Page 7 - DUT 2025 Engagement Report Q1

3. KEY FOCUS AREAS AND INITIATIVES
3.1 RESEARCH ENGAGEMENT
3.1.1 Highlights of Research Programmes, Grants, and Publications
At DUT as is the case elsewhere Research is an important driver for both innovation and community engagement. It creates a dynamic ecosystem where new ideas generated within the institution spill over to enhance social and technological advancements while nurturing stronger community ties. Further, it fuels innovation by uncovering new knowledge, developing cutting-edge technologies, and improving already existing solutions. The technological advancements and scientific research may lead to breakthroughs in various fields which directly impact communities. Fields such as healthcare, renewable energy, artificial intelligence, etc. Innovation buttressed by Research fosters new businesses ventures and job creation improving economic status of communities. Universities as research institutions partner with industries to develop market- ready products and services.
On a local and global scale research assists the discovery of solutions towards addressing of issues such as climate change, food security, and urban development by enhancing efficiency in agriculture, manufacturing, and education through data-driven solutions. It helps in the design of innovative social oriented programmes that empower communities with knowledge and tools so that communities are enabled to advocate for their needs. Infusing research with community engagement, impacts society by paving the way for enhanced community connectedness, informed
and progressive society. Research is a transformative force in accelerating innovation that bridges the gap and foster collaboration between universities, businesses, governments, and societies.
DUT’s research outputs have exceeded expectations, with 531.61 units for journal articles, 46.69 units for conference proceedings, and 42.22 units for book chapters, totaling 620.52 units as of March 2025.This has been an increase from 575.40 units in 2023. Furthermore, in 2024, DUT secured 69 (32 Doctoral and 37 Masters) under NRF and new scholarships for the 2025 funding year, valued at R11,381,460.The split is 32 Doctoral (R5 322 558) and 37 Masters (R6 058 902). In total quarter 1, the amount paid out by DUT to students as scholarships, was R2,875,832, split into 62 Doctoral (R1,516,666) and 78 Masters (R1,359,166). In the last quarter of 2024 (October to December), 222 students were funded by DUT, for a total amount of R4,550,003, split into 106 Doctoral (R2,566,665) and 116 Masters (R1,983,338). The values are not comparable since the students’ scholarship contract periods vary.
DUT has also secured external grants to support six undergraduate students from the FoodBev SETA, with a combined total of R615 000, also a student award by CSIR for an amount of R160 000. Eight Doctoral and ten Masters students are still in the process of processing bursary documents for the EWSETA block grant. Additionally, HSRC allocated 2 interns to DUT from the call that closed in the 1st quarter. Further to this, NRF has allocated DUT 115 block grant scholarships to the total value of R18 674 580.00. Out of 430 applications that were submitted on the NRF Connect platform with DUT as Institution, 237 eligible applications (based on
2025 Quarter 1 Engagement Report 5