C OMPONENT H: C ORPORATE POLICY OFFICES AND OTHER SERVICES
2.26 R ESEARCH AND INNOVATION
The Research and Innovation Department is a newly established Department that became fully operational in December 2012.
The Research and Innovation aims to provide platforms for collaboration for all the identified stakeholders to deliver scientific and innovative solutions that will position the City of Tshwane as an
“African Capital City of Excellence” and a Knowledge Hub.
By virtue of the intellectual and innovative capacity of academic institutions, science parks and research institutes, Tshwane as South Africa’s capital is well positioned to anchor itself as a knowledge hub. Equally, innovative industries and businesses located within the City’s boundaries are important driving sources of economic growth and unemployment.
Thus, with the existence of knowledge institutions it gives Tshwane a comparative advantage in addressing socio-economic challenges that the City is facing. As a result, the City of Tshwane has elevated the focus of research and innovation with an intended purpose to drive sustainable growth within the City and competitiveness in the knowledge economy.
This Department executes its mandate through the implementation of various frameworks that are aimed at enhancing effectiveness and efficiencies in the delivery of services in the City. The following frameworks had been adopted and implemented:
ISO 9001 Quality Management System Framework
Innovation Management Framework
Knowledge Management Framework
Research Management Framework
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These various frameworks necessitate the establishment of various collaborative platforms that seeks to facilitate engagements internally and externally with all relevant stakeholders ensuring that the community and other relevant stakeholders become meaningful and supportive partners in tackling service delivery challenges facing the city.
HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
ISO9001QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FRAMEWORK
The following departments have been implemented during the 2013/2014 financial year thereby increasing the number of departments that have implemented the Quality Management System to seven (7) in total:
City Planning and Development
Research and Innovation
Service Infrastructure
Housing and Human Settlements
INNOVATION MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK IMPLEMENTATION
The following non-negotiable projects are being undertaken by this department and forms part of the Innovation Management Framework.
Table 90: Progress on non-negotiables
Highlights Narrative
1 City Tshwane Innovation Hub Smart Solutions Exchange Project: Health Solutions
The Research and Innovation Department in Partnership with the Health and Social Development Department rolled-out the Health Solution pilot project with the Innovation Hub to deal with the challenge of the duplication of dispensing of chronic medication. The solution addressed the challenge by biometric solution which integrates with the Rx system that records patient details and treatment history, including tracking stock and dispensing of medication to the patients.
The pilot was rolled-out to 4 clinics, namely:
FF Ribeiro
Lyttelton
Stanza II,Mamelodi
Atteridgeville
A total of 3585 new patience enrolments were performed over a period of 3 months at the 4 selected sites for the project.
2 Youth Plug and Play Centre (Project: Youth Fab Lab)
The launch of the Youth Fab Lab took place on the 23 June 2014, at the Innovation Hub together with 2 other projects
that would be rolled-out as part of the youth month initiatives i.e. distribution of Mobile Science Labs to disadvantaged schools and the establishment of a satellite innovation hub in the township (eKasi Labs Project).
The Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane and the Gauteng MEC for Economic development delivered their address at the launch which emphasized the importance of Science, Innovation and technology in improving the economic and social prospects of the youth.
The Youth Fab Lab has the following benefits:
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Highlights Narrative
Provide an accessible centre that will attract and engage youth in ICT and advanced manufacturing, innovation and entrepreneurship
Provide opportunities for youth to engage in creative expression activities as well as opportunities to develop skills and engage in innovative thinking
Provide career guidance to youth for the enhancement of mathematics, science & technology curriculum through visits of schools to the Centre 3 Hosting of the Inventors
Garage at the SA’s 6th Innovation Summit
The research and Innovation Department hosted the Inventors Garage at the 6th Innovation Summit in endeavor to position the City of Tshwane as a destination for Research and Development in Africa. A number of innovations were hosted in the exhibition space that brought traction to the City of Tshwane platform at the summit. The Summit also ran a PR Campaign that saw the City of Tshwane benefitting from media exposure to the value of over R8m. The City of Tshwane also hosted a number youth from the various regions that attended the youth day on the first day of the summit.
4 Launch of the Innovation Portal
The Innovation Portal presents the employees of the City of Tshwane with an ideal platform for engagement and collaboration. The portal is an ideal vehicle to drive the City’s innovation strategy that aims to enhance a culture of inter- department collaboration and co-creation of solutions that will enhance the delivery of services.
A corporate look and fell was established and communications drive rolled out to raise awareness of the portal. The launch took place on the 23rd June and total of 6 ideas were submitted.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK IMPLEMENTATION
Table 91: Implementation of the knowledge management framework Highlights Narrative 1 Development of Tshwane Case
Studies
In entrenching the culture of documenting lessons learned and good practices, the Department initiated a study to profile ten (10) Case Studies from
implemented projects, programmes and interventions. The output of the study is Tshwane Case Studies Report which will be shared with various internal and external stakeholders within the City of Tshwane.
2 Development of a Knowledge Portal
The Department embarked on a process of developing a knowledge portal for the City of Tshwane. The purpose of the portal is to promote access to the City’s knowledge assets. The Knowledge Portal serves as a platform that provides access to any valuable information that the City generates in the form of research reports, case studies, procedures, manuals, guides and reference material which can be used by officials to maintain, learn and improve service delivery performance. In addition, the portal will facilitate communication and discussions between individuals and teams (functional, role based and project) for the sharing and creation of institutional knowledge.
The Knowledge Portal is functional and will be launched in July 2014.
3 Coordination of Knowledge Exchange Programme
The Department has successfully established a Knowledge Exchange Programme (KEP) in line with the Tshwane Vision 2055 with an aim of bringing together City of Tshwane officials, external stakeholders and experts from various thematic areas to exchange ideas, evidence and expertise as well as to share, replicate and scale up what works in the City to grow and strengthen its knowledge economy. Through the KEP, the department has created the following platforms:
3.1 Knowledge Seminars – The Department has coordinated the following Knowledge Seminars:
Antennas of Good Governance: Evaluating Transport and Land-Use
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Highlights Narrative
Planning in the City of Tshwane. South Africa
Importance of Managing Records in Local Government
The need for Business Intelligence in Local Government
3.2 Study Tours – In Collaboration with the intergovernmental Relations Office , the department has facilitated knowledge exchange through packaging and documenting discussions and lessons learned with other cities on different aspects. These included but not limited to:
City of Ulaanbaatar on Municipal Bonds and Creditworthiness
Gaborone City Council Benchmarking on Municipal’s Revenue Expansion Mechanisms and Economic Development
Msunduzi City Council Benchmarking on the Development and Operation of Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network
Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) Study Tour on Advanced Water Treatment Technologies
RESEARCH MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK.
Table 92: Implementation of the knowledge management framework
Highlights Narrative
Establishment of the Tshwane Research Institute The concept document was only approved at the Mayoral Committee on the 20 March 2014 and due to this delay the” Establishment of Governance Structures”
will only takes place in the new financial year.