Background to the formation of the Foundation

SAAFoST established the SAAFoST Foundation in 2012, which administers all SAAFoST academic prizes, awards and bursaries.

The last 9 years have seen a significant increase in the amount of support given to students studying food science and technology at South African tertiary institutions. SAAFoST annually sponsors several academic initiatives ranging from supporting events for students (Ingredients Days, Career Roadshows, attendance of Congresses etc.) to academic prizes, bursaries, scholarships, travel grants and study grants. These are financed mainly from funds generated through events, membership fees and some donations.

The successful hosting of the 15th IUFoST World Congress of Food Science and Technology in Cape Town in August 2010, by SAAFoST, also resulted in the generation of surplus funds, and the idea has always been to “invest” these in the future food scientists of South Africa.

In order to focus on investing these funds in bursaries for food science and technology, it was decided to create the SAAFoST Foundation to administer all academic prizes, awards and bursaries.

The SAAFoST Foundation presents several advantages, in that clearer, more transparent accounting is done on the support given to students studying food science and technology, the selection of bursars is more transparent, donors (either individuals or companies) have a clearer picture of exactly what their donation is being used for.

Objectives of the Foundation

  1. The Foundation’s main objective is to administer the Bursaries and Academic prizes awarded by SAAFoST. These include Travel Grants, Aubrey Parsons Study Grants, Koeppen Memorial Scholarships, Matric Bursaries, Undergraduate Bursaries and Pieter van Twisk Academic Achievement Awards;
  2. The Foundation endeavours to optimise the invested capital in such a way as to generate maximum returns and to ensure the long-term stability of the Foundation.
  3. A primary objective is to increase the number of bursaries that can be accommodated every year so as to grow the number of students entering into the field of food science and technology;
  4. The Foundation investigates possible avenues of increasing the donor base – i.e. by setting up mechanisms in which companies or individuals can contribute directly to the Foundation’s initiatives.
  5. The Foundation makes suggestions on the selection criteria for the various awards and bursaries, in liaison with the SAAFoST Council.