In a great step towards advancing technology transfer capabilities across Southern Africa, a pioneering initiative has been launched to provide experiential learning for technology transfer practitioners from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

The World Intellectual Property Organization, in partnership with the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association and the Japan Patent Office, initiated an immersive eight-week training-on-the-job programme based at South African offices of technology transfer (OTTs).

Cooperation is key if Africa is to reach her potential. On 19 October, at the OR Tambo Premier Hotel in Johannesburg, the Research Output, Outcomes and Impact Community of Practice (Cop-ROOI) was launched by the North-West University (NWU) in conjunction with the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA) to help achieve this goal.

The first-ever dictionary for N|uu, one of South Africa’s highly endangered minority languages with only one remaining fluent speaker, has been awarded the ATKV Wordwise Prize (Woordwystoekenning) for 2023 at the ATKV Woordveertjies (Afrikaans Language and Culture Association Word Feathers), an annual celebration of outstanding contributions around the Afrikaans word.

Protection Services on the North-West University's (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus hosted an event – Men's conceptualisation of gender-based violence (GBV) – at the campus' Modiri Park.

This initiative was not merely a gathering, but a determined effort to educate students, staff and members of the community about the profound implications of GBV and to equip them with the tools and knowledge to stop GBV on campus.

Moreover, it aimed to encourage open discussions, emphasising the existence of policies and harsh punishments for transgressors.

For over 18 years the Old Mutual Education Trust (OMET) has been changing the trajectory of the lives of many young South Africans. Through a partnership with participating unions, the trust has used education as a pathway for union members and their beneficiaries to access post-graduation opportunities.

The subject group Social Work on the North-West University's (NWU’s) Vanderbijlpark Campus recently hosted a Solemn Declaration Ceremony.

The ceremony was a momentous occasion for second-year social work students, their families, and the university community, as it marked the beginning of their journey as student social workers committed to fostering harmony and positive change within society.

Dr Adele Broodryk, an inspirational long-distance runner and staff member at the North-West University (NWU), finished second in the women’s division of this year’s Comrades Marathon.

Her endurance not only tested her physical limits but also managed to garner more than R150000 in pledges for the NWU’s Meal-A-Day campaign. She was again an inspiration for so many people and this year she served our NWU cause with pride and passion.

The School of Music at the North-West University (NWU) and the research niche area Musical Arts in South Africa: Resources and Applications (MASARA) recently hosted the sixteenth Cultural Diversity in Music Education (CDIME) conference under the leadership of Prof Albi Odendaal.

The biennial international conference ran from 9 to 11 October and was held at the Waterfront Breakwater Lodge in Cape Town. It provided a platform for the exchange of practices and research relating to cultural diversity in music education.

Postgraduate funding is one of the most elusive resources in the higher-education space. This is why, since his inauguration over a year ago, Prof Bismark Tyobeka has been leading strategic interventions to increase funding for postgraduates in order to alleviate the financial burden of deserving students, particularly those who are categorised as the missing middle.

By Lerato Tshweu

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Mahikeng Campus recognised and celebrated the achievements of student athletes, coaches and teams during a sports awards ceremony on 13 October 2023 at the Great Hall.

The primary focus of the university sports awards ceremony was to honour outstanding athletes who excelled in their respective sporting codes throughout the year.