UFS-QQ Risk and Vulnerability Science Centre (RVSC)

The UFS-QQ Risk and Vulnerability Science Centre (RVSC), founded in 2020, was established by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) as part of the Global Change Research Plan for South Africa. The UFS-QQ RVSC is a flagship programme under the ARU umbrella, with the potential to evolve into a sustainability sciences hub.

The theme of the RVSC is The Sustainable Development of Phuthaditjhaba as an African Mountain City. This theme links directly with the ARU objective of contributing intellectually and practically to the sustainable development discourse of the Maloti-Drakensberg as a unique socio-ecological system.

The intractable challenges of Phuthaditjhaba will be tackled from a research perspective to assist with a journey towards sustainable development solutions within and around this unique city.

Under this theme, some of the challenges that will be addressed by the RVSC, include

• waste minimisation methods and technologies
• planning for sustainable urban development in a South African context
• water security
• resilience and capacity
• social learning for sustainability, adaptation, innovation, and resilience

The ARU’s nurturing of the RVSC will be of great assistance to its growth, considering the ARU’s extensive research network and collaboration with some of the region’s top universities, as well as in the Americas, Australasia, and Europe (with a future focus on developing more BRICS and Southern Hemisphere relationships).

Contact details

Prof V Ralph Clark
Director: Afromontane Research Unit
T: +27 58 718 5407
C: +27 72 439 8981
E: ClarkVR@ufs.ac.za