The National Research Foundation (NRF) and energy and chemicals multinational Sasol will launch a competitive call for two jointly-funded South African research chairs in power system modelling and green hydrogen, as well as a bespoke postdoctoral innovation fellowships programme.

These two major new programmes aim to support advanced research and capacity development.

The research chairs are aligned with the South African Research Chairs Initiative, and will specifically stimulate academia-industry research designed to attract and retain excellence in research and innovation at South African universities, the NRF says.

The new postdoctoral programme will develop industrially relevant long-term research capacity in energy transition and sustainability at academic institutions and at Sasol’s research facilities in Sasolburg for a period of up to two years.

The programme will focus on green hydrogen, energy storage, waste utilisation towards a circular economy, air-quality assessment, Fischer-Tropsch catalysis for power-to-liquids applications and in-situ characterisation of catalysts.

"These new programmes further advance the strong partnership between Sasol, the Sasol Foundation and the NRF, which have supported 400 students and researchers from academic and research-performing institutions in South Africa.

“In 2021, R54-million was jointly invested supporting 26 multi-year academic-industry collaborative research projects in response to South Africa’s energy transition," the NRF says.

The growing partnership between Sasol and the NRF is not only playing a key role in accelerating the co-creation of knowledge for impact and skills development, addressing the critical energy challenges, but showcasing the value of effective partnership within the innovation ecosystem, it adds.

Further, Sasol has a long history of funding research at South African universities through contract research and student bursaries. Over the past 16 years, it has also contributed more than R300-million through its Research and Technology University Collaboration Programme, which provides research grants to academics for projects in the key disciplines of chemistry and chemical engineering.

Meanwhile, the NRF promotes research and innovation through innovative funding instruments, advancement of research career development, public science engagement, and the establishment of leading-edge research platforms that support the scientific and innovation landscape to effectively respond to socioeconomic challenges and opportunities, the research organisation says.