Vol 1 - Support Services Ufs Ac Za - University of the Free State

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Support SystemsEnsuring user-friendly and effective systemsthat facilitate and support research at the University,and cultivating loyalty and enthu siasmfor research through the recognition of progressand achievement at all levelsProf Frans Swanepoel (right) and Dr Aldo Stroebel areleading a multi-million rand initiative to revise agriculturaleducation and training in Africa.researchers to take full advantage of such fundingopportunities. Currently the University receivesresearch support from a number of internationaldonor agencies, including a US$14 million grantfrom the Bill and Melinda Gates- and WK KelloggFoundations in support of a 10-year AfricanAgricultural Education research and developmentprogramme. This is one of the biggest grants in thehistory of the UFS. R8 million has been granted toUFS during 2007 for the initial 18-months exploratoryphaseThe programme – led by the UFS in partnershipwith the Academy for Educational Development (aUSA-based non-governmental organisation) – willrevise agricultural education curricula in Africa tobecome more responsive to the needs of smallholderAfrican family farms. Prof Frans Swanepoel hasbeen appointed as the part-time Iitiative Directorand Dr Aldo Stroebel as Initiative Researcher.The DRD has prioritised the efficiency of itsresearch information management systems as acritical requirement to strategically enhance the profileof the UFS as a research-oriented institution. Whileeach South African Higher Education Institution isresponsible for providing the same types of reportsand com plying with the same government regulations,system capabilities vary greatly between institu tions.Therefore, a consortium of South African universities,with repre sentatives from the Southern AfricanResearch and Innovation Management Association(SARIMA), discussed the possibility of pooling theirfinancial, technical and research expertise in order toleverage their resources collectively, during 2006.The consortium issued a group tender for thisSouth African Research Information Man age mentSystem (RIMS) project to identify potentialcommercial solution providers with the intent ofsecuring a group purchase price and to explore thepossibility of a single com mon shared infrastructure.The consortium further involved the nationalDepartments of Science and Technology (DST) andEducation (DoE) and the NRF, which provided theirin-principle support for the project. After carefulcon sideration, involving both external and internalconsultation, the UFS joined the con sortium andthe RIMS project during 2007.22
Minister Mosibudi Mangena (Minister of Scienceand Technology) reiterated the value of the project,and confirmed government’s commitment to theprocess, at the launch of the RIMS at the InnovationHub in Pretoria in February 2008 when he said: “Itwould be hard not to exaggerate the importance ofsuch a national system in addressing the highlydisaggregated and fragmented picture of researchand development investment in South Africa,particularly considering the amount of moneygovernment has invested in this project.”The South African RIMS is an integratedplatform which will be shared by all highereducation institutions and science councils in thecountry, and which is facilitated by the NRF with thesupport of the DST. The platform will provide acentral repository for research data that will allowresearch intuitions and funding agencies to createand view reports as required, facilitating the entirenational research management and fundingprocess. It is envisaged that the new software suitewill be operational at the UFS by late 2008. The keybenefit for UFS is that it will be integrated into anational research management network, supportedby the DST. Further benefits of the system for theUFS include:• speed and ease of access to NRF funding;• speed and ease of access to information onresearch activities;• enhanced decision-making and policy in flu enceat institutional level and in govern ment;• greater ‘connectivity’ within the research communityand amongst government, re searchinstitutions, researchers and in dustry;Ms Lise Kriel, Project Coordinator for the implementation ofthe national RIMS project at the Directorate ResearchDevelopment, and DPhil candidate at the Centre for Researchon Science and Technology at the Stellenbosch University.• access to international funding infor ma tion;and• accurate reporting on research outputs andhuman resources.While effective research administrative systems areessential, it is not the only type of in stitutional supportrequired to nurture a de velop ing research culture. TheDRD considers the recognition of outstandingachievement among the University’s researchers to be23
Page 3 and 4: Celebrating research development an
Page 5 and 6: Table of ContentsForeword .........
Page 7 and 8: Message from Prof Frederick FourieF
Page 9 and 10: Message from Prof Teuns VerschoorTh
Page 11 and 12: Message from Prof Frans Swanepoelma
Page 13 and 14: Future VisionA new strategic framew
Page 15 and 16: Significant Institutionalplishments
Page 17 and 18: Significant Institutional Accomplis
Page 19 and 20: Prof James duPreez, B2-ratedresearc
Page 21 and 22: students from priority groups - exh
Page 23 and 24: Table 1: Promising Emerging Researc
Page 25: There has been a similarly signific
Page 29 and 30: Attending the recognition functionf
Page 31 and 32: The Strategic Academicr Initiative2
Page 33 and 34: The Strategic AcademicCluster Initi
Page 35 and 36: odies are sustained by their ecosys
Page 37 and 38: programmes are not imple mented eff
Page 39 and 40: transformation. Such transformation
Page 41 and 42: y biotic and abiotic constraints in
Page 43 and 44: Focus Areas1. Nano solid state mate
Page 45 and 46: dimensional electrophoretic analysi
Page 48 and 49: 44Internat
Page 50 and 51: Staff members at the UFS Internatio
Page 52: and expansion of research membershi
Page 55 and 56: Research Commercialisationand Coope
Page 57 and 58: Research Commercialisation andCoope
Page 59 and 60: Foundation (NRF), which contributes
Page 62 and 63: 58Student
Page 64 and 65: Postgraduate students are the resea
Page 66: students; post graduate topics; sup
Page 69 and 70: Outstanding Researchements65
Page 71 and 72: Outstanding Research AchievementsTh
Page 73 and 74: Prof Max Finkelstein, Senior Profes
Page 75 and 76: Prof Johan Meyer, Senior Professor
Page 77 and 78:
evalua tion panel for the European
Page 79 and 80:
of the Free State’s Department of
Page 81 and 82:
Delivered the best presentation on
Page 83 and 84:
Shaw, WDepartment of Medical Physic
Page 85 and 86:
At Judge Fritz Brand’s inaugural
Page 87 and 88:
At Prof Alice Pell’s inaugural le
Page 89 and 90:
Research85
Page 91 and 92:
Economic and Management SciencesMes
Page 94 and 95:
Prof Letticia Moja (Dean: Faculty o
Page 96 and 97:
leukaemia and to test new anti-canc
Page 98 and 99:
It is also a priority to make funds
Page 100:
esearch and development. In the fol
Page 103 and 104:
LawMessage from the Dean: Prof Joha
Page 105 and 106:
through the unlocking of a source t
Page 107 and 108:
103
Page 109 and 110:
Natural and Agricultural Sciencesth
Page 111 and 112:
107
Page 113 and 114:
TheologyMessage from the Dean: Prof
show all

Vol 1 - Support Services Ufs Ac Za - University of the Free State

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?