INFN and the National Research Foundation (NRF), with iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Science, signed a memorandum of understanding on 12 September in Cape Town that strengthens the collaboration between Italy and South Africa in the field of nuclear physics and its applications. The agreement aims to consolidate the cooperation between iThemba and INFN, with its Legnaro and Southern National Laboratories, in the area of heavy ion production and study by fostering the mobility of researchers, instruments and materials between the two institutes. In particular, the focus is on research in the fields of nuclear physics and astrophysics, and the study and development of accelerators for the production of radioisotopes for medicine, such as the SPES cyclotron and the FRAISE project, which are under development at INFN Legnaro and Southern National Laboratories, respectively.