Media Releases
Researchers in South Africa and across the globe have, through regular monitoring of the ENSO system, presented evidence that a moderate-to-strong El Niño is developing in 2023.
Speaking at the El Niño 2023 Summit held at the University of Pretoria, CSIR senior researcher and ACCESS Director, Dr Neville Sweijd, emphasised the need for early preparation in anticipation of the potential impacts of the 2023 El Niño in South Africa and its neighbouring countries.
Joint media statement
Africa’s plans to build capacity to respond to future pandemics received a major boost as South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) received an investment worth $4 458 033.00 (around R80 million) from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to drive skills and health innovation.
The investment, which seeks to strengthen Africa’s biomanufacturing capability through a workforce training and skills development programme, is a significant milestone that will reduce the continent’s dependence on imported critical health products.
A far-reaching cooperation agreement was signed late last year, which forms the foundation of the partnership that will see Coega assisting the CSIR with the commercialisation and industrialisation of related intellectual property, while the CSIR will assist in the development of the Coega SEZ’s value proposition in knowledge intensive and advanced manufacturing sectors by becoming an official research and development (R&D) partner of the corporation.
According to the Group Executive for CSIR Advanced Chemistry and Life Sciences, Dr Rachel Chikwamba, “The CSIR views this partnership as a necessary doorway to industrialisation. It supports the realisation of the many years of CSIR investment in the natural fiber and composite materials and will further enable rapid commercialisation of other technologies across the CSIR.”
In this edition of ScienceScope [FlipBook], we feature some of the dynamic individuals of Team CSIR who work in a variety of career types required by a multidisciplinary organisation dedicated to touching lives through innovation.
Download ScienceScope here [pdf]
Watch these careers on video: laser physicist, metallurgist, molecular biologist.
The Drakenstein Municipality, through its Water Services Development Master Plan, ensured that citizens had access to efficient, affordable, economical and sustainable water and sanitation services that promote improved livelihoods and economic development. These efforts were acknowledged through the city receiving Green Drop status from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) for its Hermon Wastewater Treatment System.
“The Southern Ocean has managed to protect all of us from some of the most extreme impacts of climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide emissions and the heat generated by these emissions through the greenhouse effect. But this protection comes at a cost to the natural ecosystems of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean,” says Ryan-Keogh.
During his TEDx Johannesburg talk titled “A changing Southern Ocean: The impact of climate change”, Ryan-Keogh explained that 26 years of data revealed that the phytoplankton in the Southern Ocean was becoming more iron-stressed with time.
A microgrid is a self-contained grid that uses renewable energy, batteries for energy storage and generators to produce power. Microgrids can either complement the national grid or work independently from it, providing communities access to more sustainable and resilient energy supplies.
Speaking at the launch, CSIR Chief Executive Officer Dr Thulani Dlamini hailed this partnership as one that will advance microgrid and smart grid technologies to build future power and enhance energy capacity.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has appointed a Manufacturing Industry Advisory Panel to align its manufacturing efforts with industry priorities.
The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, hails as successful the swift response by the Department of Science and Innovation's entities, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) and the South Afr