A change in leadership has set a new course for one of the North-West University’s (NWU’s) most strategically positioned research chairs. The National Research Foundation (NRF) has officially upgraded the South African Research Chair in Cities, Law and Environmental Sustainability (CLES) to a Tier 1 position and appointed a new chairholder, Prof Oliver Fuo.

The CLES Chair, housed in the Faculty of Law, was initially established in 2018 as a Tier 2 Chair and led by Prof Anél du Plessis until her departure from the university in June 2023. Following an interim period and an appeal process, the NRF confirmed the Chair’s upgrade and new leadership. The decision followed the NRF’s review of the Chair’s first five-year cycle, which ended in November 2023.

“This appointment represents the continuation of a strategic investment in legal research that intersects with questions of urban development and environmental governance,” says Prof Henk Kloppers, acting executive dean of the Faculty of Law. “It builds on the foundation laid by Prof du Plessis and her team, and we remain committed to growing the impact and reach of the Chair in the coming years.”

Funding injection accompanies upgrade

With its new Tier 1 status, the Chair’s funding has nearly doubled. According to the NRF, Tier 1 Chairs are awarded to scholars who meet five key criteria, including national recognition as full professors, an established record of postgraduate supervision, and international leadership in their field.

Tier 1 Chairs may also benefit from NRF funding for up to 10 years, subject to satisfactory performance reviews.

As part of its new mandate, the CLES Chair will be required to scale up research activities, recruit additional postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers, and strengthen science engagement initiatives.

The Faculty of Law underscores the importance of the Chair in contributing to national legal discourse and developing future scholars. “This Chair remains a cornerstone of our long-term research strategy,” says Prof Kloppers. “It enables us to respond to pressing societal questions while training the next generation of legal academics.”

CLES is one of seven SARChI Chairs located in law faculties across the country. All are Tier 1 Chairs, with others based at the universities of the Witwatersrand, Cape Town, Western Cape, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Nelson Mandela. Some were upgraded from Tier 2, while others have since been phased out.

The Faculty of Law looks forward to implementing the research plan submitted to the NRF as part of the chair replacement application.

Prof Oliver Fuo is the new chairholder of the upgraded South African Research Chair in Cities, Law and Environmental Sustainability.