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

In line with international and national researchtrends, the UFS initiated a process of developingstrategic research niche areas in 2005. Consensuswas reached that the University would align its keyacademic and research efforts with national prioritiesthrough six Strategic Academic Clusters, eachsupported by a number of constituent Focus Areas.The audit panel of the Higher Education QualityCommittee (HEQC) congratulated the UFS in 2006on the successful development of the StrategicAcademic Cluster Initiative and its aim to focus anddeepen its academic work through this approach.Following extensive workshops and consultation,the content and focus of six Clusters were finalisedand descriptions of these were formally approvedby Senate in 2007. It is envisaged that Clusteractivities will not be based only on research, butwill include postgraduate programmes and willfilter down to undergraduate learning programmesand curricula. The six Clusters are:Ms Dineo Gaofhiwe, Coordinator for the Strategic ClusterInitiative at the Directorate Research Development.It has become imperative for the University of theFree State (UFS) to position itself not only as agood teaching and research University, but as aninstitution that truly excels in certain strategic areasof knowledge and research. This is an extremelyimportant process which is expected to establishthe University as a world leader in a selected numberof strategic focus areas.• Water Management in Water-scarce Areas• New Frontiers in Poverty Reduction andSustainable Development• Transformation in Highly Diverse Societies• Technologies for Sustainable Crop In dus tries inSemi-arid Regions• Materials and Nanosciences• Advanced Biomolecular SystemsAcademics from more than 30 departments andten centres and units are participating in theimplementation and development of thesecomprehensive academic Clusters. The major task ofthe Directorate Research Development (DRD) in the28