Deputy Minister Nomalungelo Gina calls for stronger BRICS science cooperation

Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Nomalungelo Gina, has called for stronger BRICS science cooperation to help countries respond to an increasingly complex geopolitical environment and growing challenges to international collaboration.

Deputy Minister Gina said BRICS is a dynamic platform for advancing ST&I in support of resilience, inclusive development, sustainability and shared prosperity.
The Deputy Minister was speaking at the BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation (ST&I) Ministerial Meeting in Chennai, India, on Friday, 21 August, which concluded with the adoption of the Chennai Declaration.

Chaired by India's Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr Jitendra Singh, the Meeting announced the unanimous adoption of the "Chennai Declaration", reaffirming BRICS' commitment to build an effective, resilient and future-ready framework in science, technology and innovation.

"As we are confronted with a more complex geopolitical environment and polycrisis, it is therefore important to strengthen the multilateral system of cooperation. BRICS becomes even more important in the strengthening of the multilateral order," said Dr Gina.

The theme for India's Chairship, "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability", underscored a people-centred and humanity-first approach, highlighting the importance of evaluating the achievements and contributions to address global priorities while contributing to respective national growth and development.

Dr Gina said South Africa welcomed the outcomes of the meeting, with the Declaration reaffirming the country's commitment to practical implementation, stronger cooperation and measurable impact.

She added that the value of the Ministerial Meeting lies in the renewed confidence that BRICS countries can work together to strengthen scientific excellence, support emerging technologies, empower young scientists and innovators, and respond collectively to the complex challenges facing our societies.

"As we move forward, South Africa remains committed to working closely with all BRICS partners to translate the commitments made here into concrete programmes, strengthened partnerships and tangible benefits for our people. Implementation, coordination and delivery must remain at the centre of our collective efforts," said Dr Gina.

The Ministers discussed key national ST&I policies and priorities and advanced the shared priorities of BRICS STI cooperation.

As access to shared joint research infrastructures and platforms is becoming increasingly important, the Minister welcomed the progress towards the operationalisation of the BRICS Global Research Advanced Infrastructure Network (BRICS GRAIN). This will be a flagship mechanism for mapping, sharing and joint use of research infrastructure across BRICS member countries.

This will assist in conducting scientific discoveries and research activities in areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Quantum technologies, and biomedical sciences, among others.

The BRICS Science and Research Repository is also proposed as a structured platform to map, curate and share research outputs, datasets, infrastructures, expertise and collaboration opportunities across BRICS.

Deputy Minister Ginas said South Africa welcomed this initiative as a sustainable digital repository strengthening BRICS STI cooperation through knowledge sharing, informed decision-making and enhanced visibility of BRICS research capacities.

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