Science councils in South Africa

The CSIR celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2006 by taking a long, hard look at its continuing role in South Africa. This paper was written by the CSIR Fellows, at the invitation of the Department of Science and Technology, to capture some of the thoughts that were raised by that process. Its purpose is to contribute to the national discussion on how best to organize a system of innovation for a developing country, like South Africa, with aspirations to be a respected competitor in selected high-technology areas.