, science council and higher education sectors. The South African R&D survey is informed by the guidelines of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for measuring R&D, as presented in The Measurement of Scientific and Technological Activities: Proposed Standard Practice for Surveys on Research and Experimental Development, commonly known as the Frascati Manual (OECD 2002).The data in this report are presented in terms of the dimensions of research and experimental development (R&D) expenditure, sources of funding and human resources:• Gross domestic expenditure on research and experimental development (GERD);• R&D expenditure by R&D-performing sectors;• Sources and flows of funding for R&D;• R&D expenditure by field of research and socio-economic objectives, and by industrial sector in the business sector;• R&D expenditure in selected areas of policy interest, namely biotechnology, nanotechnology, environment related, open-source software, new materials, and tuberculosis (TB), HIV/AIDS and malaria research; and• R&D personnel by occupation (researchers, technicians and support staff) and full-time equivalents (FTEs).

This Statistical Report presents data tables from the 2020/21 South African National Survey of Research and Experimental Development (R&D Survey). The report provides key findings of the survey with commentary, standard summary tables of the overall findings from 2020/21 and time series from previous instances of the survey. The R&D Survey covers a 12-month period corresponding with the sectoral financial year. For the business, government, science councils and NPO sectors this is from 1 April to 31 March, or the nearest complete financial year. In the higher education sector the calendar year is surveyed, ending 31 December.The Statistical Report is published annually and provides summary analysis of the survey data.The survey covers the sectors that perform R&D in South Africa:• The business enterprise sector, comprising large, medium and small enterprises, including state-owned enterprises.• The government sector, comprising national, provincial and local government with an R&D component; government research institutions and museums.• The higher education sector, comprising all public and private higher education institutions with an R&D component.• The not-for-profit sector, comprising non-governmental and other organisations formally registered as not-for-profit institutions.• The science council sector, comprising the seven science councils established through Acts of Parliament.

This Statistical Report presents data tables from the 2019/20 South African National Survey of Research and Experimental Development (R&D Survey). The report provides key findings of the survey with commentary, standard summary tables of the overall findings from 2019/20 and time series from previous instances of the survey. The Statistical Report is published annually, along with the Main Report, and provides selected analysis of the survey data.The survey covers the sectors that perform R&D in South Africa:• The business enterprise sector, comprising large, medium and small enterprises, including state-owned enterprises.• The government sector, comprising national, provincial and local government with an R&D component; government research institutions and museums.• The higher education sector, comprising all public and private higher education institutions with an R&D component.• The not-for-profit sector, comprising non-governmental and other organisations formally registered as not-for-profit institutions.• The science council sector, comprising the seven science councils established through Acts of Parliament. 

This Statistical Report presents data tables from the 2018/19 South African National Survey of Research and Experimental Development (R&D Survey). The report provides the key findings of the survey with commentary, standard summary tables of the overall findings from 2018/19, along with time series data from previous instances of the survey. The Statistical Report is published annually, along with the Main Report, which provides selected analysis of the survey data.The survey covers the sectors that perform R&D in South Africa.• The business enterprise sector, comprising large, medium and small enterprises, including state-owned enterprises.• The government sector, comprising national, provincial and local government with an R&D component, government research institutions and museums.• The higher education sector, comprising all public and private higher education institutions with an R&D component.• The not-for-profit sector, comprising non-governmental and other organisations formally registered as not-for-profit institutions.• The science council sector, comprising the seven science councils established through Acts of Parliament