Johannesburg, Tuesday, 21 October 2025 — Members of the media are invited to the official opening of the HSRC/NRF Engaged Research Conference, taking place from 22 to 24 October 2025 at the Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre in Gauteng.
The conference will bring together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and community stakeholders to explore how engaged research can help us find innovative solutions to South Africa’s and the world’s societal challenges.
The opening session will feature a keynote address by Honourable Minister Prof Blade Nzimande of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), with opening remarks from Dr Cassius Lubisi, Chairperson of the HSRC Board, and Prof Fulufhelo Nelwamondo, CEO of the National Research Foundation (NRF). Prof Sarah Mosoetsa, CEO of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), will deliver the conference address.
The opening programme will also include two plenary sessions, featuring speakers such as Mr Sy Mamabolo, Chief Electoral Officer and CEO of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), who will participate in the panel, The State and Democracy. Other panels will explore modalities of engaged research and co-creation as well as participatory approaches to health and well-being research.
Organised by the HSRC and the NRF under the theme “Engaged Research as a Pathway to Bridging Knowledge and Society”, the conference will provide a dynamic platform for knowledge exchange, collaboration, and impactful discussions on research that makes a difference.
A programme for impact
The programme is guided by a multidisciplinary scientific committee of leading scholars and practitioners from across Africa and beyond, with expertise spanning public health, social sciences, education, community development, science communication, and policy engagement.
The conference will delve into a wide range of themes, including:
- Bridging knowledge and society through engaged research
- Best practices in multi-sectoral research collaborations
- Research impact on policy and social justice
- Community-led knowledge production
- Research and policymaking.
- Digital tools for inclusive research.
- Ethics and inclusivity in practice.
The three-day event will also feature interactive exhibitions showcasing innovative approaches to engaged research.
The conference aims to:
- Identify barriers to engaged research and strategies to overcome them (e.g. ethics approval structures)
- Promote knowledge exchange on methodologies, approaches, and best practices
- Facilitate networking between academia, community organisations, industry, and the government
- Showcase case studies that demonstrate engaged research’s real-world benefits
- Consolidate learnings on how engaged research can be applied in different contexts
By fostering partnerships and promoting knowledge co-creation, the conference seeks to align academic inquiry with society-driven priorities.
These discussions aim to inspire actionable strategies for inclusive, impactful, and transformative research. Ultimately, the event aspires to deepen participants’ commitment to collaborative and socially responsive scholarship.
The conference forms part of the Engaged Research Project, an initiative of the Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI) in collaboration with the NRF. Organised and convened by the HSRC, the event aims to advance engaged research within South Africa’s National System of Innovation.
Click here to view the programme.
End.
Details of the event
Date: 22 to 24 October 2025
Time: 9h00 until 18h00
Venue: Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre, Gauteng
For media enquiries and accreditation, please contact Adziliwi Nematandani: Cell: +27 82 765 9191 Email: anematandani@hsrc.ac.za
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Notes to the editor
About the Engaged Research Conference
Engaged Research as a Pathway to Bridging Knowledge and Society
About the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC)
The HSRC was established in 1968 as South Africa’s statutory research agency and has grown to become the largest dedicated research institute in the social sciences and humanities on the African continent, doing cutting-edge public research in areas that are crucial to development.
Our mandate is to inform the effective formulation and monitoring of government policy; to evaluate policy implementation; to stimulate public debate through the effective dissemination of research-based data and fact-based research results; to foster research collaboration; and to help build research capacity and infrastructure for the human sciences.
The Council conducts large-scale, policy-relevant, social-scientific research for public sector users, non-governmental organisations and international development agencies. Its research activities and structures are closely aligned with South Africa’s national development priorities.
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Click here to search the HSRC Research Output Repository