The role of catalysis and engineering

The role of catalysis and engineering in sustainable technologies in SA and globally.

The countdown has officially begun! In exactly one week, the TechWomen Impact Trip reaches a major scientific milestone at the University of Cape Town (UCT) Catalysis Institute.

On 23 February 2026, we join Prof. Nico Fischer and his team for a high-level dialogue between Silicon Valley’s top mentors and South Africa’s leading postgraduate researchers. This isn't just a meeting - it’s a collision of global expertise and local innovation.

Catalysis is the heartbeat of the renewable energy revolution. From Green Hydrogen solutions to Carbon Capture, the work at UCT is at the absolute forefront of the global Just Energy Transition.

We are thankful to welcome merSETA to this conversation. As a leader in national skills development, merSETA serves as the vital bridge between academic research and industrial application. We look forward to their insights on how they collaborate with universities to ensure South African innovations are scalable, market-ready, and locally impactful.

We extend our sincere thanks to the UCT Catalysis Institute for leading this conversation, and to merSETA for joining this exchange to bridge the gap between theoretical research and scalable, carbon-neutral solutions. Our hope is that this engagement sparks enduring global collaborations - linking merSETA’s industrial framework with UCT’s research excellence and connecting TechWomen experts to the Institute’s mission, to turn laboratory innovation into a functional, worldwide reality.

"Innovation in catalysis is the bridge between theory and a scalable reality. We are proud to facilitate this exchange of global and local expertise."