Page 1 - DUT Conduit Sept 2023

volume 24 no. 3
BRICS Delegates Explore Cutting- Edge Innovations at The Faculty of Accounting and Informatics
Page 3
the university newspaper
DUT Plants its own Rose on Homeopathy Day
Page 4
September 2023
Dr Swanepoel Shares on his Role as an ENVISION2030 ‘Steward’ at DUT
Page 7
INSIDE
THIS ISSUE
NEWLY APPOINTED Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement, PROF FULUFHELO NEMAVHOLA AIMS TO UTILISE ENVISION2030 TO PROJECT RESEARCH TOWARDS
SOLVING CRITICAL SOCIETAL CHALLENGES THROUGH GROUNDBREAKING RESEARCH
Simangele Zuma
The newly appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), Professor Fulufhelo Nemavhola is planning to initiate a targeted recruitment drive to attract and retain qualified doctoral staff members. Simultaneously, he plans to work with relevant stakeholders to establish a robust promotion policy that rewards research achievements and encourages faculty members to engage in high- quality research.
Prof Nemavhola was appointed as the DVC: RIE as from 1st August 2023 after serving as the Executive Dean: Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at DUT for a year. Prior to joining DUT, he served as the Director of the School of Engineering at the University of South Africa, where he led with distinction, steering the school towards excellence and fostering a culture of innovation.
“As we embark on the journey towards ENVISION2030, the blueprint for DUT’s future, we find ourselves at a crossroads. While we celebrate our achievements, we must acknowledge a critical challenge that demands our immediate attention-a challenge that directly impacts our academic standing, research capacity, and our ability to fulfil our mission. The dearth of doctoral holders among our academic staff limits our research capabilities, hindering our capacity to produce high-impact research outputs, secure research funding, and engage in collaborative research initiatives. This limitation has a direct impact on our ability to address critical societal challenges through groundbreaking research as our ENVISION2030 dictates,” said Prof Nemavhola.
Additionally, “Durban University of Technology is number five in South Africa in terms of Times Higher Education World University rankings. As the Deputy Vice-Chancellor responsible for research, innovation, and engagement, I have identified a range of challenges within the RIE portfolio and not limited to, low academic staff with doctoral degree, unaligned research policies with ENVISION2030, lack or unclear research performance policy for academic staff
Pictured: DUT Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement, Prof Fulufhelo Nemavhola.
members, limited research institutes and centres, low number of full professors in faculties, low number of postdoctoral fellows, and importantly very limited number of research that produces patents and ultimately businesses. Furthermore, faculties do not receive any research funding, and international and national conferences are primarily funded by a committee that meets once a quarter,” said Prof Nemavhola.
To address these challenges, Prof Nemavhola has developed a comprehensive and cohesive strategy that involves collaboration with various stakeholders within the institution. Some of the objectives of his strategy include:
• Developing a clear research performance policy for academic staff members, providing transparent guidelines for performance evaluation and promotion criteria.
• To promote research capacity, establish dedicated research centres and institutes that focus on specific areas of expertise, encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration and fostering innovation in line with ENVISION2030.
• Implement mentoring and training programs to enhance supervisory capacity,enabling faculty members to effectively mentor postgraduate students and postdocs.
• Set up a defence process for doctoral students, ensuring they receive adequate support and guidance throughout their research journey.
• Secure additional research funding through strategic partnerships with industry, government agencies, and top international universities.
• Strengthen linkages with reputed international institutions to facilitate knowledge exchange, joint research projects, and faculty exchange programmes.
• Encourage the conversion of research outcomes into viable commercial ventures, promoting entrepreneurship and innovation.
• Create a research tracking system to monitor the progress of registered postgraduate students and identify potential areas for improvement.
• Allocate research budgets to faculties, fostering a research culture and supporting faculty-led research initiatives.
• Revive and activate Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) to strengthen international collaborations and explore opportunities for joint research projects and student exchanges.
• Re-evaluate the funding mechanism for international and national conferences,ensuring a sustainable and transparent process that supports academic networking and research dissemination.
• Facilitate regular reporting and accountability between executive deans and the DVC RIE to streamline decision- making and resource allocation.
Prof Nemavhola is a distinguished academic and visionary leader in the field of engineering and research. With an impressive career spanning several renowned institutions, he has made significant contributions to academia, research, and innovation.