NITheCS

South Africa's National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences advances research and innovation across multiple scientific disciplines. They're now supported by a modern Plone 6 with Volto platform that improves content management, enhances user experience, and sets the foundation for future growth.

Background

The National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences (NITheCS) is a multidisciplinary institute advancing theoretical and computational sciences to grow research, innovation, and socio-economic development across Africa. NITheCS encompasses fields including Astronomy & Astrophysics, Bioinformatics, Data Science, Earth Systems Modelling, Mathematics, Quantitative Finance, Statistics, and Theoretical Physics.

Their previous WordPress-based website struggled to handle the institute's growing content needs and complex workflows. With a director who values open source solutions and specifically wanted Plone, NITheCS sought a platform that could better manage their diverse content types and provide more sophisticated event management capabilities.

Visit the site at nithecs.ac.za

Why Plone

NITheCS specifically chose Plone because of Director Prof Francesco Petruccione's knowledge of the platform and commitment to open source software. The Institute needed a solution that could handle bulk content more effectively than WordPress and provide automated workflows for managing events and publications.

Plone 6 with Volto offered the stability and maturity of a proven CMS combined with a modern, React-based frontend. The platform's sophisticated content management capabilities and built-in event handling made it ideal for an organization managing multiple scientific disciplines, numerous events, and extensive research publications.

Project goals and highlights

  • Content migration and structure: The primary goal was migrating all existing content from WordPress into a better-structured Plone system through semi-automatic bulk import processes.
  • Improved event management: The new site leverages Plone's native event content type, which automatically transitions events from "upcoming" to "previous" based on dates—eliminating manual intervention.
  • Scalability and future functionality: The platform was designed to be scalable, with plans to add user login capabilities and member-specific content access in future phases.
  • Custom Volto components: Purpose-built blocks and listings were created for events and publications, making it easier for visitors to discover relevant content.
  • Better flow and usability: The site architecture was redesigned to provide improved navigation and a more intuitive user experience.

Outcomes

The new Plone 6 with Volto implementation has delivered significant improvements for NITheCS:

  • Efficient content migration: Content was successfully migrated from WordPress with reasonable efficiency, establishing a solid foundation in the new system.
  • Improved usability: The site now offers better flow and navigation, making it easier for visitors to find events, publications, and research information.
  • Reduced manual intervention: Automated workflows, particularly for event management, have decreased the need for staff to manually update content status.
  • Foundation for growth: The platform is positioned to support future enhancements, including user authentication and personalized content access.

Provider: Juizi, South Africa

The site was designed, implemented, and is hosted by Juizi, a South African web company with over 15 years' experience building content-rich, editor-friendly websites for non-profits, research organisations, and membership-based institutions. Juizi's work focuses on helping organisations structure content in a way that supports long-term growth and editorial independence.

Juizi is actively involved in the Plone community. Employees contribute to open source projects, speak regularly at international Plone Conferences and World Plone Day, serve as Plone Foundation members, and participate on Plone teams.