Research News
Major funding awarded to large-scale collaborative projects at NWU
“In this period of economic austerity, governments are forced to cut their spending and budgets in order to remain financially viable or sustainable. Universities are therefore more and more challenged to find alternative means to meet the growing demands of financial resources to fulfil the academic project.”
Prof Refilwe Phaswana…
2019 Research Day puts emerging researchers in the limelight
The importance of research and its application in the community is being thrust into the limelight, especially in the midst of global debates about the role of universities flaring up again.
Prof Refilwe Phaswana-Mafuya, the North-West University’s (NWU’s) deputy vice-chancellor for research and innovation, recently convened a series…
Hunting generates most profit for game farmers
When it comes to game farming, hunting and breeding yield the highest production output and highest capital layout, but also generate the most profit. This was the findings of a ground-breaking study that the North-West University’s (NWU) Tourism Research in Economics, Environs and Society (TREES) recently conducted on game farming.
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New drug discoveries are a triple offensive against malaria and TB
Researchers from three South African universities are unleashing the power of oxygen in a triple-drug treatment strategy against disease-causing parasites and bacteria.
Oxygen is the key to life – and that applies as much to parasites and bacteria that cause malaria, tuberculosis (TB) and certain other related diseases as it does to…
Students represent NWU at meeting with Nobel Laureates
Few scientific gatherings are as prestigious as the famous annual Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. Two students from the North-West University (NWU) have the honour of being chosen to attend the 2019 event.
In the wake of the Second World War, the science community was reunited by the efforts of Count Lennart Bernadotte, grandson of…
NWU’s astrophysicists help unlock secrets of the universe
The high-energy astrophysics group at the Centre for Space Research at the North-West University (NWU) is playing an important role in key science programmes at the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) that will be built in Chile.
The final agreements between the CTA Observatory and the European Southern Observatory were signed late last…
Research explores the spread and prevention of HIV/Aids in Africa
The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Prof Erhabor Idemudia recently broke ground on research that looks at African cultural practices that aid the spread of HIV/Aids and what can be done to curtail this.
According to Prof Idemudia’s research, African culture is generally male-dominated, with women accorded a lower status than men.…
Water-friendly cowpea plant is packed with potential
In a country that is struggling with water supply, the North-West University (NWU) has found a cowpea plant that does not require a lot of water compared to other field crops.
This particular cowpea is indigenous to the Southern African region and the NWU will be the first institution in the world to introduce it to the scientific…
Research identifies novel treatment options for rare disease
The research of a brilliant postgraduate student at the North-West University (NWU) is a breakthrough in the understanding of mitochondrial disease and identifying novel treatment options for patients.
Karin Terburgh investigated mitochondrial disease as part of her MSc studies, using mice already suffering from this disease, known as…
Making the choice: open access versus traditional journals
Researchers are architects of innovation. However, their research findings will only impact the world if they are effectively shared with the rest of the academic community and the world.
With this in mind the Library and Information Service team at the North-West University (NWU) recently hosted an Open Access Week across its three…