November 19, 2025
Progress Reports from the First Cohort and Announcement of the Second Cohort
On 13 November 2025, the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) in partnership with the NRF and TuksNovation celebrated an exciting milestone as they received progress reports from the eight Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) that benefited under the first cohort of the NEOFrontiers Enterprise Innovation Support Fund (EISF), which was launched and awarded in 2024.
Launched in 2021 by SANSA and the National Research Foundation (NRF), with investment from the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), NEOFrontiers aims to accelerate Earth Observation (EO) innovation through supporting enterprise-driven research and development. The first four NEOFrontiers projects were funded in 2022, followed by three more in 2023 and eight more in 2024.
From its inception, the NEOFrontiers initiative has been built on strong collaboration between SANSA, the NRF, and TuksNovation, which plays a pivotal role in the incubation and business development phases of the programme. This partnership continues to strengthen South Africa’s innovation ecosystem by enabling entrepreneurs to translate EO research and technologies into practical, and market-ready solutions.
SANSA extends its sincere appreciation to the DSTI for funding this important initiative and for their invaluable support during the evaluation and implementation stages.
The progress shared today highlights remarkable achievements, innovation, and resilience from the participating enterprises. SANSA takes great pride in being part of their journey and in witnessing the tangible impact of their work in advancing Earth Observation (EO) innovation in South Africa.
The first cohort of successful beneficiaries includes: Kgothatso Innovations, Regona Trading, Integrated Geoscience Solutions, YaAzi, Agizo Solutions (Pty) Ltd, Abiri Innovations, CreditAIs, and Aphelion. Collectively, these companies have demonstrated outstanding progress, resulting in the creation of 15 new jobs and the retention of 15 existing jobs (based on September 2025 verified statistics) a strong testament to the initiative’s contribution to local economic growth and innovation capacity. The NEOFrontiers programme is managed by the NRF on behalf of SANSA and implemented in partnership with TuksNovation, the University of Pretoria’s (UP) business and technology incubator. The programme subsidises enterprises with amounts ranging from R 750 000 to R 1 million for 12 months.
As we celebrate the achievements of the first cohort, SANSA and its partners also proudly announced the second cohort. The second call of proposal was issued in March 2025. Nearly 40 proposals were received and the process culminated with the approval of six dynamic SMMEs joining the NEOFrontiers programme: Maverick International Group, TeraNexus, Rorschach Innovation Services, African Science Stars, Medical Consortium of Africa, and Chartered Consilorum, composed of 50% youth. The second cohort has already been onboarded and a milestone-driven business development project plan agreed with the businesses; the plan will be implemented through the guidance of an experienced mentor. Critical outcomes of the process are the successful commercialization of the technologies and attraction of expansion capital.
These new beneficiaries are encouraged to foster meaningful collaborations and push the boundaries of innovation within the EO sector. They are also urged to leverage Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to enhance the predictive capabilities and societal impact of their innovations.
In his remarks, SANSA CEO, Mr. Humbulani Mudau, emphasised the importance of collaboration in driving innovation “We must move with speed, and we must work together to create innovative solutions that address societal challenges. Through initiatives like NEOFrontiers, we are not only empowering enterprises but also building a stronger, more resilient national innovation system.”
Dr Ndivhuwo Luruli, Chief Strategist in the Office of the NRF CEO, described the vision for the NEOFrontiers programme as improving skills in space and Earth Observation sector to create job opportunities. “This programme to date has provided funding to researchers, students, and postdoctoral research fellows, and over the years the NEOFrontiers programme has grown and developed, leading to its current support to SMMEs. We really are proud that it has evolved in the way that it has,” she said.
Added Dr Luruli, “The programme was also created as a result of a gap. Although support has been given to innovators in the space field, the adoption of the Earth observation solutions in South Africa is restricted to a small number of departments and companies facing challenges in remote sensing or related data science. The limited number of companies in the Earth Observation (EO) downstream sector could be because both government and private sector are slow to adopt Earth observation solutions and so enhancing the utilization of EO technologies in South Africa necessitates local companies in this industry to enhance their innovation and technology development capacities and competitiveness, leading to the creation of the NEOFrontiers programme.”
Adv. Lawrence Baloyi, Head: Innovation and Contracts Management, speaking on behalf of the University of Pretoria, described the event as “a celebration, a reflection of progress, partnership, and purpose” and he applauded the collaborative partnership between the Department of Science Technology and Innovation, SANSA, the NRF, and TuksNovation, that together, the institutions have created a powerful ecosystem that supports small businesses and startups working at the intersection of space technology and societal impact. “Each innovation funded through NEOFrontiers is a seed, a seed of progress, a seed of knowledge, a seed of economic growth. And like all seeds, they must be nurtured through collaboration, patience, and purpose”, he concluded.
For more information contact:
Khumbulani Mkhize, Earth Observation (EO) Marketing Specialist
Vaneshree Maharaj, Communications Manager
About the South African National Space Agency
At SANSA we believe in creating an infinite impact for the benefit of all South Africans through technological advancement and innovation. The agency was established in 2010 through the South African National Space Agency Act, 36 of 2008. SANSA aims to promote cooperation in space-related activities, foster research in space science, advance scientific engineering through human capital and support the development of an environment conducive to industrial development in space technologies.
About the NRF:
The National Research Foundation (NRF) is an independent statutory body established in accordance with the National Research Foundation Act. Its mandate is to support and promote research through funding, human resource development and the provision of the necessary research facilities in order to facilitate the creation of knowledge, innovation and development in all fields of science and technology, including indigenous knowledge; developing, supporting and maintaining national research facilities; supporting and promoting public awareness of, and engagement with, science; and promoting the development and maintenance of the national science system and support of Government priorities, thereby contributing to the improvement of the quality of life of all South Africans.
Website: www.nrf.ac.za | Twitter: @NRF_News | Facebook: @NRFSouthAfrica
Media Queries:
Bongani Nkosi, Media Relations Officer
Email: b.nkosi@nrf.ac.za / Cell: +27 61 477 3064
Dumile Mlambo, Corporate Communications Manager
d.mlambo@nrf.ac.za
