South Africa’s National Research Foundation (NRF) and the UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) have announced a joint programme to institute an international research network that will embrace South Africa, other African countries, and the UK. This network will be funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), through the International Science Partnerships Fund, to the amount of almost £25-million.

This new network, which will also be supported by the NRF and the UK’s Institute of Physics (IOP), will involve two programmes. These are the Research Infrastructure Partnership Programme (RIPP) and the Africa-UK Physics Partnership.

“The NRF is delighted to be working with UKRI STFC on the various programmes,” affirmed NRF acting deputy CEO: national research infrastructure platforms Dr Angus Paterson. “The linking of key South African research platforms to those within the STFC is very exciting and will lead to staff exchanges, training opportunities and, most importantly, innovative research.”

“I am delighted to announce the continuation of our work with the [NRF] and [IOP] to advance physics in Africa and support crucial research efforts from astronomy to climate science,” enthused STFC executive chair Professor Mark Thomson. “We are extremely proud of our International Science Partnerships Fund programmes which are helping to develop stronger physics research networks the world over for the benefit of the entire field. Now more than ever, physics is a necessarily international endeavour and partnerships such as these are essential to ensure that leading minds in the UK, Africa, and beyond can collaborate effectively on ambitious global projects such as the Square Kilometre Array.”

The RIPP will enable collaborations between individual NRF and STFC facilities (“lab-to-lab”). This programme will facilitate physics-related research and development between South African and British universities, including a focus on the transformation agenda of the NRF, intended to strengthen historically-disadvantaged institutions. It will also develop international capacity in physics by means of training programmes, staff exchanges and collaborative research.

The Africa-UK Physics Partnership (a joint initiative between the STFC and the IOP) involves the UK and seven African countries, including South Africa. It was created after a 2019 analysis by the IOP showed that only 5% of research programmes in sub-Saharan Africa involved physics. The intent is to both build and sustain a cohort of skilled science, technology, engineering and maths graduates, by means of network creation, ensuring access to UK research facilities, and other activities. There will be a particular focus on the role of physics in research into energy, climate and the weather.