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2026 NRF Awards Book

Research Excellence Award for Next Generation Researchers

The NRF provides funding to postgraduate students to address the skills shortages in the fields of science, engineering, technology, humanities and social sciences by increasing the possibility of retaining suitably qualified young scientists, thereby increasing the pool of researchers and knowledge workers in the National System of Innovation. This award recognises outstanding academic performance by final-year doctoral students.

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Public Engagement with Research Award

The Public Engagement with Research Award recognises outstanding contributions to public engagement with science and encourages academics to make their work, and science and technology in general, more accessible to the public.

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Focussed Research Advancement Award

This award recognises Universities of Technology and Historically Disadvantaged Universities that have shown the most growth in research productivity and research support, as evaluated over a period of five years.

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Champion of Research Capacity Development and Transformation at South African Higher Education Institutions

This category recognises individuals within the research community who contribute to the transformation, and thus diversity, of South Africa’s science cohort through the research students they supervise.

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A-Rated Researchers

A-rated researchers are unequivocally recognised by their peers as leading international scholars in their respective fields, for the high quality and impact of their recent research outputs. They play a significant role in developing the next generation of researchers. Acquiring an NRF rating generates considerable acknowledgement and respect for the individual researchers as well as their institutions.

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Research Excellence Award for Early Career/ Emerging Researchers

The NRF aspires to develop and enhance the research stature of Early Career/Emerging Researchers, prioritising black, female and people with disabilities, as part of its transformation agenda which, among others, aims to redress historical imbalances in the South African researcher cohort. This award recognises outstanding research performance by current Early Career/Emerging Researchers in any discipline, who are NRF grant holders.

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Science Team Award

This award recognises the contributions, creativity and achievements of a science team in extending the boundaries of scientific research in Africa, producing scientific outcomes that have positively impacted society, and contributing to South Africa’s international stature as a world-class research destination.

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Hamilton Naki Award

Named after the self-taught surgeon who trained generations of medical students in surgical techniques, the Hamilton Naki Award honours individuals for achieving world-class research performance despite considerable challenges.

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Societal Impact Award

A-rated researchers are unequivocally recognised by their peers as leading international scholars in their respective fields, for the high quality and impact of recent research outputs. They play a significant role in developing the next generation of researchers. Acquiring an NRF rating generates considerable acknowledgement and respect for the individual researchers as well as their institutions.

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Lifetime Achievement Awards

This accolade is awarded to individuals considered to have made extraordinary contributions, of international standard and impact, to the development of science in and for South Africa over an extended period of time, and for the manner in which their work has touched and shaped the lives and views of many South Africans.

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2026 NRF Awards

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