CSIR senior staff urged to drive science, technology development

Bunso (E/R), Oct. 4, GNA – The Senior Staff Association of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has held its 11th Biennial Conference, with a call on senior staff to lead efforts to strengthen the Council’s contribution to national development.

The three-day conference, held at Bunso in the Eastern Region, was on the theme: “Strengthening the Backbone of CSIR: The Critical Role of Senior Staff in Sustaining Science, Technology and Innovation.”

Mr Mark Anthony Taylor, an engineer and Chairman of the CSIR Council, urged senior staff to ensure that research findings were translated into technologies, products and services that benefited farmers, industry and the public, rather than remaining largely in academic publications.

He called for stronger collaboration among scientists, engineers, business professionals, financiers and industry players to accelerate the commercialisation of research.

Mr Taylor also urged the senior staff to champion the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital transformation to improve research, administration, productivity and knowledge management across the CSIR.

Mr Edward Kissi, National President of the CSIR Senior Staff Association, called on Management to review the promotion structure and streamline the assessment process to improve career progression, staff motivation and fairness.

He said the change from the previous three-three-five-year promotion structure to four-four-five years had raised concerns among members, adding that the current requirement for both written report assessment and interviews placed an additional burden on staff.

Mr Kissi said a single, transparent assessment process, either through written reports or interviews, could adequately assess staff competence while making the promotion process more efficient and equitable.

He said the concerns were being raised to promote constructive dialogue between Management and the Association and to find practical solutions.

Mr Kissi also urged senior staff to support the CSIR Endowment Fund through the proposed one per cent contribution and adopt practical resolutions to improve working conditions and strengthen the Council’s contribution to science, technology and innovation.

Dr Daniel Ashie Kotey, Director of the CSIR-Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute (CSIR-PGRRI), urged senior staff to mentor younger colleagues and help the Council prepare successors for positions likely to become vacant through retirement.

He said senior staff should measure their legacy not only by their years of service but also by the people they mentored, the systems they strengthened and the knowledge they transferred.

Dr Kotey said effective succession planning would help sustain institutional knowledge across CSIR’s 13 research institutes.

Edited by D.I. Laary/Bertha Badu-Agyei/Lydia Kukua Asamoah