CREST: After three decades, a beacon of African science studies

The Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology, or CREST, at Stellenbosch University (SU) in South Africa celebrated its 30th anniversary in the week beginning on 17 March – a fitting reflection of its evolution into arguably the continent’s foremost institution for science policy and research evaluation.

Established in 1995, CREST has grown into a vital node in Africa’s knowledge-production landscape. Its work supports evidence-based policy-making, capacity-building and collaboration across borders.

“They are playing a very valuable role,” said Professor Olusola Oyewole, secretary-general of the Association of African Universities, who was among many to offer congratulations during the anniversary week.

Reflecting on the centre’s trajectory, CREST Director Professor Johann Mouton, whose address focused on ‘Reflections and lessons learned about the achievements of CREST and SciSTIP over the past 30 years’, told conference participants: “The reason we’ve been successful is that, from day one, we had a clear vision – we wanted to be the best centre in our field, not just in the country, but on the continent.”

From research hub to continental leader

What exactly does CREST do? It:

• Provides policy-makers with data-driven insights, supporting the design and implementation of effective science, technology and innovation (STI) policies that advance national and regional innovation.

• Serves as a hub for knowledge-sharing – training researchers and government officials in cutting-edge scientific tools and policy frameworks – and for fostering international cooperation through partnerships and exchanges, and

• Facilitates the development and circulation of best practices in scientometrics, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and broader STI systems thinking.

Since its founding, CREST has produced 1,878 graduates, with its largest academic footprint in the field of M&E. Half of its graduates in this field come from African countries. “That makes us the biggest training ground for M&E on the continent,” Mouton said.

Among its many capacity-building initiatives, one of the most impactful is a fully online course on doctoral supervision, aimed at early-career academics at African universities.

“It’s designed for academic staff who have just completed their own PhDs and are suddenly expected to start supervising doctoral students themselves. So, we created a 12-week online course – practical, focused, and highly relevant,” Mouton explained.

CREST founded the African Doctoral Academy (ADA) in 2009 – now hosted by SU International – which provides high-level training in research design, methodology and academic writing to early-career scholars from across Africa. The ADA has become a fixture in the postgraduate landscape, regularly attracting participants from across the continent.

Legendary methodologist

Mouton is widely recognised for his contributions to research methodology – an area underpinned by his academic roots in philosophy. Both his masters and doctoral theses focused on the philosophy of science, laying the foundation for a career dedicated to understanding and improving how knowledge is produced and assessed.

Over the years, he has delivered more than 60 workshops on research methodology, postgraduate supervision and bibliometrics, and has supervised more than 100 masters and doctoral students. His bestselling book, How to succeed in your Master’s and Doctoral studies (2001), has become a mainstay on many postgraduate students’ bookshelves.

Mouton was listed in the second edition of the Academy of Science of South Africa’s Legends of South African Science publication in 2020 – a recognition of his enduring influence as a scholar, educator and thought leader.

Knowledge infrastructure for Africa

Over the years, CREST has led numerous high-impact studies on science systems on the continent. One of its earliest, in 2000, assessed the state of science and technology in Africa. Subsequent projects have explored research collaboration trends, the state of doctoral education, STI profiles of African countries, and the experiences of early-career researchers. These studies have fed directly into national and regional policy processes.

Beyond teaching and research, CREST is known for its rich suite of databases and knowledge platforms. One of its flagship resources is the African Evaluation Database (AfrED), which captures African-authored research in M&E, spanning peer-reviewed articles, postgraduate theses and commissioned studies. This digital infrastructure helps to make African research visible and accessible – not just to scholars, but also to decision-makers and donors.

But CREST has never been content to simply crunch the numbers. Mouton has long been a critic of global university rankings, arguing that they often do more harm than good. “Rankings are great for PR, but they mean very little for strategic planning,” he said.

“We understand why African universities don’t perform well in global rankings – the criteria are skewed. But that doesn’t mean you can’t measure performance. You just need better, more relevant indicators. That’s what we try to do at CREST. Our indicators are used, not for the sake of numbers, but to inform policy – at national and institutional level.”

Metrics that matter

In 2014, CREST was awarded the status of a DST-NRF [Department of Science and Technology-National Research Foundation] Centre of Excellence and became the institutional home of the Centre of Excellence in Scientometrics and STI Policy (SciSTIP).

Scientometrics is the field of study that uses quantitative methods to analyse science, technology and innovation (STI) systems. It involves tracking and measuring research outputs – such as publications, citations, collaborations and funding – to understand trends in knowledge production, assess research performance, and inform policy decisions.

SciSTIP plays a pivotal role in generating robust evidence to inform science, technology and innovation policy – both nationally and across the continent. Through SciSTIP, CREST has strengthened its research capacity and broadened its international reach, while deepening its engagement with government departments, funders and regional partners.

From dependency to autonomy

Professor Robert Tijssen, emeritus professor of science and innovation studies at Leiden University in The Netherlands, praised CREST’s achievements: “The centre has reached such high quality that it has created its own sustainable niche – not just in South Africa, but across the African continent.”

Building up this expertise has taken time. “When I started here in 1995, we had no real bibliometric capability,” Mouton said. “We were dependent on the Centre for Science and Technology Studies at Leiden. We had to pay people like Robert [Tijssen] to do the research for us. Now it’s sometimes the other way around, which gives me great satisfaction,” he added with a smile.

Mouton is big on self-reliance: “I said: ‘We can build, here in the global South, a centre that can do the same level of advanced scientometrics and bibliometrics – not because we want to stop collaborating with our partners in the North, but because we don’t want to depend on them. We want to empower our own country and continent’.”

That ethos is echoed by others who believe the Global South has much to gain – and give – through horizontal cooperation. Professor Sérgio Salles Filho, a science policy expert at Brazil’s State University of Campinas, told University World News: “We have many common issues. Some of the problems CREST has studied in South Africa – around the science system and knowledge production – are very similar to what we face in Brazil and other Latin American countries. We are learning a lot from each other.”

Policy impact

CREST’s work is not only recognised by academics but also by policy-makers. Speaking at the gala dinner on behalf of South Africa’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Dr Blade Nzimande, his special adviser, Nqaba Nqandela, said: “The achievements of CREST are something we should all be proud of. Its commitment to nurturing talent has not only empowered individuals, but also strengthened research capacity across Africa.”

Looking to the future, Mouton gave conference attendees a sneak preview of a new open-access database of STI funding in Africa set to launch later this year. The platform will track foreign and domestic sources of STI funding across the continent, offering a crucial evidence base for those working to build sustainable, resilient science systems. “It’s going to be a major tool for policy-makers and researchers alike,” Mouton promised.

‘Gold standard’

In one of his last public engagements as SU rector and vice-chancellor, Professor Wim de Villiers, who stepped down at the end of March after two terms, offered a powerful reflection on CREST’s evolving role: “As we celebrate CREST’s legacy, we also cast our eyes toward the future – a future in which knowledge production is increasingly complex and science must meet the urgent challenges of our time: climate change, inequality, technological transformation, equitable partnerships, and rebuilding public trust.

“In this landscape, institutions like CREST are more important than ever. The responsibility of shaping knowledge systems that are inclusive, ethical and impactful falls on all of us – and CREST has set the gold standard in this pursuit.”