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02 November 2023
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Story Kekeletso Makau
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Photo SUPPLIED
The UFS Heads of Mission Breakfast event attracted a distinguished delegation of foreign diplomatic missions.
The second Heads of Diplomatic Mission breakfast was hosted by the University of the Free State (UFS) in collaboration with the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA) in Pretoria, South Africa on 26 October 2023.
The event served as an opportunity to position the UFS as a preferred partner for international collaboration in higher education, research, and innovation – following the success of the inaugural event in 2022. More than ten diplomatic missions were represented by distinguished foreign mission representatives who shared in the deliberations on this year’s theme, namely partnerships and collaborations.
The keynote address was delivered by the UFS Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Francis Petersen, with contributing presentations from MISTRA researcher Laurence Caromba, UFS Professor of Pharmacology, Prof Motlalepula Matsabisa, and Senior Lecturer from the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies, Dr Grey Magaiza. A key goal of Prof Petersen’s presentation was to highlight the benefits of reciprocal collaboration and co-creation of knowledge with international partners, including industry partners. Contributing presentations posited the UFS as a partner of interest in research, innovation, and technology in the international arena and showcased the value of university and diplomatic partnerships in support of the UFS Internationalisation Strategy and Vision 130.
Caromba, a MISTRA researcher, reiterated the importance of collaboration between universities, research institutes, and the diplomatic community, further reaffirming the partnership value proposition entrenched in the UFS-MISTRA collaboration in co-hosting this year’s event. MISTRA, a renowned influential think tank, served as an excellent partner for the event.
The UFS currently boasts more than 100 vibrant international partnerships and is the incumbent coordinator of large EU-funded Erasmus+ projects among South African universities, with UFS researchers having co-authored more than 5 000 scientific publications with universities worldwide (2018-2022).
An engaging question-and-answer session concluded with insights and further action items for continued engagement post the event.
Professor awarded a Fulbright Scholarship
2008-06-24
 Prof. Frans Swanepoel, Director: Research Development and Professor of Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development at the University of the Free State (UFS), has received a Senior Fulbright Scholarship. He has been appointed as a visiting professor at Cornell University, New York, United States of America (USA) and will spend the period September 2008-January 2009 as a Fulbright Scholar at the Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development (CIFAD) where he will co-teach a Ph.D. course on agricultural development in Africa. The Fulbright Scholarship is regarded as one of the most prestigious awards by the USA government. The purpose of the scholarship is to promote mutual understanding, dialogue and partnership between the USA and other countries around the world.
During his stay Prof. Swanepoel will also conduct research supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates- and W.K. Kellogg Foundations to revise agricultural education curricula in Africa to become more responsive to the needs of smallholder African family farms. The goal of this research programme is the emergence of an agricultural human resource and knowledge system that drives smallholder farmer-led development and innovation to achieve improved productivity, food security and economic development in Africa.
Photo: Supplied |