The objects of the Council are to-
| a) | initiate, undertake and foster strategic basic research and applied research in human sciences, and to gather, analyse and publish data relevant to developmental challenges in the Republic, elsewhere in Africa and in the rest of the world, especially by means of projects linked to public sector oriented collaborative programmes; |
| b) | inform the effective formulation and monitoring of policy and to evaluate the implementation of policy; |
| c) | stimulate public debate through the effective dissemination of fact-based results of research; |
| d) | help build research capacity and infrastructure for the human sciences in the Republic and elsewhere in Africa; |
| e) | foster and support research collaboration, networks and institutional linkages within the human sciences research community; |
| f) | respond to the needs of vulnerable and marginalised groups in society by researching and analysing developmental problems, thereby contributing to the improvement of the quality of their lives; and |
| g) | develop and make publicly available new data sets to underpin research, policy development and public discussion of the key issues of development, and to develop new and improved methodologies for use in their development. |
