The Meraka Institute is a large-scale intervention in the information and communications technology space to address challenges in both the developed economy (integrated with the global economy) and the emergent economy (characterised by informal economic activity and poverty).
The institute was launched in in May 2005. As a national research, it is managed by the CSIR and supported by the Departments of Communication and of Science and Technology.
The institute aims to facilitate national economic and social development through human capital development; application innovation (realising societal benefits through more applied R&D) and advanced research in selected technology domains relevant to the local context, in cooperation with tertiary education institutions.
The institute leverages the potential of free/libre and open source software (FLOSS) in the local context by supporting its awareness and adoption. In addition, FLOSS is embedded as an underlying philosophy in its research and development programmes.
The term, meraka, means communal grazing land, to be used productively, either privately or communally, and kept for the common good. The institute espouses the spirit of digital meraka and welcomes discussion with those interested in exploring the possibility of partnering.
Meraka Institute initiatives and projects promote the use of ICT for education and training, improved accessibility to information and services, low-cost connectivity and applications of earth observation, and to support people with disabilities. New areas of research and innovation are under development.
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