The Department of Science and Technology is seeking to ensure that publicly financed research has a socio-economic impact. That's an important priority. The Department circulated a draft Bill that seeks to achieve socio economic impact of research by patenting whatever could be patented.
We think that there are important ways of encouraging in socio-economic impact especially novation which aren't in the Bill, so we responded to the Departments invitation to comment.
Everyone who carries out research at a science council or a university, that includes all students studying at South African universities.
The draft Bill stated that everything published in a South African university would have to be screened to see if there was anything which which could be patented. Anything a university chooses not to patent would be considered for patenting by a central government office.
Invention happens when someone comes up with a novel technology, creating something that hasn't been one before. Innovation is when a new technology or something else novel, changes society, such as when a new product generates a new market. The objective of researchers is understanding, the objective of entrepreneurs is innovation.
We made submissions to the Department of Science and Technology by the deadline, 20 August 2007.
The Department of Science and Technology will consider all the submissions made to it it, and decide what to do.