NRF Participates in the SASUF Research and Innovation Week 2024

The NRF formed part of the Vice-Chancellors’ Delegation attending the South Africa-Sweden Universities Forum (SASUF) Research and Innovation Week that was held from 13 – 17 May 2024 in Stockholm and Malmo, Sweden. From the South African side, the meeting was attended by leaders and administrators of all 26 South African universities, the NRF, the South African Department of Science and Innovation, and all researchers and postgraduate students funded under SASUF. The NRF was represented by Dr Prudence Makhura (Acting Executive Director: Knowledge Advancement and Support) and Michael Nxumalo (Director: Knowledge Advancement and Support). Dr Makhura presented during the Funders’ Session that was held on Friday, 17 May at Malmo University. During this session, Dr Makhura shared the NRF priorities and outlined the NRF’s future plans for supporting university networks.

Since the current phase of SASUF is coming to an end this year, the discussions at the meetings centred around its future. There was a consensus to continue SASUF beyond 2024, i.e. from 2025 to 2030). Participants identified future areas of collaboration for the 2025-2030 SASUF.

SASUF is a strategic bilateral internationalisation project which aims to strengthen the ties between South Africa and Sweden in the areas of research and education through the establishment of long-term collaborations and research excellence between the two countries. The project was established and funded in 2017, and the first three-year collaborative phase ran from 2018 to 2021, beginning with seven Swedish and 22 South African universities. Today, SASUF is in the final part of its second three-year phase, running from 2022 to 2024 and involving 14 Swedish and 26 South African universities. NRF has been one of the funders of SASUF since its inception.

Over the course of five SASUF Research and Innovation Weeks, over 4 000 researchers, teachers, students, university leaders and funding agencies have been brought together in joint workshops and sessions. Around 109 collaborative projects, engaging approximately 500 researchers, have been funded and supported through SASUF during this period. Each of these projects integrated, at minimum, researchers from two Swedish universities and two South African universities. It is noteworthy that 70% of these collaborative initiatives incorporated Historically Disadvantaged Institutions in South Africa.

For further information on SASUF, please visit the SASUF website: https://www.sasuf.org/. Michael Nxumalo can also be contacted on MG.Nxumalo@risa.nrf.ac.za for information on the NRF’s future plans with regards to SASUF.