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DRD team engages with global experts at 2024 SARIMA conference in Mozambique

26 November 2024 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Supplied

SARIMA presentations 2024 — The UFS DRD team that attended and presented at the 2024 SARIMA conference in Maputo, Mozambique.

The Directorate Research Development (DRD) team from the University of the Free State (UFS) joined research management professionals from across the globe at the 2024 Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA) Conference held in September this year. This year's conference, hosted for the first time in Mozambique, focused on the theme, It Takes a Village to Raise a Child, highlighting the collective effort needed in research and innovation.

The UFS delegation participated in workshops on navigating change, unlocking research impact potential, tools and techniques for research and innovation project management, reviewing research-related contracts, and assessing associated risks. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation also led a training session, while other workshops explored strengthening global research partnerships and advancing competencies in research management.

Opportunity to share and learn about best practices

Boemo Segoje, Officer for RIMS, Ethics and Creative Outputs, reflected on the conference’s collaborative atmosphere, noting the opportunity to share and learn about best practices. Segoje, alongside Maricel van Rooyen, Senior Officer: Project Manager, RIMS and Ethics, presented a poster titled, Empower the Village with an Effective Research Management System, showcasing the university’s InfoEd Research Information Management System (RIMS). “Our audience was particularly impressed with how RIMS consolidates various research functions into one platform,” said Segoje.

Another UFS poster by Mpho Mashamba, Officer: RIMS Development and Maintenance, and Ethics and Katleho Nyaile from the Centre for Graduate Support (CGS) focused on Breaking Down Silos: Enhancing Interdepartmental Communication in Research Administration. They highlighted the need for collaboration within the university, emphasising how interdepartmental communication enhances research outcomes. “We referred to the importance of collaborating with other units, keeping a line of communication open, as well as engaging various stakeholders. This is especially important for a team like ours whose work impacts every faculty member,” said Mashamba.

Mandy Jampies, Senior Officer Postdoctoral Fellows presented on It Takes a Village: Fostering Collaborative Networks for Postdoctoral Fellow Management. This talk focused on building a ‘village’ for postdoctoral fellows by streamlining visa processes and establishing partnerships with other institutions, such as the University of Johannesburg. "The audience showed great interest in our initiatives, particularly the visa partnership with the Department of Home Affairs," Jampies remarked.

Jampies’s commitment to supporting postdoctoral fellows extended beyond her presentation. In addition to discussing ways to build a supportive ‘village’ through streamlined visa processes and collaborative partnerships, she also played a role in the science communication pre-conference workshop. Reflecting on this workshop, Jampies noted it as a standout moment. “Boemo Segoje and I had the chance to present on the university’s initiatives to boost research visibility through newsletters, social media and webinars,” she shared.

Sugan Moodley, Director of Research Development Finance, remarked that it was interesting to see the Research Management progression made by universities and to compare similarities, differences, strengths and weaknesses between the UFS and other universities.

AI, here to stay

Mashamba found inspiration in a session by the University of Ghana, where he drew parallels between Ghana’s research fund and the UFS Central Research Fund. “Learning from their experience will help enhance our processes here at the university,” he shared. A big fan of lifelong learning, he saw the conference as a great opportunity to pick up new ideas. He said, "I really made the most of every moment. For me, a few key things stood out. First off, having clear policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs) is important for making things run smoothly and getting more done.”

He continued, “As for AI, it’s definitely here to stay. I’m excited about the potential AI has to help streamline our work. Once it’s ready to be used effectively in the workplace, I’d love to bring it into our systems and even use it to improve what we’re already doing." Additionally, Dr Glen Taylor, the Director of Research Development at the UFS, expressed similar enthusiasm for the AI presentation, finding it an interesting insight into the future of research processes.

For Segoje, the conference also highlighted the importance of leadership in research management, referring to a session by the University of Pretoria on Ubuntu leadership. “The emphasis on Ubuntu aligns with the UFS’s values, emphasising the importance of sharing knowledge and empowering others,” she said.

Reflecting on the conference, Jampies concluded, “SARIMA 2024 was one of the best conferences I have attended, providing a wealth of practical knowledge that I can apply to improve my work portfolio.”

News Archive

The launch of a unique conservation project

2011-06-06

Our Department of Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Sciences launched a very special pilot project at Woodland Hills Wildlife Estate in Bloemfontein on Friday 03 June 2011, which aims to eventually aid in the conservation and study of one of Africa’s most graceful animals.

The project aims to provide the scientific basis needed for making future decisions in the best interests of the giraffe in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the Northern Cape and involves collaring and monitoring the behaviour and movement of these animals via GPS.

Based on the public interest in the giraffe and the increased impact of the growing giraffe population on the vegetation in the area, SANParks has been considering the translocation of a number of Kgalagadi giraffe. Due to limited information regarding their adaptation success and potential impact on their new environment, thorough planning and subsequent monitoring of the species is required.

Mr Francois Deacon from our university decided to undertake a PhD study to address the existing challenges. This will be the first study of its kind, undertaken on giraffe.

He says he decided on this project because of his love for animals and conservation. “There are nine sub-species of giraffe and seven of these are already endangered. I want to involve people and make them aware of the plight of the animals and the need for conservation,” he said.

The project kicked off on Friday morning, with a group of students and curious nature-lovers tracking a herd of giraffe at Woodland Hills. The challenge laid in identifying one of the animals which could easily be collared with a GPS device, tranquilising it, and applying the device, without harming the animal.

After a young bull was identified, it was up to Dr Floris Coetzee, a veterinarian, to get close enough to the animal to tranquilise it, and to the group of students to catch it and hold it down. All this was done perfectly and the animal was fitted with its new collars. The collars were designed and made by Mr Martin Haupt, who gained extensive experience in the design of similar collars for other research studies.

Mr Deacon will spend the following two weeks personally monitoring the animal constantly, to ensure that the collars do not cause any discomfort or injury and to determine whether it should be removed or adapted.

It has taken Mr Deacon over a year to plan the collaring process and the associated study. He says the main challenges in the project are financial, since it will cost approximately R500 000 to run over five years.

Thus far he has been supported by Mr Pieter Malan of Woodland Hills, Mr Cas Kempff of Cas Kempff Consulting Engineers and Prof. Frans Swanepoel of the UFS’ Directorate of Research Development, all of whom have been benefactors of the project.
Information gathered from the pilot project will provide the data to assess how to best fit the collar onto the giraffe to ensure that the animal is comfortable and that the collar will last in the wild. Scientific data will be generated and processed for use by the Woodland Hills Wildlife Estate management.

Should the pilot project be successful, between four and eight giraffe in the Kgalagadi will be tracked using the satellite GPS collars. The GPS collars will enable the constant recording of the location of individual giraffe for up to 2 years. This will allow control and monitoring of the animals in real-time.

The main benefits of the project include, amongst others, improved decision-making, informing tourism development, education and community involvement, improved sustainability and improved cross-border collaboration between South Africa and Botswana.

Anyone who wishes to get involved with the project or get more information, should contact Me. Sonja Buhrmann at sbuhrmann@vodamail.co.za or 0827735768.

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