JOHANNESBURG - The National Research Foundation (NRF) will be
hosting its annual NRF Awards in Bloemfontein
on Thursday.
The individuals to be honoured at
this year’s ceremony are South African researchers who have obtained A- and P-
ratings during the recent NRF rating cycle, as well as recipients of various
other awards that recognise individuals for exceptional contributions
towards developing human capacity and knowledge generation in South Africa.
NRF spokesperson Palesa
Mokoena said the NRF has played a critical role in enabling South Africa’s
research environment, driving not only excellent scientific research output,
but also the growth of the scientific workforce and its continued transformation.
“For the 2016/17
financial year the NRF has increased the support for female postgraduate
students by 76%. Over the same period, support for black postgraduate students
increased by 94%.
Furthermore the NRF supported 14 173 postgraduate students
through bursaries and scholarships, translating to 9.2% of all registered
students for the 2016 academic year,” said Mokoena.
The Minister of Science and
Technology, Mrs Naledi Pandor, would be amongst speakers in the event.