News & Events

The Internal Audit function of the National Research Foundation (NRF) joined internal audit leaders and practitioners from across the African continent at the 12th African Federation of Institutes of Internal Auditors (AFIIA) Conference, held at the Cape Town International Convention

This session explores how urgent, evidence-based climate science and enhanced youth agency can drive more inclusive and transformative climate action. It brings together perspectives on climate evidence, youth leadership, and participatory approaches to show how young people are shaping responses

The NRF has played a leading global role in the advancement of responsible research evaluation following the successful launch of two major international tools at the 14th Global Research Council (GRC) Annual Meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand. The GRC Responsible

The BRICS Pilot Flagship Projects call is now open on NRF Connect under the Research Grants category. Submission deadlines are as follows: For enquiries, please contact: Mr. Walter BaloyiProfessional Officer: Multi-lateral Research ProgrammesRIISA: International Grants and PartnershipsTel: +27 (0)12 481

The NRF and the German Research Foundation (DFG) have reaffirmed their long-standing strategic partnership through a series of engagements held on the margins of the 2026 Global Research Council (GRC) Annual Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand. The engagements were led by

Nominations for the NRF Awards’ Special Award Categories are now open. The awards celebrate the hard work of individual researchers and benefit the awardees’ institutions by growing their status among their local and international peers. If you know of an

African Science Granting Councils this week engaged in several strategic convenings on the sidelines of the 2026 Global Research Council (GRC) Annual Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand. The engagements, held between 17 and 19 May 2026, focused on strengthening the visibility,

Every year during Youth Month, the NRF invites profile submissions to celebrate young researchers who have a current or past affiliation with the NRF; its national research facilities (NRF-SAAO, NRF-iThemba LABS, NRF-SAIAB, NRF-SAEON, and NRF-SARAO); NRF-SAASTA; Centres of Excellence; and

The National Research Foundation (NRF) congratulates Board Member and Research Chair Prof Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, along with Research Chairs Prof Priscilla Baker and Prof Keertan Dheda, on being awarded National Orders by President Cyril Ramaphosa. All three are Research Chairs under

The National Research Foundation (NRF) is participating in the 2026 Global Research Council (GRC) Annual Meeting, taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 18 to 22 May 2026. As part of the engagements at the event, Dr Ndivhuwo Luruli, Chief Strategist

The calls below are now open on the NRF Connect system under the Research Grants category: BRICS Multilateral Joint Call Trans-Atlantic Platform (T-AP) Call on Preparing for Tomorrow For enquiries, please contact:Mr. Walter BaloyiProfessional Officer: Multilateral Research ProgrammesRIISA: International Grants

The Global Research Council’s (GRC) Responsible Research Assessment (RRA) Working Group, together with Science Europe and DORA, has published A Practical Guide to Implementing Responsible Research Assessment at Research Funding Organizations. The guide, available here at https://sfdora.org/resource/rfo-practical-guide/, provides practical recommendations

The National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MHESR) are pleased to pre-announce an upcoming joint call for research proposals under the Bilateral Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation. This programme aims to

The National Research Foundation’s (NRF) participation in the Science Europe Session on the Africa–Europe Collaboration Platform at the AERAP 2026 Forum placed a strong emphasis on the advancement of more equitable, Africa-led models of research collaboration between Africa and Europe.

The Norway–South Africa Research Funding Opportunity Conference will take place at the National Research Foundation in Pretoria from 04 to 05 June 2026. It will showcase progress and insights from 10 joint projects funded by the NRF and the Research

The South African Environmental Observation Network (NRF-SAEON) contributed to the preparation and integration of South African flux data into the FLUXNET Shuttle (https://data.fluxnet.org), a powerful tool that gathers flux data from regional eddy covariance networks in North America, South America,

The National Research Foundation (NRF) participated in the 13th Africa–Europe Science Collaboration Forum (AERAP), held from 20–22 April 2026 in Brussels. The Forum took stock of and advanced Africa–Europe science, technology, and innovation partnership programmes and instruments. Bringing together policymakers,

The Science Futures Career Day is designed to expose postgraduate students and early-career researchers to a wide spectrum of career opportunities across the scientific ecosystem, extending beyond traditional academic pathways. While rooted in scientific training, the event adopts an interdisciplinary,

This session examines how transdisciplinary partnerships drive practical solutions to environmental challenges, highlighting initiatives such as the TERRA+ School in Japan. It draws on Belmont Forum’s approach to funding collaborative, impact-focused research, the EPIC-N model for community centred regional partnerships,

The National Research Foundation (NRF) participated in the Peer-Learning for Emerging Researchers Knowledge Advancement Programme Phase II (PERKA II) Stakeholder Convening, held from 14–15 April, followed by the African Early Career Researchers (AECR) Workshop on 16 April 2026. Both events

The National Research Foundation (NRF) is the biggest funding agency that supports next generation and emerging researchers. Over the years, until 2017, it hosted a number of national symposiums and forums for postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows. These initiatives and

In recognition of the growing importance of international research collaboration to address global challenges, the National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) have announced joint funding to support research

The National Research Foundation (NRF) has launched a total of forty-one (41) Decadal Plan Aligned Research Chairs for Historically Disadvantaged Institutions, Universities of Technology, and Emerging Universities. A landmark intervention that forms part of the South African Research Chairs Initiative

The National Research Foundation (NRF) invites members of the media to attend the groundbreaking launch of a total of forty-one (41) new Research Chairs as part of efforts to expand research capacity across South Africa’s higher education sector. The Minister

On 27 March 2026 the Board of the National Research Foundation (NRF) undertook a strategic visit to one of the organisation’s national facilities,—the South African Environmental Observation Network (NRF-SAEON) Elwandle Node in Gqeberha—reaffirming the NRF’s commitment to the advancement of

As part of the National Research Foundation’s participation at South African Innovation Week 2026, the Presidential PhD Programme (PPHP) was featured in a panel session titled From Doctoral Research to Innovation Impact on 18 March 2026. The Presidential PhD Programme

Digital transformation is rapidly reshaping economies, governance systems, and environmental management worldwide. Digital technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), offer significant opportunities to accelerate progress toward environmental sustainability. At the same time, the expanding digital ecosystem carries its own environmental footprint

Two National Research Foundation (NRF) nominees attended the 17th Japan Hope Meeting that was held as a physical meeting in Tsukuba City, Japan, from 02 to 06 March 2026. The two nominees were Dr Zintle Mbese from the University of

The National Research Foundation (NRF) attended the formal launch of the Nelson Mandela University (NMU) Postdoctoral and Research Fellows Society, which coincided with the NMU Postdoctoral and Research Fellows Symposium, from 03-04 March 2026 at the Southern Sun The Marine,

The National Research Foundation (NRF) is delighted to announce that it has maintained a Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Level 1 rating. This achievement symbolises the NRF’s commitment to the transformation of the equity profiles of the South African research

The National Research Foundation (NRF) hosted a delegation from the Ghana National Research Fund from 03 to 04 March 2026 as part of a strategic study visit to South Africa aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation

Dear Members of the Marine and Antarctic Research Community. The Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, together with the National Research Foundation is scheduling two independent Research Plan workshops at the end of March 2026 to bring together representatives of

Despite significant investments in scientific research, data systems, and analytical capacity, sustainability policymaking across the Global South continues to face persistent gaps between knowledge generation and decision-making. These gaps are not primarily technical, but institutional and systemic – rooted in

Cape Town, South Africa – The Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD), a partnership between the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the International Astronomical Union (IAU) under the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), has signed a Memorandum of

The Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD), a partnership of the National Research Foundation (NRF) with the International Astronomical Union (IAU) under the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), is pleased to announce that 10 African projects, part of

The British Academy and the Royal Society, in collaboration with the National Research Foundation’s Strategic Investments, Innovation and Impact directorate, hosted the Second Conference on Equitable Partnership from 03–05 February 2026 at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria. Proceedings

As part of the build-up to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address yesterday, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof Blade Nzimande, hosted close to a hundred learners and educators from Fezeka High in Gugulethu and Siyabulela

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | February 12, 2026 — Ahead of the Annual Summit of Heads of State at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa this February, Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC); the Government of Norway; the United Kingdom’s

The National Research Foundation (NRF) hosted the Societal Impact of Research Workshop on 26 January 2026, attended by Deputy Vice-Chancellors responsible for research, representatives from Universities South Africa (USAf), and research support staff from public universities across South Africa. The

CAPE TOWN / SUTHERLAND, SOUTH AFRICA – Astronomers using the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) have solved a cosmic mystery surrounding one of the most extreme stars known, WOH G64. While recent dramatic fading led many to believe the star had

This framework outlines a collaborative strategy by the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) in partnership with the South African National Space Agency and other strategic partners. The strategy, which is implemented by the Nation Research Foundation (NRF), aims

The International Astronomical Union’s Office of Astronomy for Development (IAU–OAD) and the Office of Kgosana Dr Koketso Rakhudu have formalised a partnership aimed at leveraging astronomy to drive socio-economic transformation within the Royal Bafokeng Nation (RBN). The signing of the

The National Research Foundation and the UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) the have officially renewed their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), reaffirming their commitment to continued collaboration in research and innovation ecosystems. The renewed MoU builds on a strong

The Southern Africa Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference (SATNAC), hosted annually by Telkom, took place from 30 November to 03 December 2025 at Kogelberg Biosphere near Hermanus. This year’s theme, Africa’s Ascent: Towards a sustainable and resilient future enabled by

Science infrastructure is not just critical for the generation of new scientific knowledge and the development of researchers and scientists. Science infrastructure also has immense potential to drive socio- economic development for local communities and stimulate science tourism. Over the

The National Research Foundation (NRF) co-hosted an interactive session titled People, Planet, and Possibility: Systems Science Meets Journalism for Wellbeing with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) on 04 December 2025 at the World Conference of Science Journalists

By Dr Anton Binneman / NRF–SAASTA On the slopes of the Magaliesberg, surrounded by quiet farmland and wind-cut ridges, stands a radio telescope with a story few South Africans know; a story that stretches from the heart of the Cradle

Statement from the Future Earth Africa Hub Leadership Centre’s Consortium at the G20 Africa’s Scientific Renaissance – A vision for sustainability The National Research Foundation (NRF), in its capacity as the secretariat of the Future Earth Africa Hub in collaboration