South Africa faces stark challenges – the world’s highest levels of inequality and a large population struggling with basic needs.
Yet in this context, the country has made a bold bet: that strategic investment in research infrastructure can help address these fundamental issues while positioning South Africa as a key player within the global scientific community.
Key Points:
- South Africa has strategically developed world-class research facilities by leveraging unique geographic advantages.
- Major investments in astronomy, nuclear science, and environmental monitoring deliver both scientific discoveries and practical societal benefits.
- The infrastructure network drives economic growth through technology transfer, industry partnerships, and skills development. Research infrastructure encompasses not only buildings and facilities but also human capital, systems, and networks that enable research.
- Research facilities demonstrate remarkable agility in crisis response, as shown during COVID-19.
- A future focus on sustainability and emerging technologies ensures South Africa is tackling environmental and economic challenges head-on.
Building a Research Nation
“What concerns me most is that we must deal with the deep challenges associated with the Gini coefficient and the fact that a large portion of our population is really struggling,” explains Dr. Angus Paterson, Deputy CEO for National Research Infrastructure Platforms at the National Research Foundation (NRF). He adds, “Science and research have an opportunity to play a far bigger role in addressing this.”
The Department of Science and Innovation’s new decadal plan puts innovation at the centre of development through 2030, with a key focus on embedding national research facilities more deeply with universities and industry. Through the NRF’s new Business Advancement and Partnerships unit, there’s a concentrated push to translate foundational research into practical impact.
South Africa’s strategic approach has already shown results. While the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project advances radio astronomy, its technological innovations are driving breakthroughs in big data, artificial intelligence, and precision engineering. Similar convergence is happening across disciplines as South Africa builds capability in genomics, proteomics and structural biology.
“South Africa is a very special country,” says Dr. Angus Paterson. “For our size, we’ve got a relatively strong scientific community and some geographic advantages that have allowed us to do world-class research in areas like radio astronomy and biodiversity.”
Under NRF management, five national facilities form the backbone of the country’s research infrastructure: the South African Astronomical Observatory (NRF-SAAO), the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRF-SARAO), iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Sciences, the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (NRF-SAIAB), and the South African Environmental Observation Network (NRF-SAEON).
This integrated approach is particularly evident in how the facilities serve multiple purposes. As Pontsho Maruping, Managing Director of the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRF-SARAO) explains: “These facilities don’t just benefit the scientific community – they have a tangible impact on citizens’ lives, through improved healthcare, economic growth, job creation, and enhanced global standing.”
The strategic importance of these facilities extends beyond their immediate scientific impact. Dr. Rosalind Skelton, Acting Managing Director of the South African Astronomical Obeservatory (NRF-SAAO), points out that major infrastructure projects like the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) have been crucial for growing South Africa’s science community and capabilities. “This has been a key factor in the country securing major projects like the Square Kilometre Array,” she notes.
Each facility represents more than just buildings and equipment – they are complete research ecosystems that foster international collaboration and drive innovation. “For our size, we’ve got a relatively strong scientific community,” notes Dr. Paterson. “When you look at competitiveness, we have the intellectual property, we’re highly cost-effective, and we have a big market within South Africa and Africa as a whole.”
The Rise of African Astronomy
Perhaps nowhere is South Africa’s strategic approach to research infrastructure more evident than in astronomy. The country has transformed its natural advantage of dark, radio-quiet skies into world-leading facilities that are revolutionizing our understanding of the universe.
“The astronomy sector has benefited from our geographic advantages,” explains Dr. Angus Paterson. “We have large portions of the Northern Cape that are very dark and radio silent, perfect for radio and optical astronomy.” This geographic edge has been leveraged through two major facilities: the MeerKAT radio telescope array and the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT).
MeerKAT: Changing the Global Narrative
MeerKAT’s success has fundamentally shifted perceptions of African science capability. As Pontsho Maruping, Managing Director of NRF-SARAO explains: “This project really changed the narrative about what Africa can or cannot do. When you see that Africa can actually contribute to science and technology in some areas, it allows us to be a real global player.”
The numbers back up this assertion. Since its inauguration in 2018, MeerKAT has produced over 300 scientific articles. Its first major discovery came at launch, producing an image showing the center of the Milky Way that transformed scientific understanding of that region. This image demonstrated the super-massive black hole at our galaxy’s heart weighs about 4 million times the mass of the sun and revealed a chaotic, energetic region containing phenomena not found in more benign areas.
The telescope has continued to break new ground in pulsar research. “Since 2019, The MeerKAT Pulsar Timing Array has been monitoring the largest sample of pulsars to the highest precision of any existing array,” notes Maruping. This work positions South Africa at the forefront of gravitational wave detection research.
SALT: Opening New Windows on the Universe
The Southern African Large Telescope represents another pillar of South Africa’s astronomical infrastructure. Dr. Rosalind Skelton highlights how SALT has enabled major discoveries: “Currently, SALT’s transients program, which looks for rapidly changing objects in the sky, is producing a lot of exciting results.
These could be things like supernovae or binary black holes, providing unique insights into extreme astrophysical phenomena.”
Building for the Future: The SKA Project
MeerKAT’s success proved crucial in securing South Africa’s role as co-host of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA). The SKA-Mid, to be located in South Africa, will comprise an array of 197 dishes, including all 64 dishes of the MeerKAT telescope. According to Maruping, “SKA-Mid will benefit from MeerKAT’s established presence and technological groundwork, facilitating a smoother transition and scaling up of operations.”
The astronomical facilities have impacts far beyond scientific discovery. They drive economic development through technology transfer, create high-tech jobs, and inspire the next generation of scientists. “The astronomy sector has been particularly successful in creating opportunities for high-tech industries in South Africa,” notes Maruping. “This means more job opportunities not just at NRF-SARAO, but at the companies that developed subsystems for the telescopes.”
Nuclear Science Driving Healthcare: The iThemba LABS Story
While astronomy showcases South Africa’s capacity for fundamental research, the iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Sciences demonstrates how research infrastructure can directly impact public health and well-being.
At the heart of NRF-iThemba LABS’ impact is its dual role in both fundamental research and practical applications. The facility’s flagship Separated Sector Cyclotron (SSC) has been serving two distinct user groups – supporting both isotope production and basic research, including radiation biophysics.
The numbers tell a compelling story of real-world impact. The facility currently provides radioisotopes to more than 80 public and private nuclear medicine departments throughout South Africa and Namibia, and to nearly 100 international clients. Over its years of operation, 1,834 patients were treated with neutrons and 524 patients with protons, making it the only accelerator complex on the African continent and in the southern hemisphere to offer both therapeutic beams.
The establishment of the South African Isotope Facility (SAIF) in 2023 marked a significant expansion in capabilities. As Dr. Angus Paterson notes, “The new cyclotron significantly enhances the isotope production capacity and extends the isotope research and development capability into alpha-particle-emitting radioisotopes for targeted alpha therapy.”
This strategic development is already showing impact. “The dedicated cyclotron will result in a five- to seven-fold increase in production capacity that currently benefits about 5,000 South African patients,” explains Dr. Paterson.
South African Isotope Facility
SAIF’s impact extends far beyond medical isotope production. NRF-iThemba LABS is one of only three facilities in the world capable of producing quasi mono-energetic neutrons in the 40–200 MeV range, a development that opens up exciting possibilities for scientific discovery and technological advancement across various fields.
The 40-200 MeV range is particularly valuable for studying nuclear reactions and interactions at high energies, opening up research possibilities in nuclear physics, materials science, radiotherapy and astrophysics.
The transfer of isotope production to the new cyclotron opens new possibilities for applied and fundamental research. As Dr. Paterson explains, “This not only improves our national and international standing as a world-class research infrastructure platform, but also strengthens and enhances our collaborations with local universities and similar research facilities abroad.”
Dr Rudzani Nemutudi, Deputy Director at NRF-iThemba LABS explains the impact of work underway at the facility, saying “What makes NRF-iThemba LABS unique is that we are the only facility on the African continent that has so many accelerators concentrated in one place.
“We have a wide range of accelerators, from low energy at 3 mega-electron volts up to high energy at 200 mega-electron volts. This allows us to cater to a diverse range of fields, including materials analysis, subatomic physics, radiation protection, and most importantly, radioisotope production.”
Showcasing the variety of applications for South Africa’s nuclear research, Dr Nemutdi picks out a few key projects, “In the field of subatomic physics, we have a facility for radiation hardness testing. This allows us to partner with companies to simulate the cosmic radiation that satellite components will be exposed to in space. They bring their components to us, and we use our accelerators to bombard them, replicating the conditions they’ll face in space. This has attracted interest from organizations like NASA.
“In materials research, we’ve developed a project using proton beam writing, where we use accelerated protons to write narrow patterns on masks, with applications in the microelectronics industry. We have collaborators from Singapore working on this project.
“Another interesting project is the use of our accelerator mass spectrometry, located 2,000 km away, for paleopathological studies. Our scientists have discovered they can date ancient artefacts and even reconstruct past weather patterns by studying the age of baobab trees.”
Environmental Monitoring: Data-Driven Decision Making
South Africa’s environmental research infrastructure plays a vital role in understanding and responding to climate change and environmental challenges. Through NRF-SAEON (South African Environmental Observation Network), the country has established an extensive monitoring network that provides crucial data for policy decisions and resource management.
The Power of Long-Term Data
Dr Mary-Jane Bopape, Managing Director of NRF-SAEON, emphasizes the fundamental importance of sustained environmental monitoring: “The only reason we can say climate change is happening is because of long-term datasets. Without data, we can’t say that the decisions we are making are informed by any evidence.”
This mission has driven NRF-SAEON to establish detailed, long-term observations at rural sites throughout South Africa. Their comprehensive monitoring network covers everything from harvested resources like fuelwood and medicinal plants to non-consumptive resources that sustain rural economies through livestock farming and eco-tourism.
NRF-SAEON’s research infrastructure is strategically distributed across South Africa’s diverse environments. “Unlike other facilities that might have one central location, our environmental monitoring requires distributed research infrastructure,” explains Dr. Bopape. “We need to cover different types of environments, from deep oceans to coastal areas to terrestrial regions, including South Africa’s highest point along the Northern Drakensberg.”
The coverage is comprehensive: “We consider different vegetation types and climate zones – the northeastern part receives summer rainfall while the Western Cape gets winter rainfall,” notes Dr Bopape.
Crisis Response: Research Infrastructure Delivers
A further measure of research infrastructure isn’t just its scientific output – it’s the ability to pivot rapidly when national emergencies demand innovative solutions. This agility was powerfully demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic when South Africa’s research facilities rapidly redirected their capabilities to address urgent public health needs.
When the National Coronavirus Command Council called for the rapid development of respiratory support devices, they turned to an unexpected source: the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRF-SARAO). The selection proved inspired – SARAO’s expertise in managing complex technical projects, honed through building the MeerKAT telescope, enabled the delivery of 20,000 low-cost ventilators in just eight months.
“The skills and competencies required from NRF-SARAO were project management, systems engineering, specific engineering domain expertise, industry liaison and health product accreditation,” explains Justin Jonas from NRF-SARAO. The team’s success in developing affordable continuous positive airway pressure devices highlighted how specialized scientific capabilities could be repurposed to meet immediate societal needs.
South Africa’s Future: Driving the Innovation Paradigm
This demonstrated agility has strengthened the case for continued investment in research infrastructure as South Africa looks to the 2030s. The Department of Science and Innovation’s new decadal plan puts innovation at the centre, with a particular focus on emerging technologies and data science capabilities.
“Very few of us anticipated how quickly AI and big data would come to the fore, but South Africa is positioned there,” notes Dr. Angus Paterson, Deputy CEO for National Research Infrastructure Platforms at the NRF. “The MeerKAT/SKA will produce vast amounts of data for us to manage and develop AI tools. We’re seeing convergence between disciplines as everyone gets involved with big data at different scales.”
The vision extends beyond individual facilities to building an integrated innovation ecosystem. Through the NRF’s new Business Advancement and Partnerships unit, there’s increasing focus on translating research into practical applications. From medical isotope production at iThemba Labs to environmental monitoring through NRF-SAEON, each facility is being positioned to drive both scientific advancement and socioeconomic development.
“South Africa has such advantages in areas like astronomy and biodiversity. We’re very well positioned to play a role globally,” Dr. Paterson emphasizes.
“Looking toward the 2030s, we really need to drive the innovation paradigm.
“Take the SKA project – you might be innovating to answer specific radio astronomy questions, but what you’re actually developing has applications in big data, signal management, and AI development. South Africa and the national facilities are well-positioned in areas like big data, sensor development, and precision engineering. We’re also moving into the ‘omics’ areas – genomics, proteomics – and structural biology.”
This strategic approach to research infrastructure – building world-class facilities that can both advance global science and respond to national priorities – offers valuable lessons for other emerging research nations.
“It’s a very exciting period coming up – challenging but certainly very exciting”, concludes Dr Paterson.
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