National Science Week Becomes National Science Month from 2026

The 2025 National Science Week (NSW), the largest annual science engagement event in South Africa, successfully kicked off at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) over the weekend with the announcement by Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Blade Nzimande, of plans to transform and expand the flagship initiative into the National Science Month from 2026.

The 2025 NSW, held from 04 to 09 August 2025, is themed Science, Technology and Innovation are for Everyone. More than 1 000 learners from surrounding schools attended the launch event, which attracted leading scientists, upcoming and school-going scientists from around the country, senior government officials, and various innovation companies. They were exposed to exhibitions of cutting-edge innovations such as robotics, renewable energy solutions and other technologies. National Research Foundation (NRF) CEO, Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo, also attended the launch event.

In his keynote address at TUT, Prof Nzimande said, “The transformation of NSW into a National Science Month is a natural evolution of a programme that has grown significantly since its inception in 2000. This year marks exactly 25 years since we introduced National Science Week and since 2000, it has grown significantly. Some of you may recall that in its first three years, it was only celebrated in three provinces. Today, I am proud to state that NSW is being celebrated throughout the country.”

“All nine provinces have had the honour of hosting this flagship programme, many more than once. Furthermore, participation has expanded to include over 60 partner organisations, many of which host activities at multiple sites across the country. Through our partnerships, we have not only expanded the geographic reach of NSW, but we’ve also aligned its hosting with municipal boundaries. This ensures that at least one activity takes place in each district municipality and metro.”

Added Prof Nzimande, “Building on the impact of existing programmes, we have decided to enhance our interventions by introducing National Science Month in 2026. We think a week is not enough. Let the country focus on science, technology, and innovation for a whole month. We will announce the specific month in due course.”

Coordinated by the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (NRF-SAASTA) under the auspices of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, the NSW is part of the government’s efforts to contribute to the development of a society that is knowledgeable about science, and which engages critically on science, technology and innovation. The countrywide events held throughout the week include career and science exhibitions at schools, lectures and science discussions, as well as online science events.