North-West University is home to two Science Centres, located on the Potchefstroom and Mahikeng campuses. The Science Centre at the Potchefstroom campus was inaugurated on May 7, 2005, by Minister M. Mangena, who was then the Minister of Science and Technology. This Centre was established under the leadership of Prof. JJA Smit, with financial backing from the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the university itself. The Mahikeng Science Centre was officially opened on August 30, 2010, by the then Minister of Science and Technology, Naledi Pandor.

The Centre played a pivotal role in organizing the launch of National Science Week in 2008, which was officiated by Minister Mangena. This event attracted over three thousand attendees and was broadcast on national television and various radio stations. Each year, the Centre hosts National Science Week across the four educational districts in the North-West province.

Additionally, the Centre serves as a foundation for developing experimental apparatus for other Science Centres throughout South Africa. Since 2007, equipment produced at the Potchefstroom campus Science Centre has been distributed to Science Centres in KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and Northern Cape, as well as to the Science Centre in Maseru, Lesotho. The Centre is committed to fostering creativity and innovation, continuously developing new experiments in collaboration with Instrument makery and various university departments.