Deputy Minister Nomalungelo Nomalungelo Gina on DSTI’s 2026/27 plan to strengthen South Africa’s innovation system

Making a presentation of the APP to the Committee, Director General of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Mlungisi Cele, said that the Department was planning in an environment defined by intersecting global pressures that require a sharper focus on delivery and coordination.

“We are planning in a global environment defined by intersecting and mutually reinforcing crises. These pressures are not cyclical; they require us to work differently as a national system of innovation,” said Dr Cele. “This is therefore a delivery year, with a clear focus on coordination, efficiency, and ensuring that every rand of public investment produces system level impact.”

The Deputy Minister said the Annual Performance Plan was not merely a compliance or planning instrument, but a strategic tool that must enable the Department to respond innovatively and sustainably to both domestic and global challenges.

“Our 2026/27 Annual Performance Plan builds on the momentum of the key programmes that we implemented during the 2025/26 financial year and seeks to strengthen our capacity to raise the scale and impact our key programmes for the years ahead,” said Dr Gina.

Among the key priorities for the Department include continued efforts to achieve government’s target of 1.5% of GDP by 2030 for Gross Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD); enhancing policy coherence through structures such as the STI Presidential Plenary and the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC); and accelerating the transformation of the National System of Innovation, particularly through the expansion of STI human capital and the research workforce.

There was also significant progress in research capacity development, noting that 41 new Research Chairs were launched last week by the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Blade Nzimande. 

The initiative aligns with the STI Decadal Plan (2022–2032) and aims to strengthen research capacity at historically disadvantaged institutions, universities of technology, and emerging universities, while increasing the participation of young black and women researchers.

On strategic programmes, the Department reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the government’s just energy transition, including the accelerated implementation of the Hydrogen South Africa Research, Development and Innovation Strategy and the Hydrogen Society Roadmap, under the leadership of the IMC on the Hydrogen Economy.

Dr Gina further emphasised the importance of continued investment in pandemic preparedness, particularly in strengthening vaccine manufacturing capabilities, noting that the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the critical role of sustained investment in science and innovation ahead of health emergencies.

As a result, the role of partnerships in achieving the Department’s objectives, including strengthened innovation compacts with STI-intensive departments, agencies, and state-owned enterprises, was highlighted, as well as the continued use of capabilities within entities such as the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) to support disaster risk management through satellite mapping, geospatial tools, and decision-support systems.

Despite fiscal constraints, the Department will also continue to prioritise the maintenance and upgrading of strategic science infrastructure, including the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and the Nuclear Medicine Research Infrastructure (NuMeRI), while mobilising additional resources for critical areas such as artificial intelligence, energy security, space science, vaccine innovation and manufacturing, and Indigenous Knowledge Systems.

Dr Gina said the Department’s Annual Performance Plan reflects a continued commitment to using science, technology, and innovation to address structural inequality, poverty, and unemployment; build safer, more cohesive communities; and contribute to a capable, ethical, and developmental state.

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