National Research Foundation

The NRF is an independent statutory body established through the National Research Foundation Act (Act No 23 of 1998), following a system-wide review conducted for the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology (DACST). The new entity incorporated the functions of the research funding agencies that were previously servicing various sections of the research community, namely the former Centre for Science Development (CSD) of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and the former Foundation for Research Development (FRD) that included several National Research Facilities.

As a government mandated research and science development agency the NRF funds research, the development of high-end Human Capacity and critical research infrastructure to promote knowledge production across all disciplinary fields. The goal of the NRF is to create innovative funding instruments, advance research career development, increase public science engagement and to establish leading-edge research platforms that will transform the scientific landscape and inspire a representative research community to aspire to global competitiveness. The NRF promotes South African research interests across the country and internationally, and together with research institutions, business, industry and international partners we build bridges between research communities for mutual benefit.

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Articles

South Africa’s Isinuka Spring near Port St Johns is naturally pink. Its waters and clay are said to contain healing properties but are now contaminated by microplastics. Courtesy Thendo Mutshekwa

Sacred springs of South Africa: pure waters or polluted? We found tiny bits of plastic in the samples we tested

Thendo Mutshekwa, Rhodes University; Lubabalo Mofu, National Research Foundation, and Samuel N. Motitsoe, University of the Witwatersrand

Even South Africa’s remote sacred springs are not untouched: research found microplastics in all nine tested, including waters used for healing and drinking.
Coastal food resources gave some groups of people an advantage over others. Illustration by Maggie Lambert-Newman, courtesy of Grootbos Private Nature Reserve

Where did the first people come from? The case for a coastal migration from southern Africa

Alan Whitfield, National Research Foundation; Charles Helm, Nelson Mandela University; Francis Thackeray, University of the Witwatersrand; Renee Rust, Nelson Mandela University, and Willo Stear, Nelson Mandela University

A coastal migration up and out of Africa was more likely to succeed than an overland journey.

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