National Research Foundation annual Next Generation and Emerging Researchers Symposium kicks off with grassroots science engagement

The future of South Africa’s Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) system does not begin in a laboratory or at a university. It begins much earlier when a young learner first becomes curious about how the world works and starts to imagine themselves as a scientist, engineer, technologist, researcher or innovator.

This systems-thinking approach to an ST&I career pipeline is behind the first day of the National Research Foundation (NRF) Next Generation and Emerging Researchers (NGER) Symposium taking place in Gauteng from 06 to 09 October 2026. The intervention will place school learners, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, at the heart of a four-day conversation about the future of research and innovation in South Africa.

Taking place at a high school in Daveyton, Gauteng, on 6 October 2026 ahead of the main NGER Symposium programme, “Bridging Futures – Science and Role Modelling Experience for Schools” will bring approximately 500 Grade 9 learners into direct contact with NRF-funded next generation and emerging researchers, universities and science engagement experiences. The programme includes a role modelling session, a university exhibition and a science show designed to introduce learners to the breadth and relevance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

The focus on Grade 9 learners is intentional, as they will be selecting subjects for the Further Education and Training (FET) phase starting in Grade 10. By exposing learners to STEM careers, role models and study opportunities at this critical decision-making stage, the NRF aims to encourage greater uptake of STEM-related subjects and strengthen the pipeline of future scientists, engineers, technologists, researchers and innovators.

“The intervention reflects a simple but important principle: if South Africa wants a stronger, more diverse and more innovative research system tomorrow, it must build interest, aspiration and opportunity among young people today,” says Dr Mamoeletsi Mosia, Managing Director of the NRF’s science engagement coordination arm, the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (NRF-SAASTA).

By deliberately extending its audience reach, the NRF’s investment in the NGER Symposium goes beyond postgraduate students, postdoctoral fellows and early-career researchers to include the school learners who will form the next generation of researchers.

Dr Mbulelo Ncango, Managing Director of the NRF’s Research Advancement (RA) Business Unit explains: “The NGER Symposium itself is designed to develop the capabilities, networks and leadership of emerging researchers. Its objectives include mentorship, interdisciplinary collaboration, knowledge exchange, science communication, innovation and impact, and developing leadership and strategic direction in research.”

“For a Grade 9 learner on the brink of making subject choices, meeting a young researcher can make an abstract career possibility tangible. Seeing universities and the range of opportunities they offer can help learners understand where a choice to study STEM subjects can lead them. Experiencing science in an engaging way can help shift the perception of science from something encountered only in a classroom, textbook or laboratory to something connected to real people, careers and solutions to everyday challenges,” Dr Mosia adds.

This is particularly important as South Africa works to strengthen and transform its ST&I human-resource pipeline. The Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) has identified the uptake of STEM subjects and the development of the STEM professional pipeline as an important national priority, including through science engagement initiatives aimed at exposing school learners to STEM career choices.

For the NRF, engaging with school learners is not separate from its core business. Science engagement forms part of the organisation’s statutory mandate and its broader contribution to national development.

This work is also reflected in the South African Science Engagement Strategy, which recognises the importance of building a culture in which science becomes part of everyday dialogue and public discourse. The strategy positions science engagement as a means of strengthening the relationship between science and society, and creating greater awareness of the value, opportunities and challenges associated with ST&I.

The 2026 NGER Symposium programme was deliberately designed to give practical expression to this approach. Rather than simply telling learners that STEM careers are important, the programme gives them an opportunity to meet people who are already pursuing and thriving in those careers.

The NRF-funded next-generation and emerging researchers participating in the role-modelling campaign represent a living link between the classroom and the research enterprise. Their presence creates an opportunity for learners to ask questions about research careers, university life, subjects, challenges, opportunities and the different ways in which science can contribute to society.

This also gives emerging researchers an opportunity to develop their own role as science communicators and ambassadors. In this sense, the first activity of the 2026 NGER Symposium is both an opening event and a statement of intent.