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11 January 2021
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Story André Damons
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Photo Supplied
Dr Ralph Clark
The Afromontane Research Unit (ARU), the flagship research group of the University of the Free State (UFS) Qwaqwa Campus, has recently been granted R8,4 million to establish a Risk and Vulnerability Science Centre programme.
The Risk and Vulnerability Science Centre (RVSC) programme was established by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) as part of the Global Change Research Plan for South Africa and is funded by the DSI through the National Research Foundation (NRF). The RVSC will focus on the need to generate and disseminate knowledge about risk and vulnerability on global change challenges faced by local policy makers/ governance structures and communities in South Africa.
Invited to participate
Dr Ralph Clark, Director of the ARU, says the UFS, together with the University of Zululand and the Sol Plaatje University, has been invited to participate in Phase 2 of the RVSC programme. Dr Clark was approached by the DSI (on referral from the South African Environmental Observation Network – SAEON) in February 2020 regarding the potential for establishing a RVSC at the UFS Qwaqwa campus.
Subsequent interactions were held between the UFS and DSI, and in March 2020, the UFS formally accepted the DSI invitation. It has since been agreed that the RVSC: UFS will be hosted as a RVSC under the ARU umbrella, with dedicated personnel embedded at the UFS in this regard (internal processes and reporting) but reporting directly to the NRF regarding the RVSC.
Interest and support welcomed
Dr Clark welcomed this interest and support from the DSI-NRF, saying that the funds will further assist the UFS in growing its excellent and growing research portfolio and building more research capacity on this traditionally undergraduate-focused campus. “The RVSC will contribute to much-needed solutions in an area marked by major sustainability challenges and will assist in moving Phuthaditjhaba away from its negative apartheid history towards becoming a sustainable African mountain city,” says Dr Clark.
President’s advisor commends UFS job creation project
2007-11-07
One of President Thabo Mbeki’s international business advisors, Dr Percy Barnevik, has commended the Mangaung University of the Free State Community Partnership Programme (MUCPP) in Bloemfontein as an example of community-based job-creation efforts.
“I am encouraged with what is going on, but you have to step up the speed dramatically. We don’t want to see 5000 jobs per month, we want to see 25000”, Dr Barnevik emphasized.
The Swedish-born business executive is a member of President Mbeki’s International Investment Council which met this weekend in George. Dr Barnevik is also involved with the Indian charity organisation Hand in Hand in their programmes to eliminate rural poverty.
The University of the Free State (UFS) is involved in the National Programme for the Creation of Small Enterprises and Jobs for the Second Economy as part of the government’s Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (ASGISA).
As part of government’s job creation efforts, the UFS was appointed as a training provider for small enterprises and community based organisations.
According to the Programme Co-ordinator at the UFS, Dr Aldo Stroebel, the University of the Free State is therefore using the partnership model of MUCPP as a vehicle for training and development as well as a model that can potentially be rolled out nationally to other provinces as part of the programme to create small enterprises and jobs in the second economy.
As a result of the UFS’s involvement, 150 people were trained last year in identifying and mentoring existing self-help groups, small enterprises and community based organisations, to strengthen their ability to establish and grow small enterprises in an effort to create jobs in the Second Economy.
Media Release
Issued by: Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt.stg@mail.ufs.ac.za
12 November 2007