Research and Development Funding Patterns in BRICS Countries: Policy Lessons for South Africa's Provincial Administration.

Over the years, research and Development (R&D) has been viewed as an enabler for economic growth and socio-economic development. Thus, the emergence of the knowledge economy across the globe has necessitated the need for countries to introspect on their readiness and preparedness to use research and development as a strategic tool for growth and socio-economic development. Scholars posit that R&D is a cornerstone for development around the globe because it has been widely documented that economic growth has been evident in countries that have invested in R&D. Thus, R&D is an integral part of socio-economic development. This is why the spine of this paper's argument rests on the significance of research and development funding. This paper draws attention to the research and development funding in the BRICS countries. Additionally, the paper will present research findings emanating from a doctoral research project entitled: "A Research and Development Model for Planning and Development within South Africa's Provincial Administration: A Case of Selected Provinces". The paper is anchored on the Public Management Reform (PMR) Theory, and a qualitative research method was adopted. The paper focuses on R&D funding patterns within BRICS countries and discusses policy lessons the South African government can adopt to enrich its ability to prioritise research and development. The study discovered that other BRICS countries are doing relatively well regarding R&D funding and investment, whilst South Africa lags. These findings call for a South African policy landscape to be interrogated and reformed and possibly learn best practices from other BRICS countries. The paper will contribute to both theory and practice; firstly, by demonstrating how R&D can be utilised as a tool for development and secondly, by suggesting workable mechanisms for South Africa and its Provincial Administration to create an enabling environment for R&D investment to occur. The context of this paper's consideration is that South Africa's Provincial Administration should consider investing a significant proportion of its GDP into R&D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]