Dr Basil Schonland, the leader of the group of scientists who developed the first radar in South Africa, becomes the founding president of the CSIR. This positions the CSIR to play a leading role in the development of radar and electronic warfare measurement, test and evaluation facilities.

The Heavy Vehicle Simulator (HVS) is developed for accelerated pavement testing of road materials. The effect of 20 years of traffic can be determined in a three-month period. To date, the HVS has earned more than R200 million in foreign revenue for South Africa.

The construction of a medium-speed windtunnel expands the CSIR’s aerodynamics research capability. Today, the CSIR’s wind tunnels continue to be used in aerodynamic design tests and studies for local and international entities in the aeronautical sector.

A forecasting model is developed to predict the outcome of the national elections, based on early voting results. The model has since been used to predict the results for all the national and local government elections.

The CSIR’s water-soluble polymer gel technology is licenced to create innovative, cryogel eye treatment pads, called Eyeslices. The company raked in numerous awards, including a Technology Top 100 Award in 2007 and continues to do business around the world.

A benefit-sharing agreement is signed between the CSIR and owners of indigenous knowledge, leading to the development of a locally produced mosquito repellent candle using the oils of indigenous plants. A licensing agreement with Zollhaus International (Pty) Ltd later resulted in the candles being sold by major retailers in South Africa.

The Centre for High Performance Computing is launched, affording local researchers the advantage of using massive computing power in their quest for new knowledge and application. In 2015, the centre provided a dedicated computing cluster to help the European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN, with two particle detector experiments.

A range of cameras, which visually displays the corona discharge around a defective, high-voltage electrical installation, is licenced to UViRCO Technologies. The company goes on to capture some 50% of the world market and export high-tech camera inspection systems to 40 countries.

The CSIR-developed Digital Doorway, a computer terminal equipped with educational games and applications, design functions and access to the Internet, is named one of the ‘Top 50 inventions in the world’ by Time Magazine.

The CSIR licenses its patented rubber mouthpiece, used in self-contained self-rescue breathing apparatus, to Afrox. These rescuers supply mine workers with oxygen during emergencies such as fires or explosions underground. Earlier, the CSIR also redesigned a nose clip that was distributed globally, with over half a million units sold worldwide.

The launch of a titanium pilot plant follows the development of a novel, CSIR-patented process to produce primary titanium metal. While South Africa has large reserves of titanium-bearing minerals, the ability to economically extract the mineral from the mineral concentrate, using the CSIR process, will help create a new downstream industry.

To accelerate the translation ofbiotechnology research and development into market-ready products, a Biomanufacturing Industry Development Centre is established at the CSIR. The centre provides product and process development support to South African small- and medium-sized enterprises that intend to produce biologicals for industrial, veterinary and human applications.

Researchers demonstrate a large 3D printer for titanium parts, an advancement in additive manufacturing that is needed to manufacture parts for the aerospace industry. The printer is set to produce large, complex metal parts and large volumes of smaller parts for the aeronautical engineering and manufacturing industries.

Three CSIR-developed biotechnologies start their commercial journey. Persomics is founded and markets technology for the miniaturisation of genomics experiments that make it possible to investigate cells faster than previous possible. ResynTM Biosciences offers products based on improved microsphere technology, targeting the life sciences research and development market. OptimusBio develops environmentally friendly products for the treatment of wastewater, aquaculture and agriculture.

The CSIR installed its first solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant at its Pretoria campus as part of investigations into technologies and policies to support the increased use of renewable energy in South Africa and to study aspects of distributed energy generation. It follows the earlier formation of the CSIR Energy Centre. It also marks the start of the journey to a carbon-neutral campus.