IMSA Internationalisation Strategy: The IMSA–CNRS International Research Laboratory

Yet South African mathematical sciences remain shaped by the isolation identified in the 2008 Maharaj Report: distance from global research centres, and a Global North–South gap in investment, research output and representation among recipients of prestigious global awards. The Internationalisation Strategy of the Institute for Mathematical Sciences and Applications (IMSA) responds with a coordinated national approach built on equitable partnerships, structured mobility, joint supervision, international workshops and graduate schools, and a blended funding model, all anchored in the systemic embedding of South African mathematical sciences in the global community.

This presentation reviews progress since the strategy’s adoption, including MoUs with leading international institutes, exploration of opportunities offered by bilateral agreements between South Africa and other countries, and the consolidation of CoE-MaSS and NGA(MaSS) into a national platform serving all public universities.

The first major outcome is the approval of the IMSA–CNRS International Research Laboratory (IRL), the first France–South Africa laboratory in the mathematical sciences and one of very few CNRS laboratories in Africa. Operating formally from January 2027 through six South African nodes, the IRL will provide a permanent institutional platform for collaborative research, doctoral cotutelle, postdoctoral exchange and early-career fellowships across the mathematical sciences.

The session shows what the IRL offers South African researchers and students, and how the wider community can shape its programmes.