It is a crisp Thursday morning and the University of the Western Cape is still without the hustle and bustle that is soon to follow. Dr Shernice Soobramoney, director of the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Global Engagement Office comes rushing up the steps of the Jakes Gerwel Hall with smile beaming across her face.
It is the fourth day of the South Africa-Sweden University Forums’ (SASUF) Research and Innovation week, but her spirits are as high as if it is about to start. This right here in the Mother City is what she lives for. With staff and students from 40 universities across Sweden and South Africa exchanging ideas and formulating plans, the future is waiting to be built and its architects have gathered.
“The SASUF initiative is critical in that it is a way to bring researchers together that would probably never have met each other,” she explains jovially.
“It provides a platform for them to gauge if there is a mutual interest, to meet each other and to see if they would like to engage in collaborative research. The available seed funding gives them a start to work together and see if they can grow their projects and their research.”
SASUF follows a three-year model with the next and last Research and Innovation Week of this cycle taking place in May of 2024 in Sweden.
“I think SASUF is very important to foster collaboration and collaborative research between our two countries. It is also not just about research, but this can also lead to staff and student mobility, which is a great benefit as well. It is a good match as there is a lot of seed funding to start up projects which will grow into larger collaborative projects. All the academic parties involved are excellent and there is an overlap concerning the various research topics.”
The South Africa-Sweden Research and Innovation Week consists of two parts. Satellite events were held on 27 and 28 March, whereafter the South Africa - Sweden University Forum is taking place from 29 to 31 March.
“Another vital aspect of SASUF is the focus on sustainable goals. Research needs resources. We can’t just do things short term, we need to look long term and sustainability is key to that. I think the South Africa - Sweden University Forum has been excellent, it has been a wonderful opportunity to profile our researchers and to showcase the work that we are doing. I hope this sends us on a new trajectory towards bilateral cooperation,” says Shernice.
That trajectory has been set and it is pointing one way: forward.
Dr Shernice Soobramoney, director of the NWU’s Global Engagement Office in front of the Jakes Gerwel Hall.
