North-West University (NWU) is playing an important role in the newly launched Palladium Global Science Award, a major international initiative recognizing research in advanced palladium-based materials. With a substantial prize fund of $350,000, the award supports innovation in one of the most critical fields of materials science.

Professor Dmitri Bessarabov of NWU has been appointed to the international jury, joining a panel of renowned scientists tasked with evaluating submissions from researchers, startups and academic teams worldwide.

In a landmark step toward deepening legal education, community engagement, and access to justice, the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Law has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Consumer Goods and Services Ombudsman (CGSO). The signing ceremony took place on 11 June 2025, marking the formalisation of a collaboration that has been evolving since 2022.

On 10 June 2025, Prof Bismark Tyobeka, principal and vice-chancellor of the North-West University (NWU), arrived in Curitiba, Brazil, alongside a delegation of senior academic staff to formalise a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the NWU and the Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR).

The agreement aims to strengthen collaboration in research, staff development, and the exploration of new academic fields, while also advancing initiatives related to student and staff exchange programmes.

The annual Beer and Cheese Day, hosted by the School of Chemical and Minerals Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering of the North-West University (NWU), is more than just a social gathering – it is a way to ignite the students’ creativity and entrepreneurial spirits.

The School of Industrial Psychology and Human Resource Management at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University (NWU) successfully hosted the first ever Global People Practices Conference (GPPC).

This marked a significant step towards fostering critical discourse, academic collaboration and innovation in human resource management, industrial psychology, labour relations management and human resource development.

A lively panel of experts provided a critical analysis of Minister Enoch Godongwana's Budget address during the Pitso 2025.4 discussion of the North-West University (NWU) Business School. These experts advocated for significant changes to the way South Africa creates and oversees its national budget, calling for transparency and accountability in policymaking.

The discussion was moderated by columnist Khaya Sithole, and the other speakers were political scientist Prince Mashele and economist Prof Jannie Rossouw from the University of the Witwatersrand.

The academic workplace is no longer defined by shared offices and hallway conversations. As hybrid work becomes the norm, one researcher argues that the shift may be eroding the very ties that keep academic communities functioning.

“Academics are often isolated in their work, and hybrid work has amplified that,” said Dr Rudo Rachel Marozva, a recent NWU PhD graduate, whose new study examined how reduced in-person contact weakened social infrastructure in universities. “Even though we meet online, something gets lost. It’s harder to feel part of a team.”

· African nations must build their own research capacity, rather than relying solely on Western institutions and donors.

· Africa remains largely overlooked in HIV sequencing research, despite bearing the greatest burden.

· It is time for Africa to reclaim agency over its health future.

· Global HIV research is biased towards the West: 54% of studies focus on just 12% of the virus.

· Ignoring HIV diversity could trigger the next pandemic, scientists warn.

Prof Rose Hayeshi, director of the Preclinical Drug Development Platform (PCDDP) at the North-West University (NWU), has been accepted into the Calestous Juma Science Leadership Fellowship of the Gates Foundation. The Calestous Juma Science Leadership Fellowship focuses on bringing together accomplished innovators to form a community of global health opinion shapers and influencers.

Is a political heavyweight stepping back into the boxing ring? Helen Zille, the current Chairperson of the Federal Council of the Democratic Alliance (DA), former leader of the DA, former Mayor of Cape Town and Premier of the Western Cape, is considering running for Mayor of Johannesburg.

Zille is known as a formidable political pugilist, and the revelation that she is considering a run to take charge of South Africa’s largest city and its undisputed economic hub, has caused a stir of some magnitude.