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11 October 2018 | Story UFS | Photo Zama Feni
UFS launch student business incubator project
Rector and Vice-Chancellor Francis Peterson cutting the ribbon as the office of Student Business Incubator Project was officially opened last Friday.
The University of Free State has recently launched a Student Business Incubator Project that will provide impetus to students with business ideas.

The initiative, which is under the management of the Directorate for Research and Development (DRD) was conceived a few years ago with objective of untapping the entrepreneurial potential of students. 

And it was on Friday last week that all the energy and efforts that were directed towards the planning of this project culminated into the official launch and opening of the offices where the students will conduct their business operations.

Generate new business ideas

Delivering a brief address at the launch, Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Francis Petersen encouraged students to generate new business ideas that would make them job creators at the end of the day. 

“As a university, we should disseminate our output to society through research, education and technology transfer. The Incubator Project is a good initiative and I would like to see it growing so that more students can benefit from a facility such as this,” he said. 
Professor Petersen encouraged the student innovators to engage society so that they can make quality of life better through new knowledge.

“You must continue to incubate ideas and develop them,” he said adding that one of the great things that a university is measured about is the employability of its graduates.

Business ideas awarded 
On the previous day, DRD hosted a pitching competition for the business ideas that students were invited to submit.

Assistant Research Officer and Project Manager, Ayanda Makhanya said they were excited about the outcome of their call to students as they received an overall total of 60 ideas.

“We screened all the inputs and came up with 14 ideas. We will now be working with these students to provide the necessary support,” she said.

The winner in the pitching competition was an LLB student Mannini Setai whose idea was the production of eco-friendly bricks.

The office are located near the UFS Sasol Library and has computers and a big flat screen.

News Archive

Schoolgirl builds giant Gingerbread house for Children’s Wing Project
2015-11-13


Professor André Venter, Head: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Morgan Pelser, and Tertia de Bruin, Project Coordinator: Children’s Wing: UFS Marketing.
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs.

“You have to dream before your dreams can come true.” These words rang true for Morgan Pelser from Bloemfontein when she fulfilled her wish on Tuesday 3 November 2015 at the launch of her ‘big and real’ Gingerbread house.

 

Pelser, 13, said she had the idea of building the gingerbread house over six months ago and began working tirelessly, raising funds for the project. She intends to donate the money raised from this initiative to the Children’s Wing Project at Pelonomi and Universitas Hospitals. It was back in Grade 4 when she had the opportunity to tour through the ICU, neonatal and paediatric wards of the two hospitals, that she saw the need for better equipment and facilities. Pelser hopes to raise R200 000 through the initiative.

 

Professor André Venter, Head: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at the University of the Free State, said he was greatly humbled by the perseverance and passion shown by Morgan in executing her dream. “I work with children, so I know how resilient they are, but seeing this is amazing. We tend to give up so easily,” he said. He went on to say that the money will be greatly appreciated, as it will be used to provide health-care facilities for children at both hospitals.

 

The launch of the gingerbread house was a huge success. The house is currently outside Coco C at the Loch Logan Waterfront. Members of the public are encouraged to see and taste the giant house, where they can leave a message on the inside of the house. A minimum fee of R20 is requested.

 

Professor André Venter, Head: Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Morgan Pelser, and Tertia de Bruin, Project Coordinator: Children’s Wing: UFS-Marketing.

Photo: Leonie Bolleurs.

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