NRF rated researchers

The National Research Foundation (NRF) has a long history, dating back to 1984, of instituting a system of evaluating and rating researchers. Annually, researchers from universities and research councils - including international researchers - apply for evaluation by the NRF. Evaluated researchers are put in categories that depict their standing within the scientific community. These ratings are difficult to attain and are thus held in high esteem.

For information about ratings, and the criteria applied to each, visit the NRF website: http://www.nrf.ac.za/

Unisa is proud of all its NRF-rated researchers. One of the portfolio's goals is to provide the support needed for the university's researchers to attain higher ratings, as well as increase the number of NRF rated researchers in general. Not only is support seen as imperative, but numerous incentives are available to those who are rated as further encouragement in their pursuit of excellence.

Unisa management has approved the following incentives

• An annual dinner dedicated to the recognition of newly rated researchers hosted by the Principal and Vice-Chancellor.
• Newly rated researchers will be awarded a once-off incentive, as set out below, in recognition of their achievement of rating in the first year of their rating (or in their first year of employment with Unisa for those already rated at the time of joining Unisa).
• The preceding once-off provision for newly rated researchers notwithstanding, all rated researchers will receive annually, the monetary incentives as set out below, on condition that at least one article by the rated researcher is published or accepted for publication in an accredited journal during that year.
• In order to determine staff eligibility for the annual incentives, the Research Directorate will use the previous year’s research output submissions to the Department of Education (DoE). Each annual set of payments will therefore relate to the previous year's submissions to the DoE.
• In the last year of rating, the incentive will only be paid if the researcher was rated for at least eight calendar months of the year.
• The incentives will be paid into the research output fund account of rated researchers and will be regulated by the same provisions as those for research output subsidy as outlined in section 3 of the Policy on Grants from Research Funds.
• The Research Directorate has budgeted for the rated researchers incentives from 2008 and will budget accordingly for subsequent years.
• College Deans should ensure that the rated researchers’ incentives are properly managed in the academic departments.

The amounts payable to rated researchers are as follows:

1. A rating: R80 000
2. B rating: R40 000
3. C rating: R20 000
4. Y rating: R10 000
5. L rating: R10 000
6. P rating: R10 000

Below is a list of Unisa's NRF rated researchers with the rating they currently hold: