Africa’s ‘creative space for the mind’ marks 25 years

The Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS), Africa’s only independent institute for advanced study and the sole one of its kind in the southern hemisphere, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

Over the past quarter-century, STIAS has established itself as a globally recognised hub for interdisciplinary research, drawing some of the world’s most accomplished scholars to its serene setting in South Africa’s Western Cape Winelands.

To reflect on this milestone, University World News spoke to the academics who have led STIAS since its inception – Professors Bernard Lategan, Hendrik Geyer and Edward Kirumira, the ‘three wise men’ whose vision and leadership have shaped the institute into what it is today.

Bold beginnings

Although STIAS is now an independent institution, it began as an initiative of Stellenbosch University (SU).

Lategan, a former dean of arts and social sciences at SU who was involved in strategic planning at the time, recalls that a key motivation was to help the university navigate South Africa’s transition from apartheid to democracy. Given SU’s history as a one-time supporter of the previous regime, there was an urgent need to demonstrate a genuine commitment to transformation.

“Credibility can’t be claimed, it has to be earned,” Lategan emphasises. SU had to do more than make statements about change – it had to take meaningful steps to engage with the broader academic and societal landscape in South Africa, with the rest of the continent, and beyond.

After visiting institutes for advanced study worldwide, Lategan became convinced that SU should establish a similar structure. He took on the role of founding director in 1999 and remained at the helm until 2007.

“The challenge was to create a space where creative thinking could happen,” he says. “The key was a hands-off approach – not micromanaging, but simply bringing intelligent people together and letting them be.”

Funding for Africa

A key step in placing STIAS on a firm footing was securing financial support from the Wallenberg Foundations of Sweden. Lategan’s personal relationship with Peter Wallenberg Sr was instrumental in this. Their discussions, however, were initially not about money.

“It was about the concept,” Lategan explains. “Wallenberg, who had lived and worked in Africa, strongly believed in ‘the cross-pollination of ideas’.”

In time, the Wallenberg Foundations would provide funding for the construction of a dedicated research centre, which opened in 2007 on the historic Mostertsdrift property at the edge of the SU campus.

From the outset, STIAS was conceived, not as a place where Africa would be a passive recipient of knowledge, but as an equal participant in a global academic discourse.

“It would not be about ‘helping’ Africa as a ‘victim’ but about enabling the continent to engage in conversation with the rest of the world on equal terms,” Lategan says.

Freedom and autonomy

“We created a space where people are free from the daily grind, where they have the luxury to think, talk with others, and produce their work.” This principle of intellectual freedom remains at the core of STIAS’ mission.

Independence from SU was always a priority, but not everyone agreed. “Universities are structured so that all parts serve the whole – and justifiably so,” Lategan acknowledges. However, he argued that granting STIAS autonomy would ultimately benefit SU itself, making it easier to attract top scholars and funding.

The breakthrough came toward the end of Lategan’s tenure when the SU council agreed to allow STIAS to register as a non-profit organisation under Section 21 of South Africa’s Companies Act. “It wasn’t easy for the university to let go, which is understandable. But it paid off,” Lategan reflects, crediting his successor with securing the final steps.

Forging ahead

Geyer, who succeeded Lategan, had previously served as interim director of South Africa’s National Institute of Theoretical Physics. When he took over from Lategan in 2008, one of his biggest priorities was securing international recognition for STIAS.

A milestone was reached in 2014 when SU granted STIAS a 99-year lease for the Mostertsdrift property. At the same time, SU committed to matching the Wallenberg Foundations’ funding, a commitment that has since been renewed.

Fellowship programme of note

Developing an established fellowship programme was another priority.

“It took time. At first, we did not accommodate SU scholars to emphasise our independence. And we approached people we wanted here directly, unlike the process that followed later – an open call and selection by committee,” Geyer says.

Over the years, STIAS has attracted an impressive roster of individuals to its fellowship programme, including such Nobel laureates as Abdulrazak Gurnah, Kip Thorne, Harald zur Hausen, Joseph Stiglitz, JM Coetzee and Sydney Brenner. Among the roughly 900 fellows to date are communication scholar Manuel Castells, philosopher Paulin J Hountondji, and anthropologist and palaeobiologist Nina Jablonski.

A defining characteristic of STIAS is its inclusivity across academic disciplines. “Most similar institutes specialise in either the natural sciences or the humanities and social sciences. We embrace all fields,” Geyer explains.

“The aim was to create a space where scholars from different disciplines and worldviews could engage with one another.”

Eye of tomorrow

One of Geyer’s most significant contributions was the creation of Iso Lomso, a fellowship and residency programme aimed at supporting young African scholars.

“We wanted to give them time to focus on their own research. Many young African academics are so overloaded with teaching that they never get the chance to do that,” Geyer explains.

The name was suggested by writer and academic Njabulo Ndebele, also a STIAS fellow. It means ‘the eye of tomorrow’ in the isiXhosa language.

“That programme has been a real success,” Geyer says. So far, 87 individuals from 16 countries have been hosted.

International recognition

All these efforts culminated in STIAS’ admission to SIAS – the prestigious Some Institutes for Advanced Study (SIAS) network, which includes leading independent institutes at Princeton, Stanford and Harvard in the US, as well as in Sweden, The Netherlands, Germany and France.

“SIAS does not accept applications; it extends invitations. Achieving this recognition was a goal for us, so we were very happy when they invited us to join in 2018.”

On that high note, Geyer handed over the reins to Kirumira, but – at the request of the current director – both former directors have remained involved as advisers, ensuring continuity.

Looking ahead

Kirumira, a medical sociologist by training, brought extensive experience in higher education, interdisciplinary research and institutional rebuilding to STIAS in 2019.

Formerly the principal of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Makerere University in Uganda, he specialised in population and reproductive health and chaired Uganda’s central co-ordinating mechanism for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

He was well-prepared for his new role, having helped restore Makerere’s reputation after the devastation of the Idi Amin years. Returning to Uganda in the mid-1980s after postgraduate studies in the UK, Denmark and the US, he became deeply involved in research and training programmes across the continent.

That experience would prove valuable at STIAS. “The difference was that, while Makerere was reclaiming its former status, Stellenbosch was reimagining itself. But there were also similarities.”

Reshaping African scholarship

In positioning STIAS within Africa while maintaining its global standing, Kirumira strikes a delicate balance.

“It’s crucial that we do not dichotomise identities. There is often a push for a rigidly defined African identity but, in a globalised world, that can become exclusionary,” he notes.

“At the same time, we are unapologetically African – we appreciate our Africanness. STIAS is an African institute on the African continent in conversation with the rest of the world.”

International recognition remains crucial, but Kirumira insists it must serve a greater purpose. “The real measure of our success is not just being known globally, but leveraging that standing to strengthen research and scholarship on the African continent.”

Beyond the ivory tower

“We are conscious of the need to guard against recreating the traditional ivory tower,” Kirumira explains.

“That model no longer works. But that doesn’t mean we reject deep scholarship. Knowledge for the sake of knowledge still matters. Today, however, knowledge must be pursued with purpose. Not ‘fit for purpose’ – that would be restrictive, forcing everyone into pre-defined agendas. Instead, the exploration of knowledge should remain open.”

As STIAS marks its 25th anniversary, Kirumira believes the institute is entering a pivotal phase. “We are at a juncture where giving back must become central,” he says. “Fellows who come to STIAS are not just here to pursue their own intellectual journeys – they are here to contribute, to share, and to help shape the world with the knowledge they have gained.”

Nobel in Africa

A major milestone in STIAS’ recent history has been the Nobel in Africa initiative, co-hosted with SU under the auspices of the Nobel Foundation and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences since 2022. This marks the first time that Nobel symposia have been held outside Scandinavia since they started in 1965.

The symposia at STIAS have so far covered physics, chemistry, economics, and physiology or medicine, with a literature symposium planned for November. A repeat of symposia in all six Nobel Prize categories will follow thereafter.

“The traditional Nobel symposia in Scandinavia are normally closed events, but we insisted it wouldn’t make sense to bring 50 top scientists here for five days and keep them behind closed doors. So, each Nobel in Africa symposium includes an outreach component,” Kirumira observes.

That emphasis on accessibility has had an unexpected effect – the Nobel Committee has taken note and is now considering adding outreach components to its symposia in Scandinavia.

‘Spark in their eyes’

For Kirumira, the arrival of new fellows every semester brings renewed energy to STIAS.

“You meet brilliant people with ‘boiling’ minds. First-year students believe they can change the world, and I see that same spark in the eyes of our fellows,” he says.

“Many of them cannot believe this place exists – that they have the freedom to think without restrictions, to engage across disciplines, and to break free from academic silos.”

Breaking barriers

One of STIAS’ defining characteristics is its egalitarian environment.

“Where else can you have a historian, a physicist and an economist all in the same space, deeply engaged in conversation? Where else can you have senior and junior scholars interacting as equals? Academia is often rigidly hierarchical. Here, those barriers break down,” Kirumira explains.

To foster this atmosphere, STIAS has taken simple but deliberate steps. Lunches are communal, and fellows are expected to eat together from Monday to Friday. There is also only one coffee machine – in a common area.

“At STIAS, once you walk through the doors, titles disappear. You’re not ‘Professor’ or ‘Doctor’ – you’re just known by your first name. It unfreezes the mind and allows for creative thinking without the constraints of status.”

Funding and the future

Financially, STIAS is in a strong position, with funding secured until 2035. However, Kirumira is pushing for more local philanthropy. “STIAS is an African institute, and our funding model should reflect that. Ideally, we should have a 50-50 split.”

A visible marker of this growth and long-term stability is the recent expansion of the institute’s facilities. To mark its silver jubilee, a new extension to the STIAS Wallenberg Research Centre was inaugurated on 10 March, enhancing the institute’s capacity to host fellows and visiting scholars. Kirumira sees this added space as crucial to expanding the Iso Lomso programme – setting his sights on drawing in more leading mid-career scholars from across Africa.

As he looks ahead to the conclusion of his tenure at the end of 2028, Kirumira remains committed to STIAS’s mission. “This has been incredibly rewarding. Of course, there have been headaches – but, if you don’t have headaches, you don’t develop!”