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National Research Foundation
	NRF Headquarters in Pretoria, South Africa
Abbreviation	NRF
Formation	April 1, 1999; 25 years ago
Type	Governmental
Legal status	Foundation
Purpose	Funding and research in South Africa
Headquarters	NRF Building, CSIR Complex, Meiring Naudé Road, Brummeria, Pretoria
Region served	South Africa
Official language	English
Leader	Prof Fulufhelo Nelwamondo
Parent organisation	Department of Science and Innovation
Website	www.nrf.ac.za

South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF) is the intermediary agency between the policies and strategies of the Government of South Africa and South Africa's research institutions.

History

It was established on 1 April 1999 as an autonomous statutory body in accordance with the National Research Foundation Act. Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the National Research Foundation of South Africa with effect from 1 April 2021. The NRF Board is chaired by Prof Mosa Moshabela.^[1]^[2]

Functions

The NRF has three main functions:

to support research and innovation, through its agency, Research and Innovation Support and Advancement (RISA);
to encourage an interest in science and technology through its business unit, the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA);
to facilitate high-end research through its National Research Facilities (South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity; Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory; iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Sciences; South African Astronomical Observatory; Hermanus Magnetic Observatory; National Zoological Gardens of South Africa)

One of the NRF’s key objectives is to ensure appropriately qualified people and high-level infrastructure to produce the knowledge that makes South Africa a global competitor. Its "focus areas" are:

Research and Innovation Support
Astro/Space/Geo Sciences
Biodiversity / Conservation
Nuclear Sciences
Advancing Science

Unlike other Science Councils whose role is research performance, the NRF primarily fulfils an agency role, with a smaller portion of its activity allocated to actual research. Funding from the NRF is largely directed towards academic research, developing high-level human resources, and supporting the National Research Facilities, although beneficiaries include students, and private individuals or companies. KZN Literary Tourism is a project which has received funding through the NRF.

Centres of Excellence

In 2004 the NRF founded seven Centres of Excellence (COE), which aim to facilitate inter-disciplinary research with the aim of enhancing research and capacity building. Additional COEs have been added since:^[3]

CoE for Integrated Mineral and Energy Resource Analysis
CoE in Human Development
CoE in Food Security
CoE in Scientometrics and STI Policy (2014): The Nodal Head is Rasigan Maharajh.^[4]
CoE in Mathematical and Statistical Sciences
Centre of Excellence in Palaeosciences
The National Institute for Theoretical Physics
Centre of Excellence in Epidemiology Modelling and Analysis
Applied Centre for Climate and Earth Systems Science (ACCESS)
Centre of Excellence in Tree Health Biotechnology
Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research
Centre of Excellence in Catalysis
Centre of Excellence in Birds as Key to Biodiversity Conservation
Centre of Excellence in Strong Materials
Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology

References

^ "NRF board". National Research Foundation. 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
^ "NRF Board Members – National Research Foundation". 26 May 2024. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
^ "Centres of Excellence". National Research Foundation. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
^ "Rasigan Maharajh". Who's Who of Southern Africa. Naspers Group. Retrieved 3 April 2016.