THRIP Manager, Dr Mphekgo Maila

The SERA Water Task Team, under the leadership of University of Pretoria's (UP) Prof Eugene Cloete and Dr Pete Ashton of the CSIR, is increasingly being regarded as a mainstay in the leading international pool of expertise in water research and resource management. Simultaneously, a steady stream of trained water resource managers emanating from the partnership is providing much needed capacity in this field, and is in fact already making major contributions to South Africa.

One such success story is that of Dr Mphekgo Maila, who - under the supervision of Prof Cloete - completed his PhD studies and graduated from UP in 2004. After being a researcher and a project manager at the CSIR for a number of years, Dr Maila has recently been appointed to the National Research Foundation (NRF) as manager of the Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme (THRIP).

THRIP is a partnership programme which challenges companies to match government funding for innovative research and development in South Africa. Funded by the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) and managed on the department's behalf by the NRF, the programme gives South African industry the means to obtain specific responses to its technology needs by unleashing the potential of local students, researchers, and science and technology experts.

Dr Maila began his undergraduate studies at the former University of the North (now University of Limpopo), went on to do his BSc Honours at UP and, after completing a Post Graduate Diploma and MSc in Europe, returned to South Africa in 1997. It is this strong research background, gained through his studies, that he believes will come directly to bear in his new appointment at the NRF. "Because we are dealing with the research community, my background has been very beneficial in that I am able to better relate to them and I am also aware of the many different challenges that they face", he said.

THRIP focuses on projects that specifically promote and facilitate scientific research, technology development and technology diffusion. As one of its key objectives, the programme seeks to increase the number and quality of people with appropriate skills in the development and management of technology for industry. According to Dr Maila, part of this involves supporting projects which promote collaboration between industry and universities, and providing a new and enhanced educational experience through participation by students in collaborative projects.

Similarly, since its inception SERA has continually committed itself to extending the student pipeline. The unique relationship between UP and the CSIR has enabled a number of jointly developed and presented postgraduate courses in a number of areas, including an MSc course in Water Resource Management. UP students have also been working with Project and Task Team members on various joint research projects. These initiatives have, through the combined expertise of the CSIR and UP, significantly benefited from access to some of the foremost research competence in Africa.

Dr Maila's research supervisor and SERA Water Task Team co-leader, Prof Eugene Cloete, is an eminent researcher who boasts a career spanning over 20 years. With more than 100 publications to his credit - including seven books - Prof Cloete has supervised more than 50 Masters and Doctoral students. "My career as an academic has afforded me the opportunity to shape the future for many undergraduate and especially post-graduate students, who today are significant people", says Cloete.

According to Dr Maila, his own academic career is now also providing him with an opportunity to make a difference. "I hope that through my understanding and experience within the research environment I can contribute to making THRIP even more responsive to the unique needs that exist there", he said.