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UFS joins SARIMA initiative to boost global visibility and research excellence

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

SRC elections of our Bloemfontein Campus

2011-07-26

The Student Council elections of our university at the Bloemfontein Campus will take place on 29 and 30 August 2011. These official election dates were announced by Mr Rudi Buys, Dean: Student Affairs, on 25 July 2011.

Nominations open on Wednesday, 27 July 2011 and the elections, which are constituted according to the SRC Constitution, shall be handled by the Independent Electoral Agency, which shall be instituted by the SRC Constitution with this in view.

“The elections introduce a new era in student leadership and governance, because student representation will now constituted in such a way that affords the majority of students the opportunity to vote directly for their representatives. Senior leadership structures are extended in the new Constitution, in order to allow more students to hold senior positions,” states Mr Buys.

The SRC elections follow on the approval of a new Constitution that was accepted by our Council on 3 June 2011.

The Constitution was drafted over a period of eight months by the Broad Student Transformation Forum (BSTF), consisting of students, in order to design a new dispensation in student structures. The BSTF, which decided on new models of student representation in collaboration with independent facilitators, consists of more than 70 student organisations and residences. The changes to the Constitution were decided on and accepted by the BSTF, after recommendations from four student study groups, which investigated student leadership and governance in depth, at national as well as international level, were taken into account. The study groups visited nine (9) other SA universities, as well as investigated student representation at internationally renowned universities like Cornell, Yale and Stanford in the United States of America.

Ms Modieyi Motholo, Chairperson of the Interim Student Committee, says that she is very proud of what the students have achieved with the new Constitution. “I wish to accord recognition to all the students who lead the process for all their hard work. Constitutional revision is a strenuous process and it is nothing short of a miracle that the students could not only reconstruct the Constitution, but also have it accepted in less than a year.”

The important changes include, amongst others:

Candidates no longer stand on behalf of parties in the elections, but as independent candidates for 10 predetermined portfolios for which students can vote directly;
Students also directly vote for a President and a Vice-President;
Nine (9) SRC members serve ex-officio as SRC members by virtue of being chairpersons of nine additional student councils established by the Constitution. Amongst others, the councils include a postgraduate student council, an international student council, a student media council and a student academic affairs council;
More stringent eligibility requirements are set for candidates, namely that students who wish to run in the elections has to, amongst others, sustain an academic average of more than 60%, and hold proven student leadership experience (which could be verified by the Independent Electoral Agency).

“With the SRC elections, students have the opportunity to firmly entrench the changes in student governance on which they have decided on by themselves firmly, as a sustainable model for democracy at our Bloemfontein Campus. It speaks volumes that the number of leadership positions for which candidates can make themselves available, in essence has been increased by the number of additional student sub-councils from 21 to 67, because it brings about much more direct representation for different students across the campus,” says Mr Buys.

“I firmly believe that the upcoming student council elections will be a success,” says Motholo. “I wish the students, who are prepared to sacrifice a year of their lives in service of the student community as a member of the SRC, all of the best.”

The Qwaqwa Campus’ election schedule shall be announced within the next week, as well as the date of the institution of the Central Student Council (CSC).

Media Release
26 July 2011
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: news@ufs.ac.za

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