Dr Sepo Hachigonta Elected Vice Chair of IIASA Council

The National Research Foundation (NRF) is proud to announce that Dr Sepo Hachigonta has been elected Vice Chair of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) Council for a three-year term, beginning 01 September 2025.

Dr Hachigonta is the NRF’s Head of Strategic Partnerships and a former participant in IIASA’s Young Scientists Summer Programme (2007). He has been instrumental in the design of  regional initiatives such as the Southern African Systems Analysis Centre (SASAC); the Africa Open Science Platform (AOSP); and the Science Granting Councils Initiative in sub-Saharan Africa (SGCI). He also played a leading role in driving active membership participation in IIASA and currently serves as Chair of the Council’s Membership Committee, a position he has held since January 2024. His interdisciplinary expertise will further strengthen IIASA’s global outlook and enhance the inclusion of Global South priorities.

IIASA is a world-leading independent research institute headquartered in Austria. It has a legacy of science diplomacy and policy-oriented systems analysis that supports evidence-based solutions for global challenges, including sustainable development, energy, health, climate change, and food security.

South Africa joined IIASA in 2007 through the NRF and the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI). This partnership evolved into the Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Member Organisation (SSARMO), launched in 2022, which brings together 17 African countries as IIASA’s first regional member. The joint multinational programmes provide researchers and policymakers access to advanced analytical tools and global networks. They also enhance scientific cooperation both within the Global South and between the global south and north, elevating African voices in global scientific discourse.

Between 2019 and 2023, IIASA researchers co-authored 102 articles with regional researchers. Over the past decade, the NRF, DSTI, and British Council have supported training programmes for more than 100 doctoral students from 30 countries and awarded over 150 PhD scholarships in systems analysis, working with IIASA and South African Universities. These programmes featured joint supervision and mentorship by international experts with many alumni of the SASAC currently applying their advanced skills and knowledge as leaders and change makers in both the public and private sectors.

The NRF, DSTI and SSARMO look forward to leveraging systems approaches and the global science community to advance socio-economic wellbeing.