SOUTH AFRICAN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION INDICATORS 2013

The indicators contained in this booklet are useful in the assessment of both the state of the national system of innovation (NSI) and the impact of key NSI policies and strategies. Reference to key indicators is a vital contributor to various debates in policy formulation and thereby to the promotion of evidence-based policy decisions.
The indicators cover a ten-year period spanning 2003 to 2012. This is a very important period for the NSI, following the inception of the National Research and Development Strategy (NRDS). Coincidentally, most of the targets of the NRDS were set for 2012.
The indicators contained in this booklet are therefore critical in assessing the impact of this strategy on South African knowledge generation capacity and the progress achieved in positioning science-based technology to improve quality of life and economic growth. In addition, it is important to monitor these indicators as we are halfway through the Ten Year Innovation Plan (TYIP), which is key in positioning South Africa as a knowledge-based economy.

Additions to this booklet include a brief background on relevant innovation policies and strategies as well as commentary on data. In order to give the indicators some scale of comparison, we benchmark the South African NSI against the BRICS countries and Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. BRICS countries are useful for the comparison of scale-adjusted science, engineering and innovation indicators as these countries share economic and social challenges associated with emerging economies. The three developed countries serve as a benchmark for well-organised innovation systems.