A study on the mobility of R and D workers This study on the mobility of research and development (R and D) workers was carried out for the National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI). The aim was to address concerns about the sustainability of South Africa’s R and D workforce and the perceived negative effects of the ‘brain drain’. The project was managed by the Knowledge Management Research Programme of the HSRC and run in partnership with researchers at the CSIR. The project team comprised seven experienced researchers and managers at the HSRC, CSIR and the University of the Western Cape, overseen by a NACI reference group subcommittee. The final report produced received a high quality rating from the international reviewer. The Knowledge Management Research Programme was established by the HSRC in April 2002 and has three foci of attention: the information society, the national system of innovation, and the functioning of knowledge intensive research organisations. This research was undertaken within the focus of the national system of innovation.