South Africa and India deepen science, technology and innovation cooperation

Deputy Minister Dr Nomalungelo Gina met India’s Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh in Hyderabad and announced strengthened bilateral cooperation in science, technology and innovation and the convening of three technical workshops.

• Main announcement: Agreed to deepen STI cooperation anchored in the 1995 Agreement on Science and Technology; committed to convene three bilateral technical workshops on advanced materials and manufacturing, geospatial technologies, and digital infrastructure, and reiterated support for South Africa’s STI Decadal Plan 2022–2032. The meeting took place on the sidelines of Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s working visit to India (visit started 29 May) and built on the 14th India-South Africa Joint Committee Meeting on Science and Technology (29 July 2025).
• Background and details: The partnership spans biotechnology, renewable energy, hydrogen technologies, digital innovation, astronomy/mega-science (including cooperation on the Square Kilometre Array), and high-performance computing/supercomputing; the bilateral programme has supported more than 150 co-funded research projects since 2001. Deputy Minister Gina also invited India to Science Forum South Africa 2026 (CSIR International Convention Center, Pretoria; 2–4 December 2026).