The changing and challenging research landscape in South Africa

ABSTRACT

In this paper we critically examine the research landscape in South Africa. We do this by documenting the progression and transformation of the country’s National Research Foundation (NRF)-rated researchers from 2005 to 2015. Results indicate that most NRF-rated researchers in South Africa are white and male but this trend is slowly changing with black Africans increasingly becoming rated. Significantly, the data indicate a clustering at the C-rating category and a paucity of black Africans at the highest A- and B-rating category. Explanations for the results are provided and future trends are discussed in the context of the recent dramatic scale-back of the Incentive Funding for Rated Researchers Programme (IFRRP) – an NRF programme which provided guaranteed funding annually to NRF-rated researchers for the duration of their rating (usually five years). The consequences of the withdrawal of this vital funding lifeline is unpacked in the context of an increasingly competitive global research environment.

KEYWORDS:

• Research
• equality
• South Africa
• national research foundation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 There are a number of university ranking systems available including the Times Higher Education (‘THE’) and Quacquarelli Symonds (‘QS’) systems, both of which incorporate some form of bibliometric measures in the creation of their rankings. The ARWU rankings is however generally regarded as one of the most consistent and transparent lists and was therefore used in this paper.

2 NRF recognised research institutions are declared (and gazetted) by the Department of Science and Technology and include Public South African (SA) Higher Education institutions (HEIs), Science Councils and other research performing public institutions. The list is available on the NRF Submission System at: https://nrfsubmission.nrf.ac.za/nrfmkii/

3 There are now in fact 26 universities in South Africa. The most recent university, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, opened in April 2015 but was excluded in this analysis.

4 The South African population is still officially classified into racial groups. Black Africans represent the descendants of western and central African populations. The ‘white’ population group represent the descendants of mainly Western and Eastern European populations. The ‘Indian’ population group represent the descendants of south Asian populations. The ‘coloured’ group comprise a mixed population including the descendants of the indigenous Khoisan population, imported Malay slaves, and people born out of mixed-race relations.

5 We did not have data pertaining to the number of researchers by sub-categorisation (i.e. C1, C2, and C3).

6 Funding is also provided for publication in other accepted outlets such as books and conference proceedings, although this is increasingly being revised by most HEIs in the country.

7 It is important to note that there is considerable variation among HEIs regarding the provision, and amount, of subsidy provided to researchers who publish in accredited journals. In some institutions, for example the University of Cape Town, researchers get no subsidy for publishing.