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22 November 2024 | Story Leonie Bolleurs | Photo Stephen Collett
SARIMA - 2024
The Directorate Research Development at the university proudly participates in the SARIMA Visibility Project, aimed at enhancing its global visibility and research excellence.

The University of the Free State (UFS) has been selected to participate in a high-impact initiative managed and coordinated by the Southern African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA). The SARIMA Visibility Project, which focuses on elevating institutional prominence, aims to enhance the university’s global visibility and strengthen its capacity to secure international grants. By participating in this initiative, the UFS is positioning the Directorate for Research and Development (DRD) to benchmark against other leading Tier 1 institutions, adopting best practices in research management and innovation to fuel future growth.

Key outcomes already underway

Since joining the initiative, the university has implemented several key interventions. Most notably, the development and execution of standardised operating procedures have been introduced. These procedures ensure alignment with global standards, creating consistency across various functions within DRD. Such efforts not only improve operational efficiency, but also boost the university’s competitiveness in attracting international research collaborations and securing funding opportunities. Other platforms to promote visibility that the DRD has adopted this year include its newsletter, Research Nexus, webinars, and a presence on social media.

The SARIMA Visibility Project at the UFS is spearheaded by the DRD under the leadership of Dr Glen Taylor. As pioneers of the initiative, the DRD team is working closely with SARIMA to ensure the successful implementation of key strategies aimed at improving the research infrastructure and elevating the university’s global standing. Their leadership has been instrumental in driving efforts to meet the project's ambitious objectives. These objectives include promoting best practices in research and innovation management across the region. They aim to support the research and innovation ecosystem to drive regional social and economic development. Additionally, the project seeks to engage key stakeholders to strengthen collaboration. Another objective is to building capacity among research and innovation management practitioners through training and development initiatives.

The SARIMA project is closely aligned with the UFS’s Vision 130, a strategic roadmap designed to propel the institution into its 130th anniversary in 2034. Vision 130 seeks to elevate the university’s academic and research standing on the global stage. By enhancing international partnerships and refining research management practices, SARIMA is playing an important role in supporting the university in its goal of becoming a globally recognised research institution, in line with Vision 130.

Value added to the research environment

In the few months since its launch, the SARIMA initiative has already added significant value to the UFS Research Office. The introduction of standardised procedures has not only improved consistency across departments, but has also made the office more agile and responsive to the demands of international collaborations. Benchmarking exercises conducted as part of the project have allowed the university to identify key areas for improvement, adopting innovative solutions that further enhance the institution’s research capacity and global visibility.

The SARIMA Visibility Project marks a significant step forward for the university. It is not only a means of raising the institution’s profile, but also a platform for long-term sustainable research excellence. As the UFS continues to benefit from this initiative, it is setting the stage for a future of global recognition and academic achievement that will benefit both the institution and the broader academic community for years to come.

News Archive

Art and science help us understand the world and our place in it
2017-10-28



Description: Art and science  Tags: Art and science

At the event were, from the left: Tristan Nel, first-year Fine Arts student;
Dr Janine Allen-Spies from the Department of Fine Arts;
Prof Carlien Pohl-Albertyn from the Department of Microbiology,
Biochemical and Food Biotechnology; and Pheny Mokawane, a
Microbiology, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology student.
Photo: Charl Devenish

Although BioArt dates back as far as the 15th and 16th centuries with the work of Leonardo da Vinci, it is not every day that art and science combine. This rare phenomenon made its appearance when two totally different groups of students – studying arts and microbiology respectively – joined hands in an initiative to create BioArt.

This first-time undergraduate teaching collaboration between the Departments of Fine Arts and Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology at the University of the Free State (UFS), which is characterised by the use of living materials, such as enzymes, microbes and DNA, as well as scientific tools and methods, is exploring a number of questions. 

Different outcomes for arts and microbiology students

According to Prof Carlien Pohl-Albertyn from the Department of Microbiology, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, one of the central questions explored in BioArt is the nature of ‘life’. “At which stage can matter be classified as being alive or living?” she asked. 

“We realised that the outcomes for the two groups of students would not be the same. For the microbiology students, the focus would be on the understanding and effective communication of a microbiological concept. For the art students the focus would be on the execution of the assignment using visual elements and applied theory of art,” said Prof Pohl-Albertyn.

Dr Janine Allen-Spies from the Department of Fine Arts added: “Art students will also be exploring strangely or previously unforeseen gaps between art and science that can be filled with imaginative interpretations which may forward creative insights in both BioArt as a developing art form and microbiology as investigative science.”

Students’ understanding of microbial evolution reflected in art
The art students had to visit the microbiology labs for their assignment as this is mostly a foreign environment for these students. “The paint medium they had to use was gouache. This medium with its bright colours works well to depict microscopic organisms in art,” Dr Allen-Spies said. 

On display at the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology on the Bloemfontein Campus, at a recent event to introduce this new initiative to a wider audience, was a range of visually and scientifically compelling paintings and artefacts (such as paintings, poems, songs, apps) which explore a theme within microbiology from a BioArt perspective that uses creativity to communicate concepts dealt with in the module Microbial Evolution and Diversity.

Any parties who are interested in buying the art can contact Dr Allen-Spies at allenj@ufs.ac.za.

Paintings and artefacts reflects students understanding of BioArt. At the recent opening of the BioArt exhibition at the UFS Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, was the work of Madeleen Jansen van Rensburg on display.

Pheny Mokawane, a Microbiology, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology student, wrote a poem for his BioArt project in the Microbial Evolution and Diversity assignment. 

 

 

 

 

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