The CSIRs Meraka Institute derives its mandate as a national strategic initiative from President Mbeki’s 2002 State of the Nation Address, where the concept of an ICT University was first announced. A large-scale intervention in the ICT space to address challenges in both the first economy (well developed and integrated with the global economy) and the second economy (characterised by informal economic activity and poverty). As such, human and intellectual capital interventions are required that address both advanced technical research challenges (“wealth creation”) and urgent developmental challenges (“quality of life”).

The CSIRs Meraka Institute is a large-scale national strategic initiative in the ICT space to address challenges in both the first economy (well developed and integrated with the global economy) and the second economy (characterised by informal economic activity and poverty). As it derives its mandate from the Presidential State of the Nation Address, the Meraka Institute’s major objective is to facilitate national economic and social development through a focus on human capital development and needs-based research and innovation, leading to products and services based on ICT.

The institute plays a strong role in collaboration and coordination with other actors in The National System of Innovation and also acts as a catalyst in other areas of ICT impact. The overriding ethos of the Institute is open source software and its cultural, collaborative and intellectual property implications.
Furthermore, in addressing continent-wide challenges, the Meraka Institute understands that technology is only a small part of the solution. The larger part of the solution rests in socio-economic interventions and the coordination of the efforts of many independent parties. In this regard, the Institute supports the NEPAD eAfrica commission by housing them on our premises at our expense. In addition, the institute supports NEPAD’s flagship e-Schools initiative by seconding to the e-Africa Commission the e-Schools' demonstration project manager and assistant.
The Meraka Institute’s mission is summarised by the words (in the ICT context): People, Research, Innovation, Partnerships and Ubuntu.
The relevance of the Meraka Institute to this proposal is that Meraka have extensive research networks in Southern Africa with governments, universities and NGOs and would be able to leverage this network for research, dissemination and awareness creation opportunities. Also Meraka plays a key role in matching and facilitating the needs of the EU Commission with the environment in an African context.
Meraka have undertaken extensive research in foresight studies and road-mapping for Innovation on behalf of the Department of Science and Technology and have undertaken Pan-African connectivity research projects such as First Mile first Inch www.fmfi.org.za and Wireless Africa www.wireless-africa.org

More information can be found at www.meraka.org.za.