Supporting sustainable economic growth, social development and political democracy

Operational highlights

The operational highlights of the Institute for Economic Research on Innovation (IERI) since its formation are listed below:

2004

  • Adjudication of Technology Top 100 Awards, T-Systems & Department of Public Service Administration' Age of Innovation & Sustainability Awards, and NSTF Awards
  • Value chain analysis of plastics products and Ekurhuleni manufacturing cluster for ComMark Trust in collaboration with the Corporate Strategy and Industrial Development Research Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand

2005

  • Hosted 3rd International Conference of the Global Network for the Economics of Learning, Innovation and Competence-building Systems (GLOBELICS)
  • Adjudicator (Higher Education Representative) for Annual National Science & Technology Awards of the National Science & Technology Forum (NSTF)
  • Adjudicator for Technology Top 100 Awards
  • ERAWATCH Network ASBL associate membership - European Commission initiative to provide knowledge and better understanding of national and regional research systems of innovation and the environments in which they operate (on-going)
  • Analysis of Data, Information and Indicators in Strategic Planning and Monitoring & Evaluation Processes in the Nine SACN Members for the South African Cities Network
  • Analysis of lateral migration of technologies through the application of technologies developed in, by, for, or around resource-based industries in non-resource-based manufacturing or service industries for the Human Science Research Council in collaboration with the Corporate Strategy and Industrial Development Research Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand

2006

  • Appointed Technical Service Agency for the African Peer Review Mechanism' Socio-Economic Country Assessment of South Africa (APRM)
  • "Learning For, and From, STI Policies For Development", a Training Course for Policymakers and Practitioners in Developing Countries, funded by SIDA-SAREC & IDRC and held at Research Policy Institute, Lund University, Sweden
  • A detailed assessment of cooperatives set up as part of the cooperatives industrial hives programme for the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality
  • Value chain analysis of Platinum Group Metals industry inputs for the Platinum Beneficiation Committee (PBC) and Mintek in collaboration with the Corporate Strategy and Industrial Development Research Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand and Blueprint consultancy

2007

  • International Workshop of Freedom to Innovate South Africa (FTISA) on Software & Business Method Patents with Open Society of Southern Africa
  • STI Policy Implementation Training Course for Mozambique Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation organised by RPI (Lund University) and funded by SAREC (Swedish International Development Agency)
  • Science and Technology Policy Conference of Georgia Institute for Technology and National Science Foundation, United States of America
  • 25th World Conference of the International Association for Science Parks
  • International Conference on "Futures Intelligence Capacity" for the South Africa Node of the united Nations Millennium Project
  • Global Potentials Programme of the Esalen Centre for Research and Theory, USA.
  • Value chain analysis of the skills system in South Africa's Wood, Paper and Pulp sector for the Department of Labour in collaboration with the Human Science Research Council
  • Value chain analysis of the skills system in South Africa's aerospace sector for the Department of Labour in collaboration with the Human Science Research Council

2008

  • Science, Technology and Innovation for South Africa Executive Programme for Department of Science and Technology (STISA) & Joint African Masters Programme in Comparative Local Development accredited by the South African Quality Authority
  • Granted the South African Research Chairs Initiative Professor of Innovation Studies
  • "University, Science and Technology" for the 6º Congresso Internacional da Educação Superior "Universidade 2008" to celebrate 250 Years of Higher Education in Cuba"High
  • Level Expert Working Group on Technology and Development", of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
  • 3rd International Seminar of the BRICS Project of GLOBELICS
  • Development and Implementation of a Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for the COFISA Programme in collaboration with Non-Zero-Sum Development consultancy

2009

  • Cross-country comparison analysis of innovation systems for the BRICS Project of GLOBELICS.
  • Launch of the African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development (AJSTID), an international peer-reviewed journal.
  • Enrolment of doctoral and post-doctoral researchers as part of the SARChI project
  • Proposal on the establishment of the African Globelics Academy for Research, Innovation and Capability (AGARIC) with the scope to:
    • Establish an annual training programme of PhD researchers working on various aspects of science, technology and innovation from social and human sciences with specific applications to Africa.
    • Enhance the value of doctoral and post-doctoral research and in the process build up a burgeoning body of research with a direct application to systems of innovation across Africa.
    • Create enduring networks in the area of innovation studies across universities and research institutes in Africa.