From Labs to Real-World Impact: The vision for the Presidential PhD Programme

On 26 November, the National Research Foundation (NRF) hosted a panel discussion entitled Presidential PhD Programme: Is Africa ready to reimagine Doctoral training for real-world impact? on the sidelines of the Science Forum South Africa that is currently underway at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) International Convention Centre in Pretoria.

Facilitated by Dr Pheladi Mohlala, Senior Specialist: Climate Adaptation and Policy at Sasol, the discussion explored the design, purpose, and potential of the Presidential PhD Programme. Dr Thandi Mgwebi, NRF Group Executive: Business Advancement, kicked off the panel by outlining the background to the programme. A couple of years ago, the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) together with the NRF and other partners within South Africa’s national system of innovation, launched a drive that offered structured programmes and scholarships to promote Doctoral training in the country, said Dr Mgwebi.

This process culminated into the Presidential PhD Programme two years ago, when President Cyril Ramaphosa pledged support for a new form of PhD training that focused on areas with strong potential for innovation and economic growth. Dr Mgwebi recounted that following the announcement, “We sat as the NRF and our partners, together with the international advisory committee from whom we draw wisdom, and we conceptualised the Presidential PhD Programme.”

“The programme aims to support cohorts of graduates in a trans and interdisciplinary manner and is heavily reliant on partnerships, particularly international partnerships. It is not isolated from what is happening across the African continent,” added Dr Mgwebi. “We partner with everyone interested in the advancement of Doctoral training in South Africa so that we can expose young minds to business, industry, policymaking, advocacy, and future skills required in higher education.”

The programme is designed so that graduates have clear graduate absorption pathways after the completion of their PhDs. These pathways include:

• Industry and innovation: There is a strong drive to partner with industry, both nationally and internationally, to ensure graduates can contribute to innovation ecosystems.
• Advocacy and policy work: Students are exposed to policymaking, policy models, policy analysis, and related work to equip them to engage effectively in policy development and implementation.
• Academic and teaching skills: The programme aims to prepare graduates for academic careers, producing professors who are ready to teach and lead in higher education.
• Entrepreneurship: Doctoral-level entrepreneurship is promoted to encourage students to think about innovation and venture creation from the start of their research. Partnerships with venture capitalists are welcomed to provide opportunities for students who develop solutions to real-world challenges.

Said Prof Aldo Stroebel, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Internationalisation at the University of Mpumalanga, “It is fortunate that we have increased our PhD production to around 63 per million of the population per year. The National Development Plan targets 75 per million, so this represents good growth. However, in thriving knowledge economies, that number ranges between 250 and 430 per million per year. There is a very large knowledge gap. I think that is our joint challenge that we should tackle.”

Dr Palesa Mothapo, Director: Research Support and Management at Nelson Mandela University, said “Graduates need to remain academically relevant while addressing societal challenges. This requires stronger collaboration with both industry and communities. It means that when you’re conceptualising your proposal, you need to start thinking about the problems around you. Many of us come from townships and villages; spaces where change is urgently needed.”

“If you cannot acquire the right skills, you cannot participate meaningfully in the economy, and you risk remaining unemployed,” she added. “I run a programme with postdocs who are looking for jobs, and with a PhD one would expect to be able to embed oneself in any space and contribute meaningfully. The issue is that we do not give postgraduate students enough exposure to industry.”

Mr Michael Nxumalo, Director: International Grants and Partnerships at the NRF, shared lessons from his recent visit to the University of Kinshasa. It is common for PhD graduates in the university’s pharmaceutical department to register patents. The department explained that they enter into an agreement with each PhD candidate stipulating that one of the outputs of their Doctoral research should be a patent, he said.

Said Mr Nxumalo, “It’s possible that it may not be a patent, but the student would have come close to that particular outcome. There is a saying: you must aim for the moon; if you miss, you’ll be among the stars. It’s very important to set that high bar, particularly for our graduates, so that they are able to pursue that path.”