A shared research engine for South Africa’s coal industry
Mining houses that compete everywhere else pay into one pot, decide together what to research, commission the country’s universities and science councils to do the work, then share every result across the whole membership. No single company carries the full cost or the full risk.
Coaltech Research Association NPC · established 1999 · Johannesburg · a voluntary, member funded, non profit research association
1The model
A voluntary, member funded, non profit research consortium. Members pool the cost, share the result, and compete on everything except the pre-competitive research they all need.
The engine
One repeating cycle, run for the whole membership
1
Members raise the needs
Primary and associate members bring the real problems of mining and processing to the table. The agenda is set by industry, not by the office.
At the centre
Collaborative pre-competitive research
Cost and risk are spread across the whole membership, so every rand buys research no single company would fund alone.
2
Committees prioritise
A steering committee governs each research stream. It selects and oversees the work that matters most and stops what does not.
3
Research funded and run
Projects are awarded to universities, science councils and specialist partners, with external co funding leveraged wherever possible.
4
Results shared
Findings, guidelines and technologies go to the entire membership at once, multiplying the return on every rand invested.
How the engine is fuelled
From member rands to shared industry knowledge
Funding in
Member contributions and fees
Primary and associate members subscribe each year
Co funding leverage
Partners such as Eskom and the CSIR stretch the member rand further
Investment income
Returns earned on the Association’s reserves
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Pooled and directed
One shared fund
Allocated across the research programmes by the steering committees, so priorities are set collectively rather than company by company.
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Work delivered by
Universities
The country’s leading engineering and science faculties
Science councils
CSIR, Mintek, Water Research Commission and others
Specialist partners
Industry and technology partners on defined projects
Every finding, guideline and technology flows back to the whole membership, not just the companies closest to the project.
