New South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI) 

The South African Department of Science and Innovation, with extensive input from the South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP) community, has recently established the South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI) platform. SAPRI, which has been endorsed by SOOS, will be hosted by the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) and will take the form of a unified but distributed infrastructure that will coordinate, combine, and strengthen existing capabilities by building on the suite of observatories, sentinel sites, and research platforms already established and maintained by the SANAP community.

The SAPRI strategy is to ensure that investment in research infrastructures translates into the generation of high impact science for the benefit of society, as well as the development of internationally recognized scientists, engineers, and technicians, as well as the retention of this capacity. Through SAPRI, government and the research community will join forces to:

• (1) contribute to the national obligation in terms of treaties, international agreements, and scientific bodies by means of sustained long-term observations and the creation of a single entry-point for expert consultations;
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• (2) grow scientific understanding of the ocean and territories surrounding Southern Africa, through a substantial increase in state-of-the-art infrastructure in support of research outputs and training capacity, in addition to the establishment in Africa of physical and digital infrastructures that simulate the polar environment and thus increase the diversity of contributions;
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• (3) improve the relationship between polar science and society, by showing the relevance and scope of scientific and operational activities in this region through the Antarctic Legacy of South African and the use of advanced digital technology;
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• (4) unleash the innovation and commercial potential linked to developing instruments and services for operating in extreme and remote environments, such as the design of new sensors, polar vessels, and the development of services from digital twin models.

The development of SAPRI (led by Prof Marcello Vichi from the University of Cape Town and Dr Tamaryn Morris of the South African Weather Service) has involved detailed engagement with stakeholders in the marine and polar community. However, SAPRI also seeks to integrate researchers, technicians, and early career scientists who have not yet engaged with the SANAP community through the establishment of a professional development program, a mentorship program, and transparent and open access to infrastructure and data. Additionally, an important component of the SAPRI mission is coordination and collaboration with the international Antarctic community.