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Deadline looming! Call for nominations: ‘Science Oscars’ of South Africa, the 2024/2025 NSTF-South32 Awards
January 16, 2025  

Supplied by Minx Avrabos from SAIEE

 

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Reminder: Call for nominations: 2024/2025 NSTF-South32 Awards

Register nominations online by 17 January 2025!
#NSTFawards2025

The National Science and Technology Forum (NSTF) calls for nominations for the 27thNSTF-South32 Awards. These prestigious awards focus on science, engineering and technology (SET) and innovation in South Africa (SA). South32 is the co-branding sponsor for the past 10 years. As such the name of the awards is the NSTF-South32 Awards.

 

NSTF’s theme for 2025: The NSTF’s theme for 2025 is ‘Quantum Science and Technology in SA’, in support of the international year as proclaimed by the United Nations (UN).

 

The Special Annual Theme Award for 2025: The NSTF is making a special award this year for an outstanding contribution to SET and innovation in quantum science and technology in SA. This includes: quantum science and engineering, quantum entanglement and its applications, quantum technologies and their applications, including but not limited to quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum information processing, quantum sensing and imaging, quantum chemistry and quantum biology, as well as impact stories across disciplines such as healthcare, defense, navigation, finance, metrology, security and energy. See a more detailed explanation of the theme here.

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Contributions recognised: Register nominations for individuals, teams, partnerships and organisations for an outstanding contribution to SET and innovation in SA. The contributions recognised are in the following broad areas:

·         Scientific research

·         Management of SET and innovation

·         Capacity building in engineering research

·         Water management solutions

·         Clinician-scientists

·         The Green Economy

·         Science diplomacy NEW in 2024

·         Agricultural research and solutions NEW in 2025

·         Data for research

·         Innovations and their research and/or development

·         Communication and creating awareness

·         Non-governmental organisation activities, which could include technology transfer, education and/or training activities

·         Quantum science and technology NEW in 2025

 

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The NSTF supports the principle of collaborative, widely-inclusive awards. The NSTF is proud to welcome another new category and partner, as well as the continuation of the one new category partnership of 2024 and prize sponsors as follows:

New awards and sponsors

·         NEW in 2025 NSTF-Agricultural Research Council (ARC) Award: The NSTF is partnering with the ARC on a new award in agricultural research and solutions: the NSTF-ARC Award to an individual or team, for an outstanding contribution to SET and innovation in SA towards sustainable agricultural management, knowledge generation and solutions over the last 5-10 years.

·         NEW in 2024 Science Diplomacy for Africa Award: The NSTF continues its partnership with the Science Diplomacy Capital for Africa (SDCfA) initiative that is managed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on behalf of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) to award science diplomacy. The award recognises an outstanding contribution to SET and innovation by an individual or a team in SA which has led to impactful solutions and/or contributions through science diplomacy between and among countries for the benefit of SA and Africa.

Prize sponsors

·         SAYAS continues as a prize sponsor: The South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS) is the prize sponsor for the TW Kambule-NSTF Emerging Researcher category for the third year. Prizes of R20 000 each will be awarded to the two winners to supplement their research funding. (Previously sponsored by proSET.) Since 2023

·         proSET (the professional bodies and learned societies sector of the NSTF) is the prize sponsor of the TW Kambule-NSTF Researcher category for a third year. The prize money is R20 000 to supplement the winner’s research funding. Since 2023

·         The National Intellectual Property Management Office (NIPMO) provides a prize which they sponsor for the Innovation: Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise (SMME) category. The winning SMME receives R50 000. Since 2019

We remind you of some earlier changes which continue this year:

1.    Terms and Conditions: The NSTF tightened the timelines. No late entries will be accepted. Extensions to the closing date for completed nominations will only be granted on application in writing where force majeure circumstances apply. Where, at the closing date, the number of nominations are considered by the adjudication panel to be insufficient, either overall, or in certain categories, an appropriate extension will be announced.

2.    Criteria: There are no changes from last year to the criteria of established categories.

 

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A transformed country where SET and innovation contribute to an optimal quality of life for all, where STEM and innovation education and training are effective, and SET professionals are representative of the population.

The NSTF Awards are one of the ways in which the NSTF strives to realise its vision.

 

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This is a two-stage nomination process:

Stage 1 – Register a nomination by Friday 17 January 2025

1.    Please note that the registration of a nomination is only the beginning of the two-stage nomination process. When you register a nominee, the NSTF Office will respond with the official category nomination form/s, to be completed by Monday 3 March 2025 (Stage 2).

2.    Notify the nominee that you intend to nominate him/her/them (team/organisation). Ensure that you receive their agreement to participate.

3.    Complete and submit the online registration. The nominee will receive an email notification from awards@nstf.org.za confirming receipt of the registration of their contact details. Please alert the NSTF Office at awards@nstf.org.zashould the nominee not receive this notification and the relevant nomination form/s (the subject line says: ‘Subscription Confirmation’).

Stage 2 – Submit completed nomination documents by Monday 3 March 2025

·         Ensure that the fully completed nomination form/s that you received from the NSTF office are emailed to the NSTF before the final deadline and that you receive a confirmation from the NSTF Office.

·         Please note that planning and time are required to complete the nomination documents.

 

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Full title of categories: All the awards are ‘for an outstanding contribution to science, engineering and technology (SET) and innovation in SA…’ (The complete title of each award starts with this wording in place of “contribution”.)

1. Individual Awards

a. Lifetime Award – contribution over 15 years or more

b. TW Kambule-NSTF Researcher Award – contribution through research and its outputs over a period from 6 years up to 15 years of research work from the commencement of the research career, predominantly in SA (Prize sponsor: proSET)

c. TW Kambule-NSTF Emerging Researcher Awards – contribution through research and its outputs over a period of up to 6 years of research work from the commencement of the research career, predominantly in SA (Prize sponsor: SAYAS)

d. Management Award – contribution through management of SET and innovation and related activities over the last 5-10 years in SA

2. Engineering Research Capacity Development Awards – contribution by an individual or a team over the last 5-10 years

3. NSTF-Water Research Commission (WRC) Award – contribution by an individual, team, partnership or an organisation towards sustainable water management, knowledge generation and solutions over the last 5-10 years (Sponsor since 2017: WRC)

4. NSTF-SAMRC Clinician-Scientist Award – contribution through research and its outputs over a period of up to 6 years of research work from the commencement of the research career, predominantly in SA, and focussed on work to enhance life and to improve the health of the community (Sponsor since 2023: South African Medical Research Council - SAMRC)

5. NSTF-TIA Green Economy Award – contribution by an individual or an organisation towards achieving biodiversity conservation, environmental sustainability and a greener economy over the last 5-10 years (Sponsor since 2023: Technology Innovation Agency -TIA)

6. Science Diplomacy for Africa Award – contribution by an individual or a team in SA, which has led to impactful solutions and/or collaboration in the SET and innovation fields, within the last 10 years, through science diplomacy between and among countries, for the benefit of SA and the African continent (Sponsor since 2024: Science Diplomacy Capital for Africa - SDCfA)

7. NEW in 2025 NSTF-Agricultural Research Council (ARC) Award  contribution by an individual or a team towards sustainable agricultural management, knowledge generation and solutions over the last 5-10 years (Sponsor since 2025: ARC)

8. Data for Research Award – contribution by an individual or a team for advancing the availability, management and re-use of research data

9. Innovation Awards– for innovations and their research and/or development

a. Corporate Organisation – contribution by an individual or a team over the last 5-10 years

b. SMME – contribution by an SMME over the last 5-10 years (Sponsor since 2019: National Intellectual Property Management Office - NIPMO)

10. Communication Award – contribution for outreach and creating awareness of SET and innovation by a team or individual over the last 5 years

11. Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Award – contribution by an NGO including technology transfer, and education and training activities over the last 5-10 years (Nominations of specific projects undertaken under the auspices of professional bodies/societies can also be nominated here.)

12. Special Annual Theme Award: Quantum Science and Technology (awarded according to criteria in any of the other categories) For 2024/2025 the award is made for an outstanding contribution to SET and innovation in quantum science and technology in SA