Impact Assessment of Collaborative Research Programmes: NRF, Sasol Ltd and Sasol Foundation Partnership 2011 – 2025 Report

Since 2014, the South African National Research Foundation (NRF) has partnered with the Sasol Foundation to increase PhD graduation rates in South Africa; to increase the pool of Black science researchers among previously disadvantaged groups; and to build research capacity at historically disadvantaged institutions (HDIs). In 2021, the NRF partnered with Sasol Ltd to advance demand-driven knowledge co-creation and develop critical skills to address South Africa’s energy challenges. To date, these collaborations have invested over R200 million in joint initiatives to drive meaningful progress toward shared objectives.

In March 2025, the NRF–Sasol Executive Steering Committee commissioned a comprehensive review of the partnership’s outcomes to assess the collective impact of collaborations with Sasol Ltd and the Sasol Foundation over the past 11 years. The review findings demonstrate that these joint initiatives have achieved significant measurable impact.

While celebrating these successes, opportunities remain to enhance, optimise, and scale the impact for greater industry and societal benefit. Some of the key impact highlights from collaborative programmes include:

• Technological Innovations with Societal Benefits
• Intellectual Property
• Research Output and Capacity Development
• Policy Influence and Stakeholder Engagement
• Adopt an Impact-Driven Framework
• Leverage from the Existing Energy Centre of Excellence
• Prioritise Societal Impact Criteria
• Energy Policy Influence

The partnership between the NRF and Sasol represents a strategic industry partnership aimed at advancing South Africa’s research and innovation capacity, sustainable development, enhanced skills development, and contributed to the country’s knowledge economy. The partnership not only empowers emerging researchers through bursaries and grants but also addresses national priorities such as energy security, environmental sustainability, and industrial innovation. In doing so, the NRF–Sasol partnership exemplifies how public-private collaboration can yield long-term socio-economic benefits, foster transformation in the research landscape, and support South Africa’s vision of becoming a knowledge-based economy.

For further information, see the impact report attached below.