South African Research Chairs

DSI (then called the Department of Science and Technology) established the South African Research Chairs Initiative in 2006 as a means of attracting and retaining "excellence in research and innovation at South African public universities". The initiative is implemented by the NRF, and a small number of chairs are co-funded with donations from interested businesses. Supporters of the initiative argue that it ameliorates brain drain, boosts research output and capacity for postgraduate supervision, supports affirmative action efforts in respect of gender and race, and results in broader economic benefits by boosting research and development capacity. == Distribution of chairs ==

Applications for new research chairs are solicited and approved at the discretion of DSI and the NRF. Upon its launch in 2006, the initiative established 21 chairs and set a target of supporting 210 chairs by 2010, representing an investment of close to R10-billion over 15 years. By mid-2011, only 92 research chairs had been established, By 2015, the number of research chairs had grown to 150. Especially in the early years of the initiative, there was debate in the academic community about the equity of the distribution of the research chairs across disciplines and institutions. Early grants were concentrated at South Africa's top-ranked research universities, such as the University of Cape Town and University of the Witwatersrand; Similarly, the initiative was initially criticised for its narrow focus on research topics in science, which were more closely aligned to the government's strategic priorities, but greater provision was later made for humanities and social science researchers to obtain research chairs in an "open" category. == Notable people ==

Current chairs Former chairs == See also ==