South African national survey of research and experimental development: changing patterns of not-for-profit sector R&D in SA, 2021/2022. Fact sheet 58

NPO spending on biotechnology R&D grew substantially in 2021/22, reaching its highest contribution in ten years. NPOs in the Western Cape have played an increasingly prominent role in R&D (since 2018/19) while that of NPOs in KwaZulu-Natal has continued to decline. NPOs have always employed a larger percentage of female researchers compared to the other sectors. However, the proportion of total NPO R&D personnel who are researchers continued to decline in 2021/22.