The Sugar Milling Research Institute NPC (SMRI) is the central scientific organisation involved in research work and technical services for the southern African sugarcane processing industry, the purpose being to enable the sustainability of the industry in both the short and long term. The institute was founded in 1949 and is located on the Howard College campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), in the heart of the sugar belt of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.