Council for Scientific and Industrial Research

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is a leading scientific and technology research organisation that researches and develops transformative technologies to accelerate socioeconomic prosperity in South Africa. The organisation’s work contributes to industrial development and supports a capable state. The CSIR is an entity of the Department of Science and Innovation.{{Cite web |title=The Department of Science and Innovation |url=https://www.dst.gov.za/}}

The organisation plays a key role in supporting the public and private sectors through directed research that is aligned with the country’s priorities, the organisation’s mandate and its science, engineering and technology competences. The nine high-impact sectors identified by the CSIR to achieve its aims are:

Industry advancement clusters     

• Advanced Agriculture and Food
• NextGen Health
• Future Production: Chemicals
• Future Production: Mining
• Future Production: Manufacturing
• Defence and Security

Industry and society enabling clusters

• Smart Places
• Smart Mobility
• NextGen Enterprises and Institutions

{{Main|Southern Education and Research Alliance}}

In 1999, a strategic alliance, the Southern Education and Research Alliance (SERA), was formed between the University of Pretoria and the CSIR.[http://www.seralliance.com/pdfs/sera_annual_review_2002.pdf Highlights and Achievements] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224151730/http://www.seralliance.com/pdfs/sera_annual_review_2002.pdf|date=24 February 2012}}. Retrieved 10 September 2009. SERA collaborates locally and internationally with universities, NGOs, companies, and multinational bodies in various research areas.[http://www.seralliance.com/pdfs/sera_relationships.pdf SERA Relationships and Links] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224151838/http://www.seralliance.com/pdfs/sera_relationships.pdf|date=24 February 2012}}. Retrieved 1 October 2009.

• CSIR Sara II

In July 2016, the amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism published an article that alleges that South Africa's Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor and Director-General Phil Mjwara were attempting to put undue pressure on the CSIR, at the behest of the African National Congress (ANC) treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize, to favour the Chinese multinational Huawei Technologies in the purchase of a new 116{{nbsp}}million South African rand (US$8{{nbsp}}million) supercomputer for the institute. This followed the publication of the council's long-time CEO, Sibusiso Sibisi's, open letter of resignation stating that irregularities and political pressure on the awarding of contracts to suppliers were of great concern.{{cite web | url=http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2016-07-01-amabhungane-csirs-supercomputer-tender-and-the-theatre-of-the-absurd-that-followed-it/#.V3lz0tJ96W9 | title=amaBhungane: CSIR's supercomputer tender and the theatre of the absurd that followed it | publisher=Daily Maverick | date=1 July 2016 | access-date=3 July 2016 | author=amaBhungane}}

In a case of biopiracy, bioprospectors from CSIR became interested in the Hoodia plant as an appetite suppressant for weight loss after a marketing campaign falsely claimed its efficacy. They patented it without recognising the San people's traditional claims to knowledge of the plant and its uses.Maharaj, VJ, Senabe, JV, and Horak, RM. 2008. Hoodia, a case study at CSIR. Science real and relevant: 2nd CSIR Biennial Conference, CSIR International Convention Centre Pretoria, 17&18 November 2008, pp 4 [http://hdl.handle.net/10204/2539][http://researchspace.csir.co.za/dspace/bitstream/10204/2539/1/Maharaj_2008.pdf] The patent was later sold to Unilever, which marketed Hoodia products as diet supplements.Indigenous Peoples, Consent and Benefit Sharing:

Lessons from the San-Hoodia Case (Rachel Wynberg, Doris Schroeder, Roger Chennells Springer, 4 December 2009Saskia Vermeylen. 2007. Contextualizing ‘Fair’ and ‘Equitable’: The San's Reflections on the Hoodia Benefit-Sharing Agreement Local Environment Vol. 12, Iss. 4,[http://www.grain.org/article/entries/4047-hot-air-over-hoodia Rachel Wynberg 2010 Hot air over Hoodia | 13 October 2010 | Seedling] In 2003, the South African San Council made an agreement with CSIR in which they would receive from 6 to 8% of the sales revenue of Hoodia gordonii products, money that would be deposited in a fund to purchase land for the San people who had been dispossessed of their lands by migrating tribes.Inventing Hoodia: Vulnerabilities and Epistemic Citizenship. 2011. CSW update APRIL {{cite web |url=http://www.csw.ucla.edu/publications/newsletters/2010-2011/article-pdfs/Apr11_Foster.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=4 November 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140430032944/http://www.csw.ucla.edu/publications/newsletters/2010-2011/article-pdfs/Apr11_Foster.pdf |archive-date=30 April 2014 }}

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• [http://www.csir.co.za/ CSIR Website]
• [http://researchspace.csir.co.za/dspace/ CSIR Research Space - provides access to some of the research outputs generated by CSIR scientists]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060905142232/http://www.iss.co.za/pubs/ASR/5No5/Cilliers.html Defence Research and Development in South Africa - The Role of the CSIR] by Paul Cilliers
• [http://www.meraka.org.za Meraka Institute - The African Advanced Institute for Information and Communication Technology] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110123150605/http://www.meraka.org.za/ |date=23 January 2011 }}
• Human Factors and Enterprise Engineering - research group at Meraka Institute [http://hufee.meraka.org.za/Hufeesite] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091120202033/http://hufee.meraka.org.za/Hufeesite |date=20 November 2009 }}
• Transport research in the CSIR: [http://www.csir.co.za/Built_environment/Infrastructure_systems_and_operations/] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130421221611/http://www.csir.co.za/Built_environment/Infrastructure_systems_and_operations/ |date=21 April 2013 }}
• [http://www.csir.co.za/dpss/optronic.html Optronic Sensor Systems] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130421224042/http://www.csir.co.za/dpss/optronic.html |date=21 April 2013 }}
• [http://www.csir.co.za/mineral_resources/ Centre for Mining Innovation] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130421224450/http://www.csir.co.za/mineral_resources/ |date=21 April 2013 }}

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