Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Human Settlements (STI4SHS) Roadmap

Video The Portfolio Committees on Science, Technology and Innovation and Human Settlements convened virtually to receive briefings from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on the Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Human Settlements (STI4SHS) Roadmap. The joint sitting of the Portfolio Committees aimed to strengthen interdepartmental collaboration to accelerate the mainstreaming of innovative building technologies (IBTs) in response to South Africa’s 2.4 million housing backlog, climate‑related disasters, and persistent service‑delivery challenges. The CSIR presented an overview of the roadmap and its eight implementation clusters. They outlined the central role of the CSIR in coordinating research, technology development and innovation across the sector. Key initiatives included the development of decision‑support tools such as the Technology for Service Delivery (T4SD) database and the Urban Knowledge Exchange platform; the execution of pilot and demonstration projects, including greywater recycling systems; circular‑economy building materials; 3D‑printed housing research in collaboration with the University of Johannesburg; and a rapid response bio‑based emergency housing unit tested at the CSIR site. The CSIR emphasised ongoing challenges, including difficulties in scaling pilot projects, limited municipal and professional understanding of IBTs, regulatory and certification bottlenecks, and the need for coordinated investment to enable wider uptake of climate‑resilient, affordable housing technologies. Members raised concerns regarding the slow pace of IBT adoption, municipal capacity constraints, inconsistent regulatory approval processes, and funding limitations. They stressed the need for stronger alignment between departments, clearer mechanisms for municipal support, and improved utilisation of the ring‑fenced 2% allocation for IBTs, which had remained under‑used. In response, both Departments committed to improving budget coordination, accelerating the use of accredited IBTs, strengthening support to municipalities, and advancing efforts to scale up from pilot projects to neighbourhood‑ and city‑level implementation. The Departments reaffirmed that sustained collaboration, investment and regulatory alignment were essential to achieve innovative, resilient and sustainable human settlements across South Africa.