Human capital development (HCD) is critical for the development of science, engineering and technology (SET) solutions of the highest calibre to improve the lives of South Africans. The CSIR has several HCD programmes in place and actively supports the attainment of higher qualifications through further studies. Thus, the number of permanent staff studying towards Master or PhD degrees increased to 226 in 2010/11 and the number of staff with PhDs increased to 299. Over the years there has been consistent improvement in our demographic profile, with the research base reaching 52.6% black and 33.2% female.
