BIOGRIP Hub
The BIOGRIP Hub is hosted by the University of Cape Town (UCT). It works to facilitate collaboration within and between the platform’s four nodes based at South African universities as well as collaborators beyond the university landscape. Aside from finance and administration, Hub functions include marketing, training and fundraising.
The BIOGRIP Hub acts as a catalyst to get public and private sector partners to utilise the advanced instruments and skills of the technical staff and researchers to assist with project design and execution. Thus, the hub ensures research analyses are carried out in South Africa, by African talent and with results that can impact environmental and social issues locally and globally.
BIOGRIP Nodes
Atmosphere
The BIOGRIP Atmosphere Node is hosted by North-West University in partnership with the South African Weather Service. It enables understanding of land-ocean-atmosphere interactions, especially those influenced by human emissions, and quantification of processes, including pollution and climate change.
Isotope
The BIOGRIP Isotope Node is hosted at the University of Cape Town in several laboratories across various departments. It enables research into geological, archaeological, oceanographic and other disciplines where isotope measurements, both stable and radioactive, provide insight.
Mineral
The BIOGRIP Mineral Node is hosted by the Centre for Mineral Biogeochemistry at the University of the Free State. It enables work on physical, chemical, inorganic, organic and microbial reactions in water and soil, with experimental facilities strongly focused on site remediation.
Water & Soil
The BIOGRIP Water & Soil Node is hosted by the Central Analytical Facility at Stellenbosch University. It enables earth science research tackling groundwater-surface water interaction, waste reuse, dust deposition and other issues of environmental quality and health impacts, using chemical, isotopic and microbial approaches.