Stumpf, Waldo E.2016-04-222016-04-222015-10Stumpf, WE 2015, 'Where should the national R&D in materials science fit into South Africa’s future nuclear power programme?', Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, vol. 115, pp. 893-902.0038-223X (print)2225-6253 (online)http://hdl.handle.net/2263/52116South Africa recently announced a resurgence in its commercial nuclear power programme. The implications for the development of the necessary high-level manpower within South Africa’s tertiary educational system and its national research and development (R&D) capacity in materials science and engineering, as well as in other engineering disciplines, are placed into perspective. An organized national process of developing this manpower by moving away from the previously high-risk and costly ’large programmes’ to rather a selection of ‘small and better’ research projects and a redefinition of what constitutes ‘nuclear materials’ are proposed as parts of this strategy.en© The Southern African Institute of Mining and MetallurgyMaterials sciencePressurised water reactorZirconium based cladding materialsUranium enrichmentSteam generatorEngineering, built environment and information technology articles SDG-04SDG-04: Quality educationEngineering, built environment and information technology articles SDG-07SDG-07: Affordable and clean energyEngineering, built environment and information technology articles SDG-09SDG-09: Industry, innovation and infrastructureEngineering, built environment and information technology articles SDG-12SDG-12: Responsible consumption and productionEngineering, built environment and information technology articles SDG-13SDG-13: Climate actionArticle