National Research Foundation (South Africa)

Functions

The NRF has three main functions:

1. to support research and innovation, through its agency, Research and Innovation Support and Advancement (RISA);
2. to encourage an interest in science and technology through its business unit, the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA);
3. 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:

• 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.
• 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