Dr Tara Edwards will head up capacity with the RESOlution laser ablation system and Nu Instruments Attom - the first machine of its kind on the continent.

Dr Roger Diamond brings to BIOGRIP a background in geological sciences and a passion for integrating research across government, private and the educational sectors.

Four laboratories opened with the BIOGRIP Node for Mineral Biogeochemistry at the University of the Free State (UFS), will advance research and innovation in agriculture, mining sustainability, and water biotreatment.

The Nu Instruments Attom, which is being installed in the Department of Geological Sciences at UCT as part of the BIOGRIP network of new research facilities to support and develop biogeochemical research in South Africa.

The BIOGRIP Node for Water and Soil Biogeochemistry will be housed at Stellenbosch University to support studies of the environment.

UCT has been named host of the Biogeochemistry Research Infrastructure Platform (BIOGRIP), funded by SA’s Department of Science and Innovation.