Discover how the HSRC’s adaptive multi-stakeholder engagement workshops are empowering South Africa’s not-for-profit sector by creating safe and inclusive public platforms to address key R&D challenges, foster collaboration and advance equitable development. Natasha Saunders and Rory Liedeman examine the evolution of these workshops and their important contributions to future policymaking, inclusivity and tackling urgent socioeconomic and health challenges.
South Africa’s not-for-profit (NPO) sector plays an essential role in addressing the country’s socioeconomic and health challenges. However, its contributions to research and development (R&D) are significantly underrepresented, constrained by resource limitations, data collection inefficiencies, and heavy reliance on external funding. In response, the HSRC, through its Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators (CeSTII), initiated a series of workshops in 2023 and 2024. These engagements aimed to strengthen the NPO sector’s capacity for contributing to the national R&D landscape and to facilitate actionable insights for policymakers and stakeholders.
This article traces the achievements and evolution of these workshops, highlighting how the lessons learned from the first engagement shaped the second – leading to important contributions and future outcomes for South Africa’s R&D landscape.
Exploring stakeholder needs
On 9 March 2023, the HSRC hosted its inaugural NPO R&D engagement workshop online via Microsoft Teams. This first session was intentionally exploratory, designed to gauge stakeholder interest and identify challenges unique to the NPO sector. The workshop convened representatives from the NPO sector, the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) and CeSTII.
The primary objectives of the workshop were:
- To explain the value of NPO data in national R&D surveys and its broader implications for policy and practice
- To address technical challenges in data submission by providing practical guidance
- To enhance familiarity with the online data submission system to improve compliance rates
- To facilitate knowledge exchange to amplify the sector’s visibility and foster collaboration
The outcomes of this workshop emphasised the importance of collecting and disseminating NPO R&D data and highlighted the associated challenges:
- Capacity-building: NPO representatives shared their challenges in meeting survey requirements, particularly in tracking R&D activities and compiling data. This highlighted the need for tailored capacity-building programmes.
- Knowledge sharing: Insights from the 2020/2021 R&D survey results were shared, demonstrating the sector’s significant yet underreported contributions to R&D.
- Sector visibility: The platform enhanced the sector’s visibility, showcasing the work of R&D-performing entities and emphasising the need for sustained investment and support.
The discussions also uncovered critical challenges faced by this sector. Of the over 250,000 NPOs registered with the Department of Social Development, fewer than 100 have been identified as actively engaging in R&D, posing a significant gap in understanding the scope of R&D activities within the NPO landscape. Additionally, most NPOs prioritise social development initiatives, leaving other critical research areas underfunded. The reliance on foreign funding (65.9% of total funding in the sector in 2022/2023) further undermines long-term stability.
To address these issues, the workshop emphasised the importance of broader stakeholder participation and system improvements. Enhancing knowledge sharing would help to bridge gaps, improve policy alignment, resolve online submission issues, strengthen coordination and create opportunities for funding discussions, while also promoting the visibility and sustainability of R&D initiatives in the NPO sector.
Deepening the dialogue
The second engagement, held on 21 May 2024, implemented many of the recommendations from the first session. Adopting a hybrid format, it allowed Cape Town-based participants to join in person while maintaining virtual access for stakeholders across the country. This adaptive approach demonstrated the HSRC’s commitment to inclusivity and responsiveness to stakeholder needs.
This workshop expanded on the themes introduced in 2023, focusing on South Africa’s pressing socioeconomic and health challenges. These included the enduring burdens of tuberculosis, HIV and AIDS, and malaria, compounded by structural inequalities and unemployment. Building on the first workshop, this engagement provided a platform for stakeholder collaboration, capacity-building and data exchange, while also introducing new themes:
- Regional disparities: Discussions highlighted the uneven distribution of NPO R&D expenditure, with provinces such as Gauteng (30.3%) and the Western Cape (28.8%) dominating, while the Northern Cape and Free State received minimal investment in 2022/2023.
- Sectoral focus: The concentration of NPO R&D expenditure in medical and health sciences (75.4% of total expenditure in 2022/2023) limits broader societal impact. The workshop emphasised the need to diversify research efforts, with social sciences receiving just 5.7% of funding in the same period.
- Support tools: The Department of Social Development’s (DSD) institutional capacity programme and helpdesk were introduced to support NPOs in navigating the R&D landscape. These services include assistance with registration and compliance, capacity-building training through workshops and guidance on funding and proposal alignment with R&D priorities.
Takeaways from the workshops
Both workshops provided critical opportunities for collaboration and capacity-building:
- Policy and research impact
The workshops underscored the importance of evidence-based policymaking in addressing South Africa’s unique challenges. Insights from these engagements can inform policy briefs and stimulate follow-up studies aimed to bridge the gap between research findings and actionable solutions.
- Advancing equity in R&D
Participants emphasised the need to address funding inequities across provinces and reduce reliance on foreign funding by fostering domestic investment. This aligns with the HSRC’s broader vision of creating an inclusive R&D ecosystem that supports underrepresented regions and sectors.
- Enhanced collaboration
The workshops fostered partnerships between NPOs, government departments, academia and other national stakeholders. By prioritising open dialogue, they created a space for discussing successes and challenges in the sector.
- Tangible outputs
Findings from the engagements were synthesised into accessible in-house reports, highlighting possible future policy recommendations, emphasising actionable steps such as diversifying research focus areas and improving data collection processes.
Potential impact
The HSRC CeSTII R&D workshops represent a positive step towards transforming South Africa’s NPO research ecosystem. By prioritising inclusivity, capacity-building and evidence-based solutions, these engagements can help to address critical gaps in the NPO sector.
Future pathways
- Diversifying research focus: Expanding investment in social sciences can enhance understanding of societal challenges, including poverty, unemployment and education deficits.
- Building resilience: Reducing dependency on external funding and fostering domestic investment will create a more stable and sustainable research environment.
- Promoting equity: Ensuring fair distribution of R&D resources across provinces can empower underrepresented regions to address local challenges effectively.
By leveraging the lessons learned from these workshops, the HSRC is not only advancing the NPO sector’s R&D capacity but also setting a precedent for participatory, inclusive research practices. The potential for long-term impact lies in fostering a research ecosystem that aligns with South Africa’s unique challenges, stimulates robust debates and informs national priorities.
Conclusion
The evolution of the NPO R&D engagement workshops highlights the value of adaptive, participatory approaches in tackling complex socioeconomic and health challenges. By fostering collaboration, enhancing visibility and providing actionable insights, the HSRC drives meaningful change in South Africa’s R&D landscape.
These engagements underscore the importance of inclusive dialogue and evidence-based solutions. As the HSRC continues to build on these successes, it remains a cornerstone in the quest for equitable socioeconomic growth and resilience.
Research contacts:
Natasha Saunders, R&D survey fieldwork manager, and Rory Liedeman, an R&D survey fieldwork supervisor at the HSRC’s Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators
