The National Research Foundation (NRF) will bring together South Africa’s next generation and emerging researchers, leading scholars, research institutions, industry and other National System of Innovation (NSI) stakeholders from around the country at the 2026 Next Generation and Emerging Researchers (NGER) Symposium to be held in Boksburg, Gauteng, from 6 to 9 October 2026.
Journalists are invited to cover the Symposium under these details:
Date: 6 to 9 October 2026
Venue: Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre, Boksburg, Gauteng
Time: 09:00
Media Registration: Ms Lynette Kamineth, Communications and Stakeholder Relations, NRF-SAASTA, 079 279 5331 / 012 392 9328, LJ.Kamineth@saasta.nrf.ac.za
The NGER Symposium is a prominent driver of the NRF’s broader investment in developing the people, capabilities and partnerships required to advance South Africa’s research ambitions.
The 2026 symposium will provide a dynamic platform for emerging researchers to exchange knowledge, build networks, strengthen research and strengthen leadership skills, explore collaboration opportunities and debate how research can translate into meaningful societal and economic impact.
The four-day programme represents an investment into the next generation of scientists who will shape South Africa’s research and innovation future. Now in its third year since its reintroduction, the symposium speaks directly to the NRF Vision 2030 of “Research for a Better Society” and its statutory mandate to support research, human capacity development and research infrastructure in a way that facilitates knowledge creation, innovation and economic growth.
The NRF’s role extends beyond funding individual research projects - it is also about building a capable, diverse and globally competitive research community able to generate knowledge that contributes to improving the quality of life for all South Africans.
This makes investment in emerging researchers a strategic investment in South Africa’s future. “Developing the next generation of researchers is not simply about producing more researchers.
It is about building excellence, supporting a research community with the skills, networks, confidence and leadership capabilities to drive South African society and the economy forward in a meaningful and impactful way,” says Dr Mbulelo Ncango, Managing Director of the NRF’s Research Advancement (RA) Business Unit.
The symposium responds to this imperative by creating opportunities for postgraduate students, postdoctoral fellows and early-career researchers to engage with top-rated researchers, mentors, industry leaders and other partners across the research ecosystem.
Its focus on innovation and impact, interdisciplinary collaboration, engaged research, knowledge exchange, mentorship, science communication and leadership reflects the need for researchers who can work across disciplinary and institutional boundaries and connect research with real-world challenges.
The symposium programme also aligns closely with the strategic direction of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), which seeks to transform and strengthen South Africa’s National System of Innovation, and direct it towards addressing the country’s socio-economic and environmental priorities. This is reflected in the 2022–2032 Science, Technology and Innovation Decadal Plan.
Current priorities include expanding and transforming the science, technology and innovation human-resource base, increasing participation by young South African black and women researchers, strengthening research capacity at historically disadvantaged institutions and ensuring that science and innovation contribute more directly to national development.
Against this backdrop, the symposium programme represents an important bridge between investment in research today and the research leadership South Africa will need tomorrow.
“We are intent on creating a pipeline through which emerging researchers can move from developing knowledge to applying, communicating and translating that knowledge in ways that benefit society,” Dr Ncango says.
This pipeline starts early for the NRF, which also prioritises the empowerment of school learners to embrace Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) for their future careers.
The symposium will thus be mentoring school learners and teachers on the first day of the symposium with a special outreach dedicated to the theme: Bridging Futures - Science and Role Modelling Experience for Schools.
The 2026 symposium will explore a range of issues shaping the future of research, including emerging technologies and artificial intelligence, climate and sustainability, health and society, innovation and commercialisation, as well as research careers and leadership.
These conversations reinforce the need for a research community that is excellent, diverse, connected and responsive to the challenges facing South Africa and the wider world.
Through this investment in the next generation of researchers, the NRF is helping to build the capabilities required for a transformed and globally competitive sector, one in which excellent research contributes to a better society.
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