Analysis | Policy levers to boost innovation and productivity in South African manufacturing firms

“Current policy instruments to promote innovation do not consider all of the drivers of innovation investment and success, and there is a need for a mix of tools – known as policy levers – that explicitly consider the differential impact of these drivers on product versus process innovation,” argues Kahn (2022) in a new HSRC Policy Brief.

Download HSRC Policy Brief (March 2022) ‘Policy levers to boost innovation and productivity in South African manufacturing firms’

Policy Brief Author

Amy Kahn (PhD), Research Specialist, Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators, Human Sciences Research Council | akahn[at]hsrc.ac.za

Event | Tweets and slides from Industry Associations Innovation Day 2018

On 25 May 2018, about 60 industry association leaders, government officials, researchers and entrepreneurs gathered at Gauteng’s Riversands Incubation Hub. On the agenda? Innovation, government and Industry 4.0. This post shares the final programme and speaker list, presentations and Tweets from @HSRC_CeSTII.

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Image credit: Department of Science and Technology

Programme and speakers

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Slides

How much R&D and innovation on in South Africa, and how we know this Dr Glenda Kruss &Dr Moses Sithole, Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators, Human Sciences Research Council

How industry/businesses can leverage CSIR platforms for innovation – Kobus Roux, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research

Tweets

Analysis | Barriers to innovation: Evidence from South African manufacturing companies 2010–2012

“Studies on barriers to innovation typically focus on the impact of obstacles on the propensity to innovate as well as the factors affecting perceptions of the importance of these barriers,” Moses et al (2018) argue in a new HSRC Policy Brief. Drawing from the South African Business Innovation Survey 2010–2012 dataset, the brief documents factors affecting how companies perceive the importance of a range of barriers to innovation.

The Business Innovation Survey 2010–2012 data allows for an evaluation of various factors that influence a company’s perceptions of different barriers to innovation.

The results presented in this brief do not represent the population of all the business enterprises in South Africa, but only a sample of 128 manufacturing enterprises.

Download HSRC Policy Brief (March 2018) ‘Barriers to innovation: Evidence from South African manufacturing companies 2010–2012’

Policy Brief Authors

  • C Moses (BSc, BSc Honours, MSc), Chief Researcher, Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators, Human Sciences Research Council | cmoses@hsrc.ac.za
  • Dr MM Sithole (BSc, CDE, PGD, MSc, PhD), Chief Research Specialist; Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators, Human Sciences Research Council | msithole@hsrc.ac.za
  • P Mudavanhu (BSc, BCom Honours, MCom), Senior Researcher, Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators, Human Sciences Research Council
  • N Nkobole-Mhlongo (BSc, BSc Honours, MSc), Junior Lecturer, University of South Africa
  • T Kupamupindi (BSc, BSc Honours, MPhil), Senior Demographer, International Centre for Aids Care and Treatment Programs, Columbia University

 

Analysis | Can government stimulate innovation through public funding and procurement in manufacturing and services?

In two brand new briefing papers, researchers from the Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators at the Human Sciences Research Council investigate firm-level awareness of public funding for innovation in the manufacturing and services sectors.

The Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators (CeSTII) is a statistical and policy research institute based at South Africa’s Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC).

CeSTII performs national surveys that underpin benchmarking, planning and reporting on R&D, innovation and technology transfer in South Africa, including the South African Business Innovation Survey 2014-2016.

Our Research Briefs are concise papers based our ongoing work. Their goal? To provide empirical evidence and informed opinion that policy- and decision-makers can use to strengthen the quality of their thinking and action.

ResearchBrief1_V7.indd

Research Brief No. 1*

‘CAN GOVERNMENT STIMULATE INNOVATION THROUGH PUBLIC FUNDING AND PROCUREMENT? WHAT SOUTH AFRICAN MANUFACTURING FIRMS SAY’

Authors: Glenda Kruss, Moses Sithole, Cheryl Moses and Hlamulo Makelane

ResearchBrief2_V3.indd

Research Brief No. 2*

‘CAN GOVERNMENT STIMULATE INNOVATION THROUGH PUBLIC FUNDING AND PROCUREMENT? WHAT SOUTH AFRICAN SERVICES FIRMS SAY’

Authors: Glenda Kruss, Moses Sithole and Cheryl Moses

*Data presented in these papers is drawn from the South African Business Innovation Survey 2010-2012. Research Briefs No. 1 and No. 2 were first published in April 2018.

Full Report: Innovation in the South African Manufacturing Sector, 2010-2012

Full Report: Innovation in Selected South African Services Sectors, 2010-2012

Some government mechanisms in support of innovation in South Africa

The South African government invests a significant amount of effort into supporting innovation in the South African business sector. This support can either be financial in nature or through support programmes that make access to other resources easier. Given the right support from government, we should expect business to be better positioned to take their innovations further. We report on the extent to which firms access this funding, if they benefit in other ways, and detail the reasons why they do not access public funding.  – Kruss, et al (2018)