The North-West University (NWU) marked World Intellectual Property Day 2024 with vibrant celebrations across our Mahikeng and Potchefstroom campuses on 25 and 26 April. This year's theme, focusing on leveraging intellectual property for the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), drew an enthusiastic crowd comprising students, researchers and representatives from various state agencies.

At the World Intellectual Property Day celebrations on 25 and 26 April 2024, the Mahikeng and Potchefstroom campuses of the North-West University (NWU) were buzzing with events. This year's focus was on how intellectual property can help achieve the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the events drew students, researchers and state agency representatives.

In Potchefstroom, two exhibitors highlighted the role of ancient grains in achieving zero hunger (SDG 2), building on Prof Sydney Mavengahama's presentation in Mahikeng on the same topic.

The North-West University’s (NWU’s) Faculty of Humanities has another cause for celebration. Prof David Scott-Macnab, a B2-rated researcher with the National Research Foundation and professor in English literature, has been awarded a prestigious Leverhulme Foundation visiting professorship at the Centre for Medieval Studies at Bristol University in the UK.

These awards are highly competitive with a success rate of 6-8%, making an award at the University of Bristol, one of the UK’s 24 research-intensive Russell Group universities, even more of an accomplishment.

The Geekulcha Student Society on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Vanderbiljpark Campus recently hosted an Ideathon, a cybersecurity training and idea-generation event that brought together more than 100 industry experts and participants.

This formed part of a series of ideathons for training, idea generation and pre-selection as a build-up to the Security Summit 2024 Hackathon, which is set to take place on 4 and 5 June 2024 at the Sandton Convention Centre.

It is a dream for many young scientists – to be in the presence of some of the world’s most revered scientific minds. This dream is coming true for a graduate of the North-West University (NWU). Dr Sarah McKee is one of only eight young scientists from South Africa who have been chosen to attend the 73rd Lindau Nobel laureate meeting in Germany.

The North-West University (NWU) has launched a new educational card game called Prosper to celebrate World IP Day in 2024. The game is all about using intellectual property (IP) to teach people about the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The High Performance in Sport Management Conference 2024, hosted by the High-Performance Institute (HPI) of the North-West University (NWU), took place at the NWU Sports Village from 23 to 24 April.

The goal of the conference was to explore innovative developments, industry best practices and creative approaches that boost sports performance and administration.

The notable speakers included Prof Liandi van den Berg, associate professor at the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the NWU, and Prof Jacques Faul, an associate professor at the NWU Business School.

The North-West University (NWU) recently played host to the annual World Intellectual Property Day (WIPD) celebrations in collaboration with several key partners – including the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition (DTIC), the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), the National Intellectual Property Management Office (NIPMO), the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), and the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA).

Prof John Victor Mensah from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana recently presented a public lecture at the North-West University’s Mahikeng Campus. He discussed the interconnectedness of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Agenda 2063, and the necessity of research, particularly at postgraduate level.

The lecture shed light on the divergent yet complementary objectives of the SDGs and Agenda 2063, underscoring the importance of national plans and local actions in achieving sustainable development.

By Loveness Hulwane

"Upskilling our young alumni to be ready for the job market" was the theme of the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Alumni Job Hunters Market Day which recently took place at the Vanderbijlpark Campus.