There is an ever-increasing awareness of the importance of collaboration and partnership building as critical components in strengthening the UFS research efforts.
At the UFS, we believe that institutional support is essential to ensure multiple and competing approaches for collaboration. The Office for International Affairs drives the international cooperation strategy which aims to foster high-quality, productive scholarship through partnerships, networks and coalitions with leading organisations, groups and individuals.
International agreements
The UFS has extensive agreements on institutional, faculty and departmental level with universities across the globe. Some of the agreements date back to 2004/2005. Agreements make provision for the exchange of researchers, lecturers, and co-research projects.
The more than 50 partner universities are in Austria, Belgium, Botswana, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Thailand and the USA.
The Research Report of 2013 was dedicated to some of the prominent partnerships between the UFS and institutions around the globe. Vice-Chancellor, Jonathan Jansen, said in the report that research across the world is no longer the preserve of old men. Millions of young scientists and scholars occupy research centres and institutes as the next-generation researchers. “And there is not a single instance, past or present, in which research is produced in isolation of partnerships with others.”
Dr Glen Taylor, Senior Director: DRD, says: “Universities that are able to forge the right collaborations and partnerships are the ones able to push the frontiers of knowledge and scholarship. With the right partners, they can also be strong drivers on innovation and economic growth for the communities they serve.”
Click here for more information on the UFS’s International partnerships.