Page 27 - DUT 2025 Engagement Report Q2

6. CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
While DUT continues to demonstrate significant strides in engagement, several challenges remain that limit the full realisation of the university’s strategic ambitions. Acknowledging these constraints is vital for fostering improvement and sustaining the momentum necessary to achieve the goals outlined in ENVISION2030.
Resource constraints persist as a critical barrier across multiple engagement initiatives. For instance, the shortage of university vehicles hampers the Student Recruitment Office’s ability to conduct school visits and outreach effectively. This is further compounded by the limited availability of attractive bursaries and scholarships for prospective students, which undermines DUT’s competitiveness in attracting top talent.
The Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology has reported similar resource-related challenges. A decline in the number of available bursaries from funding bodies such as the NRF has led to fewer students pursuing postgraduate studies.The Institute also faces limited staff availability, which constrains its ability to support time-intensive societal engagements. Nevertheless, it continues to play a leading role in water and wastewater management, engaging with urgent issues affecting Durban and the country at large, such as water safety and public awareness.
In some faculties, under-reporting of engagement activities remains an issue, creating gaps in fully understanding and promoting the university’s broader contributions. Improved documentation and visibility of outputs remain important areas for development.
The Confucius Institute at DUT has expressed the need for clearer strategic guidance and stronger institutional support from senior leadership to better align its services with the university’s overarching objectives. Enhanced support could lead to more impactful programming and improved integration within the university ecosystem.
The International Centre of Nonviolence continues to experience persistent staffing challenges.These include reliance on short-term contracts for highly qualified and productive staff, as well as a number of critical vacancies that remain unfilled.These limitations directly affect the Centre’s capacity to operate at full potential, restricting its ability to expand research, deepen partnerships, and effectively engage both local and international stakeholders. The strain on current staff is considerable and further limits responsiveness to new collaboration and outreach opportunities.
Despite these constraints, the Centre is uniquely positioned to respond to emerging global and national trends. Growing public awareness of the need to address violence—whether direct, structural, or cultural—presents an opportunity for the Centre to assert itself as a leading voice in peace and nonviolence research. South Africa’s persistent challenges with gender-based violence, crime, and socio-political tensions underscore the urgency of this work.Through interdisciplinary research, policy contributions, and
educational interventions, the Centre has the potential to influence national responses, inform policy reform, and drive systemic change in building more just and peaceful societies.
The Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and Rapid Incubator (CSERI) operates under financial constraints that limit the expansion of its services. However, it has been nominated as one of six government-funded incubators to pilot a dual-service model offering both financial and non-financial support to small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs).This recognition presents a strategic opportunity to extend its memorandum of agreement, enhance services for entrepreneurs, and consolidate efforts within a one-stop-shop framework.
Within Innobiz DUT, student protests have disrupted campus activation campaigns and faculty orientation efforts. Nonetheless, the Centre remains focused on building strategic partnerships with industry and government to leverage sector-specific expertise and unlock resources that can benefit incubated businesses.These collaborations are expected to enhance programme outcomes and support student innovation.
TheTechnology,Transfer and Innovation (TTI) Unit continues to face operational inefficiencies stemming from infrastructure limitations. Its office location contributes to persistent internet and Wi-Fi connectivity issues, severely impacting digital communications and performance. also impedes effective communication with external stakeholders, while the shortage of suitable venues continues to hinder the implementation of key engagement events. Limitations in mobility and telecommunication also affect the Unit’s ability to initiate and maintain industry partnerships. Interactions with potential collaborators remain limited and largely incidental.A key strategic objective for the coming quarter is to intensify engagement with industry, particularly as the incubation programme advances and innovators require mentorship and collaboration. Expanding current funding mechanisms will be crucial to supporting a growing number of innovators, particularly within programmes such as 12P, TDF, IBF, and the forthcoming ATF initiative.
Several departments continue to face infrastructure and maintenance issues that impact the student experience and disrupt programme delivery. These include unresolved Wi-Fi instability since January 2024, incomplete air-conditioning repairs, inadequate lighting in the S-block basement areas, and security concerns stemming from malfunctioning or unrepaired doors and access points. Additionally, incomplete restoration work following the early 2025 floods has left various departments in the Ssome campuses operating under sub-optimal conditions.
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