Policy research study to determine the adoption and integration of Science, Technology and Innovation into government policies and planning frameworks

Government departments and associated agencies tend to operate in silos in the area of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI). The Cabinet-approved White Paper on Science, Technology and Innovation (2019) sets a number of objectives and it suggests that in addition to these objectives the Department should also introduce measures to support partnerships among the actors of the National System of Innovation (NSI), and interventions aimed at improving policy coherence and coordination, as well as the governance of the NSI.

On this basis the Department of Science and Innovation and the Academy of Science of South Africa commissioned Qualitative Evidence Research (QER) to assess:

1. how national and provincial government departments’ policies are open to the uptake of innovation;
2. how the departments have integrated Science, Technology and Innovation in their policies and different institutional programmes; and
3. instilled the innovation culture within and across departments.