South Africa, through the NRF, became a member of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in 2007. A range of research and capacity building activities have since been developed by South African research partners in collaboration with IIASA. The National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) have taken a strategic decision to continue investing in and expanding activities around systems analysis over the coming decade in the context of the pivotal role that this type of research plays in solving global challenges and contributing to development under the new Southern African Systems Analysis Centre (SASAC), multi-year initiative.