NRF CEO Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo on the difficult choices facing his agency and whether ratings still matter

When Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo took over as Chief Executive Officer of the National Research Foundation, it was a time of flux for South Africa’s flagship funding agency. 

The NRF was reeling from large cross-government budget cuts as part of measures to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. It was expected to fulfil its ever-expanding remit—which last year was extended to include leading public engagement with science—with its dwindling resources. 

One big change has been to the agency’s postgraduate funding scheme, which since 2021 is funding a smaller number of students more comprehensively. Nelwamondo says the system, which is in its second intake, is “working very well”. 

“Of course, you are funding fewer students,” he notes. But he says it might prevent students who in the past couldn’t make ends meet at honours, masters or PhD level from leaving their degrees to pursue better-paid jobs in other sectors.  Deciding what and who to fund from an overflowing pool of deserving candidates is the agency’s main challenge, he says. Read more on Research Professional News here.