Mthente was commissioned by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) to examine the effectiveness of the current funding instruments to support Science Engineering and Technology (SET) human capital development.

The DST as a government department is charged with the responsibility of introducing measures that put science and technology into action such that there is an impact on the growth and development in areas that matter to all South Africans.

In order to allow the DST to deliver on its mandate and keep up with the global trends of being innovative & creating knowledge based economies, South Africa is transforming and developing its Science, Engineering and Technology system. Now, in order to be innovative as well as ensure competitiveness, investment in the SET human capital is fundamental and necessary.

As part of this investment, the DST wished to examine the effectiveness of its current funding instruments involved in the SET human capital development. This examination thus entailed an identification of strengths and weaknesses of SET funding instruments and an assessment of the effectiveness of these instruments, including a cost-benefit analysis that measured the ratio of government investment to output. Cases comparable to South Africa were also  looked into. Last but not least, the project  identified barriers to the effective use of such funding instruments.

To achieve these objectives, the initial component of this project was to be a three-pronged desktop research phase where Mthente  identified funding instruments available in the public sector that support SET human capital development. After this, Mthente  conducted an in-depth review of the instruments and some telephone enquiries to try and further identify more funding instruments and highlight their governance structures, target beneficiaries, reach and roll-out systems. Thirdly, Mthente  identified funding instruments that supported SET human capital from three economies comparable to South Africa.

Upon completing the desktop research, stakeholder interviews were conducted to gain a holistic understanding of the structure and roll-out of the funding instruments from the perspective of the institutions administering and managing them. Beyond the stakeholder interviews and the desktop research components, Mthente  conducted an online perception survey based on the key performance indicators identified through the desktop review, as well as the exploratory stakeholder interviews. Where necessary, the researchers were supplement this component with telephonic interviews.

After conducting the online survey, Mthente carried out a cost-benefit analysis that  measured whether the government was getting value for money from the SET funding instruments. The findings were then  used to make recommendations to contribute to the DST’s future policies and strategy.