News
There are many misconceptions about the value of wind and solar power, including that it is expensive and unreliable. Joanne Calitz is a young energy system modeller at the CSIR who uses mathematical modelling to quantify the true value of renewable energy in South Africa.
In South Africa, June is celebrated as Youth Month to pay tribute to the school pupils who lost their lives during the 16 June 1976 uprising in Soweto. This year, the theme for Youth Month is ‘Youth moving South Africa forward’ and it marks the 40th anniversary of the uprising, which profoundly changed the socio-political landscape in the country.
South Africa’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is 1 535 538 Km² and its diverse and rich marine ecology is an easy target for illegal fishing due to the difficulty in policing such an immense expanse. Large, illegal fishing vessels are able to hide in the deep ocean and remain undetected for months while stealing thousands of tons of the country’s fish.
Eskom and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) today signed a partnership which seeks to synergise the research capabilities of two state-owned organisations in support of Eskom’s strategic and operational needs.
The overall accountability to manage the agreement will reside within Eskom’s Research, Testing and Development business unit. The agreement covers the next five years and is aimed at aligning and enhancing interaction between the organisations in support of national goals.
Agrément South Africa (SA), an agency of the Department of Public Works, managed by the CSIR, awarded 38 fit-for-purpose certificates during the 2015/16 financial year following a rigorous process of testing and evaluation. The certificates were handed over to the 38 industry players at a function held at the CSIR in Pretoria.
The CSIR will collaborate with the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) on the next National Biodiversity Assessment 2018 (NBA 2018) for South Africa. This collaboration correlates strongly with the celebration of the International Day for Biological Diversity on Sunday, 22 May 2016, where the focus is placed on ‘mainstreaming biodiversity, sustaining people and their livelihoods’.
The Minister of Science and Technology Naledi Pandor opened a bio-manufacturing centre in Pretoria at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) today.
The Bio-Manufacturing Industry Development Centre (BIDC) is a first of its kind in South Africa and it aims to support small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) involved in bio-manufacturing in meeting their customer needs within short time-frames and be able to exploit market opportunities.
The CSIR hosted the 31st Working Group on Numerical Experimentation (WGNE) of the World Climate Research Programme on 26 – 29 April 2016 in Pretoria. The annual meeting was not only a first for the CSIR, but was also a first for Africa.
Thirty of the world’s leading atmospheric modelling experts, from 15 of the largest climate modelling institutions globally, met at the CSIR to discuss new developments and improvements in the area of atmospheric modelling in the past year. The experts also provided evidence on the rigorous testing their models have undergone.
South Africa's top young scientists will rub shoulders with the world's best minds, including over 30 Nobel Laureates, when they attend the 66th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in June.
The eight young scientists will travel to Germany after emerging tops in a tough international selection process to participate in the meeting. The successful participants are outstanding undergraduate, postgraduate and postdoctoral students under the age of 35 years in the field of physics, which is the focus of this year's 66th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting.