The impact of a mixed income model on the South African CSIR: A recipe for success or disaster?
Year: 2006
Type: article
Abstract: The increasing shift towards external contract research income (in contrast
to grant income) as the primary means of
funding public research institutions and
universities has extracted a high toll on
these institutions and on their stakeholders.
Although this policy has the benefits of increasing
the relevance of public research
institutions to broader research and development
(R&D) objectives, and of improving the
competitiveness of the public R&D sector,
data from the financial performance of the
South African CSIR over a long period
indicates that it has had the simultaneous but
adverse effects of reducing research capacity,
decreasing the social return from public
funds and increasing the cost of research to
the public sector. The continuing use of external
research income as akey performance measure
is highly problematic and will further undermine
the science and technology quality of
our research institutions. Although a return to
exclusive grant funding is also not the answer,
the use of a mixed income model requires
the simultaneous adoption of a set of research
management practices to prevent the recurrence
of the problems faced by the CSIR over
the last four years.
Source: South African Journal of Science
Authors: David R. Walwyn, Robert J. Scholes
Language: English
Subfield: Management of Technology and Innovation
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W88142380