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

an equal ly important aspect of its support sys tems. Tothis end, a number of events design ed to rewardresearchers who have ex cell ed in their respective fieldsof expertise have been hosted by the DRD.The first of these events took place on the MainCampus in November 2004 to coincide with thecentenary celebrations of the UFS. This recognitionfunction also served as the first annual UFS lecture inresearch excellence. The University recognised theresearch achieve ments of 97 of its leading researchers,includ ing 21 women and 16 black researchers, in categoriesranging from outstanding post grad uatestudent achievement, through emerg ing researcherswith demonstrated po ten tial, to establishedresearchers acknow ledged for the internationalrecognition they receive from their peers.Another recognition function was held inFebruary 2006, specifically to honour 24 youngresearchers taking part in the NRF’s ThuthukaProgramme. The guest speaker, Prof JonathanJansen, former Dean at the Faculty of Education atthe University of Pretoria, offered tips to theseyoung and promising researchers on how tobecome outstanding scholars. Nine professors werealso congratulated with their promotion to seniorresearch professor at this event.Research OutputsStimulating research and increasingresearch outputs by using internal fundseffectivelySome of the guests at the first recognition function forresearcher excellence held in November 2004 are, from theleft: Dr Andrew Kaniki (guest speaker and Executive Directorof Knowledge Management and Strategy at the NationalResearch Foundation), Prof Letticia Moja (Dean: Faculty ofHealth Sciences at the UFS), and Prof Frans Swanepoel(Director: Research Development at the UFS).The Research Turnaround Strategy (2002) acceptedits major focus to be the target of increasing andrewarding subsidy-bearing research outputsthrough financial incentives (excluding contractresearch). In 2003, the new Strategic Frameworkfor research development acknowledged the needto ensure that researchers make active and effectiveuse of these rewards. The substantial resourcesinvested in this regard have resulted in a steadyincrease in the accredited publication outputs ofthe University, as well as its number of Masters andDoctoral graduates (see Figure 3).24