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Nonprofit · Pretoria · South Africa

National Research Foundation

In research, National Research Foundation stands highest in Physical Sciences (#3,944 of 10,670 worldwide), 2022-now.

nrf.ac.zaROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022-now
#7,082
of 22,385 · #2,216 all time
Rank in South Africa
#39
of 75
Research works
796
▼ 16% vs 2018-21
Citations
27k
34.2 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
14.2%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
1.14×
1.00× is exactly expected
Open access
51%
world 40%
International
59%
world 18%
National Research Foundation

What is National Research Foundation known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, 2022-now, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorksAll time
Physical SciencesDomain #3,944 of 10,670 13.5%128 #1898

Each strip is that field's whole ranked pool, with the notch where National Research Foundation sits in it, in the colour of the band that rank falls in. The track under the rate is the rate itself: it carries no average mark, because the average differs by field (from about 6% in Dentistry to 21% in Economics).

Which fields of science does National Research Foundation work in?

In 2022-now, 67% of research at National Research Foundation is in Physical Sciences, 15% in Health Sciences. Its largest fields are Materials Science (19%), Engineering (14%), Medicine (13%). It does 1.7× the world's share of Physical Sciences.

Physical Sciences: 141 fractional works · 66.6% of its workMaterials Science: 39 fractional works · 18.6% of its workMaterials Chemistry: 27 fractional works · 12.5% of its workElectronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials: 5 fractional works · 2.3% of its workPolymers and Plastics: 4 fractional works · 2.0% of its workBiomaterials: 2 fractional works · 1.1% of its workSurfaces, Coatings and Films: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEngineering: 29 fractional works · 13.8% of its workElectrical and Electronic Engineering: 12 fractional works · 5.4% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 9 fractional works · 4.2% of its workMechanical Engineering: 3 fractional works · 1.6% of its workComputational Mechanics: 2 fractional works · 0.9% of its workAerospace Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workMechanics of Materials: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workCivil and Structural Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workBuilding and Construction: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workAutomotive Engineering: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEnvironmental Science: 24 fractional works · 11.5% of its workWater Science and Technology: 8 fractional works · 3.9% of its workPollution: 4 fractional works · 2.0% of its workEcology: 3 fractional works · 1.3% of its workGlobal and Planetary Change: 2 fractional works · 1.0% of its workEnvironmental Chemistry: 2 fractional works · 0.8% of its workHealth, Toxicology and Mutagenesis: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workNature and Landscape Conservation: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workEnvironmental Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workManagement, Monitoring, Policy and Law: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 13 fractional works · 6.3% of its workNuclear and High Energy Physics: 6 fractional works · 2.9% of its workRadiation: 3 fractional works · 1.2% of its workAtomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics: 2 fractional works · 1.2% of its workAstronomy and Astrophysics: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workCondensed Matter Physics: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workChemistry: 12 fractional works · 5.6% of its workAnalytical Chemistry: 4 fractional works · 1.8% of its workOrganic Chemistry: 3 fractional works · 1.4% of its workInorganic Chemistry: 2 fractional works · 0.9% of its workSpectroscopy: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workElectrochemistry: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workPhysical and Theoretical Chemistry: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEnergy: 11 fractional works · 5.1% of its workRenewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment: 10 fractional works · 4.9% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 6 fractional works · 2.7% of its workGeochemistry and Petrology: 2 fractional works · 0.8% of its workAtmospheric Science: 2 fractional works · 0.8% of its workGeophysics: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workPaleontology: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workComputer Science: 3 fractional works · 1.6% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 2 fractional works · 0.8% of its workComputational Theory and Mathematics: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workChemical Engineering: 2 fractional works · 1.0% of its workCatalysis: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workBioengineering: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workMathematics: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workModeling and Simulation: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workHealth Sciences: 31 fractional works · 14.6% of its workMedicine: 28 fractional works · 13.0% of its workInfectious Diseases: 9 fractional works · 4.2% of its workEpidemiology: 5 fractional works · 2.6% of its workPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health: 4 fractional works · 1.7% of its workComplementary and alternative medicine: 2 fractional works · 0.8% of its workSurgery: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workPediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workRadiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPhysiology: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workObstetrics and Gynecology: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPulmonary and Respiratory Medicine: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 3 fractional works · 1.5% of its workHealth Professions: 2 fractional works · 0.8% of its workGeneral Health Professions: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workNursing: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workNutrition and Dietetics: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workVeterinary: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workDentistry: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workLife Sciences: 26 fractional works · 12.1% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 11 fractional works · 5.3% of its workPlant Science: 6 fractional works · 2.9% of its workFood Science: 2 fractional works · 0.9% of its workAquatic Science: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workForestry: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.9% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 9 fractional works · 4.4% of its workMolecular Biology: 4 fractional works · 2.1% of its workMolecular Medicine: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workEndocrinology: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workGenetics: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workBiotechnology: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workCell Biology: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workImmunology and Microbiology: 4 fractional works · 1.7% of its workImmunology: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workVirology: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workMicrobiology: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workApplied Microbiology and Biotechnology: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workNeuroscience: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workCognitive Neuroscience: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSocial Sciences: 14 fractional works · 6.7% of its workSocial Sciences: 8 fractional works · 3.6% of its workSociology and Political Science: 3 fractional works · 1.2% of its workPolitical Science and International Relations: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workGender Studies: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workHealth: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workLaw: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 1.2% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 2 fractional works · 0.8% of its workBusiness and International Management: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workDecision Sciences: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workStatistics, Probability and Uncertainty: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workManagement Science and Operations Research: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workArts and Humanities: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workPsychology: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEconomics and Econometrics: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workALL ITS WORKNational ResearchFoundation212fractional works, 2022-now
Life Sciences12%Physical Sciences67%Health Sciences15%Social Sciences7%

Each ring splits the one inside it: the four domains of science, their fields, their subfields. Size is fractional works in 2022-now. Every slice is a page; the interactive view zooms down to single topics and colours each by how much more of it this institution does than the world.

Its 4 domains and 26 fields, with their numbers
    1. Materials Science3918.6%
    2. Engineering2913.8%
    3. Environmental Science2411.5%
    4. Physics and Astronomy136.3%
    5. Chemistry125.6%
    6. Energy115.1%
    7. Earth and Planetary Sciences62.7%
    8. Computer Science31.6%
    9. Chemical Engineering21.0%
    10. Mathematics10.5%
    1. Medicine2813.0%
    2. Health Professions20.8%
    3. Nursing10.6%
    4. Veterinary00.2%
    5. Dentistry00.1%
    1. Agricultural and Biological Sciences115.3%
    2. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology94.4%
    3. Immunology and Microbiology41.7%
    4. Neuroscience10.5%
    5. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics00.2%
    1. Social Sciences83.6%
    2. Business, Management and Accounting20.8%
    3. Decision Sciences20.7%
    4. Arts and Humanities10.6%
    5. Psychology10.5%
    6. Economics, Econometrics and Finance10.4%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

Field profile

Location quotient across every field it publishes in: outside the ring is more than an institution of this size would be expected to publish, inside it is less.

Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 1.12× its world share, 11 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.82× its world share, 9 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 1.66× its world share, 4 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.30× its world share, 1 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.47× its world share, 0 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 2.75× its world share, 2 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 3.56× its world share, 12 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.21× its world share, 3 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 1.72× its world share, 6 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 5.59× its world share, 11 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.92× its world share, 29 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 2.31× its world share, 24 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 5.34× its world share, 39 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.39× its world share, 1 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 2.81× its world share, 13 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.18× its world share, 0 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 0.29× its world share, 2 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.68× its world share, 28 worksMedicineNursing: 1.20× its world share, 1 worksNursingVeterinary: 1.12× its world share, 0 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 0.21× its world share, 1 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.25× its world share, 2 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 0.75× its world share, 2 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.20× its world share, 1 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 0.17× its world share, 1 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.29× its world share, 8 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Energy, 5.6×. Every wedge is a field page.

All 26 fields, with their numbers
  1. Energy5.59×11 works
  2. Materials Science5.34×39 works
  3. Chemistry3.56×12 works
  4. Physics and Astronomy2.81×13 works
  5. Chemical Engineering2.75×2 works
  6. Environmental Science2.31×24 works
  7. Earth and Planetary Sciences1.72×6 works
  8. Immunology and Microbiology1.66×4 works
  9. Nursing1.20×1 works
  10. Agricultural and Biological Sciences1.12×11 works
  11. Veterinary1.12×0 works
  12. Engineering0.92×29 works
  13. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology0.82×9 works
  14. Decision Sciences0.75×2 works
  15. Medicine0.68×28 works
  16. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics0.47×0 works
  17. Mathematics0.39×1 works
  18. Neuroscience0.30×1 works
  19. Health Professions0.29×2 works
  20. Social Sciences0.29×8 works
  21. Business, Management and Accounting0.25×2 works
  22. Computer Science0.21×3 works
  23. Arts and Humanities0.21×1 works
  24. Economics, Econometrics and Finance0.20×1 works
  25. Dentistry0.18×0 works
  26. Psychology0.17×1 works

Who are the top researchers at National Research Foundation?

Ranked on the quality score, Sepo Hachigonta, Saleh Khamlich and J. B. Kana Kana lead among researchers whose main affiliation is National Research Foundation.

  1. 1 Sepo Hachigonta South Africa · #806,375 worldwide 696 citations · 48 works
  2. 2 Saleh Khamlich South Africa · #1,084,472 worldwide 3.2k citations · 76 works
  3. 3 J. B. Kana Kana South Africa · #1,431,879 worldwide 974 citations · 32 works
  4. 4 Nametso P. Mongwaketsi South Africa · #1,876,548 worldwide 1.3k citations · 39 works
  5. 5 Karen Jacqueline Cloete South Africa · #1,923,864 worldwide 1.1k citations · 67 works
  6. 6 Lebogang Kotsedi South Africa · #2,201,700 worldwide 2k citations · 70 works
  7. 7 Robin Bucher South Africa · #4,009,726 worldwide 971 citations · 57 works
  8. 8 Lebusa A. Monyooe South Africa · #4,504,311 worldwide 95 citations · 17 works
  9. 9 Z.M. Khumalo South Africa · #5,023,794 worldwide 264 citations · 35 works
  10. 10 Mlungisi Nkosi South Africa · #5,423,752 worldwide 335 citations · 33 works
All ranked researchers at National Research Foundation

What are the most cited papers from National Research Foundation?

The most cited paper from National Research Foundation is "Global burden of acute lower respiratory infections due to respiratory syncytial virus in young children: a systematic review and meta-analysis" (Harish Nair et al., 2010), with 2,839 citations. Next come "Affect, Not Ideology" (2,718) and "Global, regional, and national disease burden estimates of acute lower respiratory infections due to respiratory syncytial virus in young children in 2015: a systematic review and modelling study" (2,491).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 Global burden of acute lower respiratory infections due to respiratory syncytial virus in young children: a systematic review and meta-analysis Harish Nair et al. · The Lancet ReviewOpen access 17 Apr 2010 2,839
2 Affect, Not Ideology Shanto Iyengar, Gaurav Sood, Yphtach Lelkes · Public Opinion Quarterly Sep 2012 2,718
3 Global, regional, and national disease burden estimates of acute lower respiratory infections due to respiratory syncytial virus in young children in 2015: a systematic review and modelling study Ting Shi et al. · The Lancet ReviewOpen access122 authors 7 Jul 2017 2,491
4 A Phylogenomic Study of Birds Reveals Their Evolutionary History Shannon J. Hackett, Rebecca T. Kimball, Sushma Reddy et al. · Science 26 Jun 2008 2,183
5 Single-dose administration and the influence of the timing of the booster dose on immunogenicity and efficacy of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine: a pooled analysis of four randomised trials Merryn Voysey et al. · The Lancet Open access766 authors 21 Feb 2021 1,213
All 60 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Which keywords describe research at National Research Foundation?

By fractional works in 2022-now, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Nanomaterials, Nanostructures, Graphene, Toxicity, Nanoparticles, Environmental Impact, Nanocrystals and Green Synthesis.

▲ more of its work than of the world's◆ about the world's share▼ less than the world's

Size is fractional works in 2022-now in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this institution's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Nanomaterials27▲ 12×15 topics
  2. Environmental Impact14▲ 3.9×18 topics
  3. Nanostructures14▲ 16×10 topics
  4. Epidemiology13▲ 1.58×38 topics
  5. Nanoparticles13▲ 5.0×20 topics
  6. Graphene12▲ 8.2×9 topics
  7. Toxicity12▲ 13×11 topics
  8. Biomedical Applications10▲ 3.9×19 topics
  9. Nanocrystals9▲ 17×5 topics
  10. Green Synthesis9▲ 23×3 topics
  11. Water Splitting9▲ 11×4 topics
  12. Synthesis8▲ 10×10 topics
  13. Visible Light7▲ 15×2 topics
  14. Nanocomposites7▲ 4.2×14 topics
  15. Antimicrobial7▲ 11×4 topics
  16. Semiconductor7▲ 9.9×4 topics
  17. Cytotoxicity7▲ 23×4 topics
  18. Vaccine7▲ 7.8×8 topics
  19. Biological Synthesis6▲ 40×1 topic
  20. Silver6▲ 40×1 topic
  21. Drug Delivery6▲ 5.2×10 topics
  22. Carbon Nanotubes6▲ 7.9×4 topics
  23. Semiconductors6▲ 9.0×5 topics
  24. Energy Storage6▲ 4.0×7 topics
  25. Hydrogen Production5▲ 9.4×4 topics
  26. Characterization5▲ 18×3 topics
  27. Wastewater Treatment5▲ 10×5 topics
  28. Heavy Metals5▲ 10×4 topics
  29. Adsorption5▲ 11×6 topics
  30. CO2 Reduction5▲ 11×2 topics
  31. Solar Energy5▲ 7.3×2 topics
  32. Photocatalyst5▲ 13×1 topic
  33. Plasmonic5▲ 13×1 topic
  34. Efficiency5▲ 7.3×3 topics
  35. Biosensing4▲ 23×2 topics
  36. Solar Cells4▲ 9.9×3 topics
  37. Biochar4▲ 12×3 topics
  38. Semiconductor Nanocrystals4▲ 17×2 topics
  39. Contaminant Removal4▲ 23×1 topic
  40. Surface Area4▲ 23×1 topic

Which research topics does National Research Foundation publish most on?

By volume in 2022-now: Nanoparticles: synthesis and applications, Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques, Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal and Analytical chemistry methods development.

Nanoparticles: synthesis and applications: 6 fractional worksAdvanced Photocatalysis Techniques: 5 fractional worksAdsorption and biosorpti…4Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal: 4 fractional worksAnalytical chemistry met…4Analytical chemistry methods development: 4 fractional worksCopper-based nanomaterials and applications: 3 fractional worksTransition Metal Oxide Nanomaterials: 3 fractional worksTiO2 Photocatalysis and …2TiO2 Photocatalysis and Solar Cells: 2 fractional worksPharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts: 2 fractional worksZnO doping and properties: 2 fractional worksGraphene and Nanomateria…2Graphene and Nanomaterials Applications: 2 fractional works
Materials ChemistryRenewable Energy, Sustainability and the EnvironmentWater Science and TechnologyAnalytical Chemistry3 others

Area is fractional works; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to.

  1. 1 Nanoparticles: synthesis and applications Materials Chemistry 6 works
  2. 2 Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment 5 works
  3. 3 Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal Water Science and Technology 4 works
  4. 4 Analytical chemistry methods development Analytical Chemistry 4 works
  5. 5 Copper-based nanomaterials and applications Materials Chemistry 3 works
  6. 6 Transition Metal Oxide Nanomaterials Polymers and Plastics 3 works
  7. 7 TiO2 Photocatalysis and Solar Cells Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment 2 works
  8. 8 Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts Pollution 2 works
  9. 9 ZnO doping and properties Materials Chemistry 2 works
  10. 10 Graphene and Nanomaterials Applications Biomedical Engineering 2 works

How open and international is its research?

Against the world's own shares: the tick on each track. Both are shares of its output, so they sit on one scale and can be read against each other as well as against the world.

openly available51.4%not open48.6%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors58.6%domestic only41.4%

World: 18% is written across borders.

How has National Research Foundation's research output changed?

Output in 2022-2025 was 16% lower than in 2018-2021.

still counting1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is National Research Foundation as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.00072% in 2024.

still counting0.0010%0.0020%National Research Foundation0.00059% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of National Research Foundation over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Year by year, against all institutions in the same year.

still counting10%20%30%National Research Foundation12.7% in 2025all institutions10.0% in 20252020

Of each year's output, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for its field and year. Peak 26.8% in 2016.

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National Research Foundation on Science Explorer

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