NITheCS Colloquium | 14 September 2026

How can astronomy contribute more systematically to sustainable development, research, innovation and socioeconomic transformation?

This question was at the heart of the National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences (NITheCS) Colloquium, “Astronomy for a Better World: New Pathways for Research, Innovation and Development”, held on Monday, 14 September 2026.

The colloquium brought together Dr Charles Takalana, Deputy Director of the OAD, and Dr Joyful Mdhluli, OAD Flagship Coordinator and Researcher, who presented the OAD’s evolving strategic approach to using astronomy as a tool for development and introduced two new initiatives currently in concept development: the OAD Research Institute and the OAD Innovation Hub.

The OAD has spent the past 15 years building a global network that connects astronomy with development priorities across communities, institutions and countries.

Through its flagship ecosystem, the OAD supports initiatives that explore how astronomy can contribute to areas such as skills development, sustainable local economic development, mental health and wellbeing, science diplomacy, and other development priorities. These activities form part of a broader global network model that brings together regional offices, partners, researchers, practitioners, funders, volunteers and development stakeholders.

At the NITheCS colloquium, Dr Takalana and Dr Mdhluli highlighted how this ecosystem aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and demonstrated the potential for astronomy to contribute beyond traditional measures of scientific advancement.

The next challenge, however, is to strengthen the evidence base around these contributions.

As astronomy-for-development activities continue to grow around the world, there is an increasing need to understand what works, why it works, under which conditions, and how successful approaches can be strengthened or replicated.

This is where the OAD’s new initiatives come in.

The OAD Research Institute is being developed as a global knowledge and research infrastructure for understanding the contribution of astronomy and space science to development.

The Institute aims to address a persistent challenge in the field: while a growing number of projects and initiatives demonstrate promising outcomes, knowledge about their impact remains fragmented. Data are dispersed across projects and institutions, impact is not always systematically evaluated, and connections between research and policy can be difficult to establish.

The proposed Research Institute will help address these gaps by developing an open-access knowledge portal and global dataset that brings together information generated through the OAD’s activities and wider research collaborations.

The platform is envisioned as more than a repository. It will provide opportunities to:

• develop and strengthen research on astronomy for development;
• support systematic impact evaluation;
• connect researchers with relevant datasets and research questions;
• facilitate collaboration between universities, observatories, policymakers and practitioners;
• strengthen the connection between evidence and policy; and
• build a more coherent global knowledge base for the emerging field of astronomy and space science for development.

The Institute will operate through a global network model, connecting researchers and institutions across Africa, the Global South and the wider international astronomy and space science community.

In doing so, it seeks to create a space where existing data can be used to answer new research questions, while also enabling researchers to propose and develop new data-driven studies.

Alongside the Research Institute, the OAD is developing the concept for an OAD Innovation Hub.

While the Research Institute focuses on generating and strengthening evidence, the Innovation Hub will explore how promising ideas and projects can move towards sustainable enterprises and practical applications.

Across the OAD network, projects are already generating innovative approaches, technologies, services and business ideas. However, promising concepts can struggle to progress beyond the project or pilot stage due to limited access to business expertise, mentorship, investment networks and commercialisation support.

The Innovation Hub is intended to help bridge this gap.

The proposed Hub will identify projects with commercial potential and support their development through areas such as:

• business modelling;
• mentorship;
• commercialisation expertise;
• partnership development;
• market exploration; and
• connections with relevant business and investment networks.

The aim is not simply to commercialise astronomy, but to create pathways through which astronomy-based innovation can generate lasting social and economic value.

The Research Institute and Innovation Hub are being developed as complementary components of the OAD ecosystem.

The Research Institute asks questions such as:

• What impact is astronomy having?
• How can we measure it?
• What can we learn from existing activities?
• What evidence is needed to inform policy and future investment?

The Innovation Hub builds on another set of questions:

• Which ideas have the potential to become sustainable?
• What support do innovators need to develop them?
• How can promising projects move from concept to implementation and enterprise?

Together, these initiatives seek to create stronger connections between research, evidence, innovation and development.

They also reflect a broader evolution in the OAD’s approach: from supporting individual activities towards strengthening an ecosystem in which knowledge can be generated, shared, evaluated and translated into meaningful development outcomes.

The NITheCS colloquium provided an opportunity to share these concepts with the broader scientific community and to invite discussion around the future of astronomy for development.

As the OAD approaches its 15-year milestone, the organisation is looking towards the next phase of its work: strengthening the evidence base for astronomy’s contribution to development, creating new opportunities for research and collaboration, and supporting innovations that can deliver sustainable impact.

The OAD Research Institute and OAD Innovation Hub are still in concept development, and their evolution will be shaped through engagement with researchers, universities, observatories, development practitioners, policymakers, funders, innovators and partners across the OAD’s global network.

Ultimately, both initiatives contribute to the OAD’s vision of “Astronomy for a Better World” – not only by demonstrating what astronomy can contribute to society, but by building the research, innovation and partnership pathways needed to turn that potential into lasting impact.

The colloquium was hosted by the National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences (NITheCS) in South Africa and was presented online and in person on 14 September 2026.

The presentation formed part of the OAD’s ongoing work to advance astronomy for development as an interdisciplinary field connecting astronomy and space science with sustainable development, research, innovation and socioeconomic transformation.