Twenty-five years of pioneering scientific work, coupled with successfully growing a start-up business into a highly respected consultancy, have been acknowledged with a prestigious award for Cape Town earth sciences company Umvoto Africa.

At the 18^th annual National Science and Technology Forum awards, Umvoto won the category ‘Research leading to innovation through an SMME’. NSTF is a multi-stakeholder non-profit forum in South Africa that promotes science and technology through collaboration.

These national awards recognise, celebrate and reward excellence in science, engineering, technology and innovation in South Africa. The nominations process is open to everyone, including the public. The adjudication is by a representative panel, ensuring that academia, industry and other stakeholders are part of the process.

Umvoto researches and develops sustainable geoscientific and technological solutions to address resource, environmental, social and economic concerns. It consults in integrated water resource management, contamination and remediation studies, education and training, process facilitation and ecological risk management studies.

The awards were presented by Minister of Science and Technology Naledi Pandor, who is also the event patron. The winners received state-of-the-art trophies, incorporating titanium and made using industrial 3D laser printing.

In the research and development arena, Umvoto’s processes rely on inventive application of aerial and satellite remote-sensing, geographic information systems and space-geodesy for hydrogeological exploration and mapping.

In addition, Umvoto works with commercial drilling contractors in the design and construction of groundwater monitoring and production wells. Other facets include the design and implementation of flow and test pumping trials, the application of computer-based software for three-dimensional numerical modelling of groundwater flow, and planning for operational monitoring of groundwater well-fields.

“Our focus is on discovering to what extent we can use science in real time to solve problems, how we can adapt our behaviours to live more effectively on this planet, and to what extent we can use science as part of our adaptation tool,” said Founder and MD of Umvoto Africa Rowena Hay.