National Survey of Research and Experimental Development - Main Results Report (2009/10)

The National Survey of Research and Experimental Development (National R&D Survey) is conducted annually by the Human Sciences Research Council’s (HSRC) Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators (CeSTII) on behalf of the Department of Science and Technology (DST). The survey provides information regarding expenditure on research and experimental development (R&D) and the supply of R&D personnel within South Africa. The core indicators measured from the survey include the gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD), R&D expenditure by source of funds and sector of performance; R&D personnel by
level of formal qualifi cation, gender and race; and R&D by research fi eld, socio-economic objectives and by industry (business sector only).

The data from the survey serves as a reference document for analysis and national policy development. In South Africa, the data are used inter alia by The Presidency for the compilation of its Development Indicators and by Stats SA to inform the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Internationally, the data are used by organisations such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).
The report consists of an executive summary followed by sections on the methodology and the key major findings for the various sectors surveyed, namely business (BUS) (Chapter 4), not-for-profi t (NPO) (Chapter 5), government (GOV) (Chapter 6), science councils (SCI) (Chapter 7) and higher education (HE) (Chapter 8).