The Science Diplomacy Award is open to South African researchers, state officials, and organisations,  including any individual or team or organisation in South Africa engaged in science diplomacy in the field of SET and innovation: e.g. who has developed or contributed to developing co-operation in science, research and development, engineering and other technical fields between and among countries for the benefit of South Africa and other countries in Africa.

The objective is to:    

• Recognise scientific or engineering work that has achieved international collaborations, agreements or contracts involving two or more countries for the benefit of South Africa and Africa
• Recognise the achievement through profiling of South African SET capabilities of SET activities, international joint undertakings in the field of SET and Innovation and events
• Recognise a contribution made to decisions or policies adopted by other countries where contributions of science work by South African SET personnel has been influential and recognised in the body of such decisions or policies
• Raise public awareness of  such SET and innovation issues and of how the quality of people’s daily lives is affected by such issues, and the  opportunities for getting involved in SET and innovation issues

Any branch of science including social science is applicable, the life and ocean sciences, physical and/or social sciences, engineering and/or mathematics, as well as, health and environmental issues related to SET and innovation as well as projects which involve co-operation on joint engineering construction projects.