(University of the Western Cape, 2024) Kulati, Tembile; Thaver, Beverly
Universities and other institutions of higher education are key players in the knowledge,
information, and data-driven economy, particularly more so in the context of developing
countries, where the footprint of industry and the private sector in science and technology
investment is still marginal when compared to the highly industrialised economies. In the
case of South Africa, the latest available data show universities continuing to be major
contributors to the national scientific and research enterprise, where they account for the
largest proportion of research and development (R&D) personnel, and the second largest
R&D expenditure after the business sector (Department of Science and Innovation, 2022).