MARIS is an interdisciplinary multi-department and multi-faculty research unit at the University of Cape Town. It is an aggregator of competence and expertise that considers multiple bodies of knowledge (including academic and technological) in relation to societal benefits. Our overarching aim is producing knowledge and human capacity in marine and polar research. The centre promotes and manages inter- and trans-disciplinary marine research projects where more than one department is involved, or where dedicated administrative expertise/effort is not available within any one department. MARIS research is articulated into three foci, which are central to the UCT research strategy of Vision 2030: marine research on the southern African coast and shelf, Antarctic and Southern Ocean, and innovation in marine engineering and observational methods. South Africa is a natural incubator for polar and cryosphere sciences due to its geographic location and early involvement in the Antarctic Treaty (and being the only African signatory). However, the country lacks experts in this field and the capability to exert a leading role in the international context. This seminar will present the roadmap that led to the implementation of the South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI) supported by the Department of Science and Innovation, and the proposed plan to establish at UCT the first infrastructure for polar science on the African continent, which would allow students, scientists, and the general public to experience sub-zero conditions and be trained on specialized facilities without the need for expensive and limited voyages to the Antarctic. The scientists contributing to MARIS have been instrumental in the development of polar sciences; the seminar will showcase the interdisciplinary polar research going on at UCT, which combines science and engineering through the development of novel instrumentation for the measurement of Antarctic Sea ice.