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14 November 2024
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Story André Damons
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Photo André Damons
Staff members from the Directorate Research Development (DRD) at the University of the Free State; Palesa Mgaga, second from right, Tebogo Machethe, centre, and Charelise van Staden, second from right, were thanked for hosting the launch of the Khoebo Innovation Promotion Programme. They are pictured with colleagues from the IDC’s Samkelisiwe Mtsewu, left, and Thato Mogopodi, far right.
The University of the Free State (UFS), represented by the Directorate Research Development (DRD), played host to the Department of Trade Industry and Competition (dtic) and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) for the launch of its Khoebo Innovation Promotion Programme (KIPP).
The launch took place on 5 November in the Sasol Library on the Bloemfontein Campus. Tebogo Machethe, Director: Research Contracts and Innovation at the DRD, said its role was to expose the university researchers to different opportunities and programmes for funding from the IDC and the dtic. It also allowed the researchers to engage potential funders in order to understand what funders look for in a project when considering funding it.
“The aim of IDC KIPP is to assist local entrepreneurs and small to medium enterprises with commercialisation funding. The KIPP offers capital and business support to SMMEs during the early stages of commercialisation with particular emphasis on township and rural entrepreneurs,” said Machethe.
Address uneven distribution of economic development
KIPP is a dtic programme but is managed by the IDC and aims to enable early-stage innovative SMEs to penetrate the market with their locally developed innovations, resulting in a more competitive economic environment and thereby facilitating economic growth in the economy.
According to Machethe, who welcomed the guests, participants and presenters to the launch, some of the funding is geared towards the development of university innovations. Though the focus was on the KIPP launch, he continued, the discussions also encompassed other forms of funding that are available and more geared towards the university innovation.
His address was centred around the university's Vision 130 and how it supports innovation and the entire innovation ecosystem, which seeks to shift the emphasis to research impact, embracing both knowledge and societal impact. Vision 130 identifies the need for a greater focus on collaborative research, research that can attract large-scale funding in niche areas where the university is seen as a national and global leader.
Samkelisiwe Mtsewu, KIPP Account Manager at the IDC, said the programme was introduced to address the uneven distribution of economic development across the country. She said with its capacity, the KIPP programme can contribute to addressing the uneven distribution of economic development.
Education bursaries awarded to 180 UFS students
2007-08-24
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At the awarding ceremony were, from the left: Prof. Steve Niemann (Head: School of Education at the UFS), Kaizer Mosupeng (first-year student in Education), Prof. Frederick Fourie (Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS), Mr Enver Surty (Deputy Minister of Education), Danielle Nel (third-year Education student) and Mr Tebogo Lioma (Deputy Director General of the Free State Department of Education).
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs
Education bursaries awarded to 180 UFS students
The Department of Education awarded 180 Fundza Lushaka Bursaries to students in education at the University of the Free State (UFS).
The bursaries were handed to the students today by the Deputy Minister of Education, Mr Enver Surty during a function held on the Main Campus in Bloemfontein.
The Fundza Lushaka Bursary Programme is a multi-year programme that promotes teaching in public schools. The bursaries, valued at R40 000 each, enable students to complete a full teaching qualification in an area of national priority. The recipients are required to teach at a school or provincial education department for the same number of years that they receive the bursary.
“The programme was implemented in recognition and acknowledgement of the educators in South Africa. All of you sitting here today should regard yourselves as nation builders as you will be helping to build communities and a caring society. Therefore it is imperative that you must be committed to teaching and have an interest in working with young people when taking up this bursary,” said Mr Surty.
Mr Surty said the skills required for teachers of today are much different than in the past. “You would be teaching in an environment with mixed cultures and language and must be able to adapt and be willing to contribute to a multi-cultural, multi-lingual and diverse South African society,” said Mr Surty.
According to Mr Surty, the national priority areas include among others African languages, English, Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information and Computer Application Technology. Although the bursary programme is non-racial, special attention was given to the awarding of the bursaries to women. At the UFS 58% of the bursars are female students, while 58% are black and 42% white students.
Prof. Frederick Fourie, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, said the institution was worried about the small number of students who showed interest in the field of education a while ago. “Since the implementation of the bursary programme we have seen a turn-around in the registration of students in education, which is an extremely positive sign,” said Prof. Fourie.
Media Release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za
24 August 2007
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