News & Events

A significant milestone in South Africa’s research and innovation landscape was reached this past week as the National Research Foundation (NRF), through the Presidential PhD Programme, and the Global Network for Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence Building Systems (Globelics)

The 6th National Global Change Conference, jointly hosted by the National Research Foundation (NRF); the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI); and the University of Mpumalanga (UMP); officially commenced today at UMP’s Mbombela Campus. The conference provides a national platform

The South African Environmental Observation Network (NRF-SAEON), in collaboration with the University of the Free State’s Afromontane Research Unit (ARU), has installed the highest weather station in Southern Africa in the Mont-aux-Sources area of the Maluti-Drakensberg. Positioned atop the iconic

The NRF has deepened its strategic partnerships with fellow African science funding agencies, following productive bilateral engagements with the Research Council of Zimbabwe (RCZ) and the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) during the 2025 GRC Sub-Saharan Africa Regional

This serves to inform you that the NRF Connect system is now open for the submission of the 2025 Progress Reports (PRs). Motivations for the Carry Forward of unspent funds should be submitted in the financials section of the Progress

The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) has been awarded a prestigious Science Diplomacy Award at the closing ceremony of the 2025 Science Forum South Africa (SFSA), held from 24–28 November at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria. The largest

The National Research Foundation (NRF), in partnership with the Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Member Organization (SSARMO) and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), invites eligible doctoral candidates to a strategic Masterclass designed to support strong and competitive applications to the 2026 IIASA

Panel Session Hosted at the Science Forum South Africa 2025 As part of the National Research Foundation’s participation at the 2025 Science Forum South Africa, the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), in partnership with the

On 26 November, the National Research Foundation (NRF) hosted a panel discussion entitled Presidential PhD Programme: Is Africa ready to reimagine Doctoral training for real-world impact? on the sidelines of the Science Forum South Africa that is currently underway at

On 21 November 2025, during the global engagements of the G20 Summit hosted by South Africa, the National Research Foundation (NRF), in partnership with the University of Pretoria (UP) and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), convened a

The Future Earth Africa Hub, hosted by the National Research Foundation of South Africa, is pleased to announce that submissions for session proposals for the SRI2026 Africa Regional Conference are now open! Contributions from across all sectors—research, industry, government, civil

Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo, the CEO of the National Research Foundation, opened the 4th African Nuclear Physics Conference (ANPC) on Monday, 24 November 2025 at NRF-iThemba LABS in Cape Town. “This is a gathering of the storytellers of atoms. We need

At a time when African research systems are increasingly shaping global scientific conversations, the 2025 Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) Academic Symposium held in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, offered a compelling demonstration of how SSA public research funders

Sub-Saharan Africa took an important step toward strengthening its voice in global research governance during the Global Research Council (GRC) Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Meeting and the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) Academic Symposium, held from 10 to 14 November 2025

As the 2025 Global Research Council (GRC) Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Meeting and Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) Academic Symposium drew to a close in Bulawayo, Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo, CEO of the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa and member

The National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa and Mitacs, Canada’s national research and innovation organisations, are pleased to announce the advancement of their collaboration through a pilot initiative under South Africa’s Presidential PhD Programme (PPP). Building on a Letter

Following the success of the first Post-Survey Workshop on Taxonomy Research in 2024, the EAF-Nansen Programme of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Norway has once again partnered with the South African Institute for Aquatic

The 2025 Global Research Council (GRC) Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Meeting and Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) Academic Symposium officially opened on 10 November 2025 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, under the theme From Regional Dialogue to Global Impact. Co-hosted by the Research

On 10 November, the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), Africa’s largest optical telescope and one of the most powerful in the world, celebrated its 20th anniversary of astronomical excellence and breakthroughs. This flagship facility for South African and global astronomy

In an effort to strengthen research collaboration for property sector transformation, the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority (PPRA), in collaboration with Nelson Mandela University (NMU) and the Department of Human Settlements (DHS), hosted the Property

The National Research Foundation (NRF) congratulates Dr Thandi Mgwebi, Group Executive for Business Advancement and Global Partnerships, on her appointment as Vice-Chancellor of Walter Sisulu University (WSU). She will take up her new position from 01 January 2026. Dr Mgwebi

The National Research Foundation (NRF), with the support of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), led the Roundtable Discussion on the

Led by South Africa’s Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) and the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the National Research Foundation (NRF) participated in the UK-South Africa Science and Innovation Joint Committee (JC) Meeting held in

The National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority (PPRA), in collaboration with Nelson Mandela University (NMU) and the Department of Human Settlements (DHS), will host the Property Sector Research Colloquium from 5 to 6 November 2025 in

South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF) is co-hosting the annual O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Initiative (ORTARChI) gathering, taking place from 27–31 October 2025 at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. The event is set to reflect on the initiative’s impact

The National Research Foundation (NRF), in partnership with the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and Fondation Botnar, co-hosted the Inaugural u’GOOD Annual Conference 2025 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from 06 to 09 October 2025. Themed Global South Takes the

Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo, CEO of the National Research Foundation (NRF), delivered a keynote address at the official opening of the HSRC/NRF Engaged Research Conference, which took place from 22 to 24 October 2025 at the Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo

On Monday, 20 October 2025, the NRF and CIHEAM-Bari, as co-task leaders under the Consortium Europe-Africa on Research and Innovation for Food Systems Transformation (CEA-FIRST) initiative, co-hosted the inaugural Funders’ Working Group Meeting of the International Research Consortium (IRC) on

The National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa is pleased to announce the culmination of its funding call under the Belmont Forum Collaborative Research Action (CRA) initiative with 10 transdisciplinary research projects selected for funding, each led by researchers based

You are invited to a one-hour webinar co-hosted by UK Research and Innovation’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF). The webinar will introduce AHRC and NRF funding opportunities and explore principles for equitable

Every year during the June and September school holidays, NRF-SAAO hosts its highly sought-after, two-day Job Shadow Programme, designed to expose Grade 10 and 11 learners to a range of careers within and beyond astronomy. The initiative forms part of

From 5–7 October 2025, the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa participated in the 22nd Annual Science and Technology in Society (STS) Forum held at the Kyoto International Conference Center (ICC Kyoto), Japan. The NRF delegation was led by

The Peer Learning for Emerging Researchers’ Knowledge and Advancement (PERKA) II Stakeholders Convening, held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 06-09 October 2025, brought together regional and international partners to co-create a shared vision and actionable strategies for strengthening and sustaining support

The ATLAS Tile-Calorimeter (TileCal)-collaboration gathered for their collaboration meeting at NRF-iThemba LABS from Monday, 29 September until Friday, 3 October 2025. The meeting is hosted at an institution outside of CERN every two years and brings together researchers, engineers, and

The National Research Foundation (NRF) presented its 2024/25 Annual Report to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation on 07 October 2025. The Committee convened at the NRF corporate office, where it also received the 2024/25 Annual Report

The National Research Foundation (NRF) has been awarded the Most Empowered Company in Compliance to B-BBEE Adjusted Generic Scorecard for Public Sector and Localisation at the 6th Pan African Supply Chain Awards. Organised by the Pan African Supply Chain Council,

The NRF-SAAO proudly joined the nation in commemoration of Heritage Month by opening its doors to the public for a special Heritage Day celebration. Held at the Observatory’s historic headquarters in Cape Town, the event drew more than 341 guests,

The first Presidential PhD Programme (PPhD) Roadshow officially kicked off on 22 September 2025, at NRF-iThemba Labs in the Western Cape. Hosted by the National Research Foundation (NRF), the Roadshow provided a dynamic platform for universities, researchers, policymakers, and industry

On 25 September 2025, the National Research Foundation (NRF) hosted a high-level Swiss delegation, led by Prof Martina Hirayama, State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation, to expand the strategic science and technology partnership between South Africa and Switzerland. The

On 25 September 2025, the National Research Foundation, led by its CEO Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo, hosted Sir John Edmunds, Chief Scientific Adviser for the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The purpose of the meeting was to share insights

By the time you finish reading this paragraph, more than 50 people around the world will have died from hunger-related causes. Yet the world already produces enough food to feed everyone. This paradox drives Stellenbosch University researcher Luther Chipembere, who

The National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa participated in the 2025 Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) All Partners Forum and STISA-2034 Advocacy Meeting, held from 15 to 19 September 2025 in Accra, Ghana. The high-level forum served as a

The Strategic Science Missions (SSM) Unit, led by Mr Jonathan Diederiks within the Thematic Research, Support and Advancement Department at the National Research Foundation (NRF) – under the leadership of Senior Manager Dr Zolani Dyosi – successfully hosted a national

The 18th Southern African Marine Science Symposium (SAMSS 2025), held from 9 – 12 September 2025 in Cape Town, brought together over 400 delegates from across the region and beyond to explore the theme, “The triple planetary crisis – resilience

The Property Practitioners Regulatory Authority (PPRA), in partnership with the National Research Foundation (NRF) and Nelson Mandela University (NMU), cordially invites you to attend the colloquium, to be hosted at Nelson Mandela University, from the 5th – 6th November 2025.

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

The National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences (NITheCS), a Centre of Excellence under the National Research Foundation (NRF), marked a significant milestone with the official opening of its headquarters at Stellenbosch University on Wednesday, 10 September 2025. The launch

A collective effort from all departments within the Research, Innovation, Impact Support and Advancement (RIISA)business unit of the National Research Foundation (NRF) contributed to the success of the 13th annual Research Administrators Workshop (RAW) that was held from 26 to

South Africa’s innovation in agricultural water management has been recognised on the global stage, with the national delegation claiming honours across six award categories at the 4th World Irrigation Forum (WIF4). The South African National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage