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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

UFS subscribes to ResearchResearch
2006-02-20

ResearchResearch is the world's leading publisher of news and information for the international research community. From their offices in London, Sydney, Washington, Brussels, Amsterdam and Sweden their editorial team provides unrivalled expertise and in-depth news coverage of research policy and politics, and comprehensive listings of funding opportunities and sponsors across all disciplines.

The information on this site is stored in three interlinked databases:
1. Funding opportunities
2. Sponsors
3. News

Funding opportunities
Records include a detailed abstract of the opportunity including details of eligibility requirements, deadline, the original text of the call (where available); and links to the application form, specific page of the sponsor's web site, contact details of programme management and records in our Sponsors database describing the relevant research programme and sponsor. Note: You will only see funding opportunities that you and your researchers are eligible to apply for.

The Funding opportunities database has been designed to be easy to use for occasional users but offers complex search options for regular users. Opportunities can be browsed by Sponsor, by discipline, type of sponsor, purpose of award, by deadline, eligibility, and so on.

Sponsors
Records include the objectives, eligibility requirements and application procedures of sponsors along with relevant links to the sponsors’ web pages. Note: You will only see sponsors that you and your researchers are eligible to apply for funding from.

News
Keep up to date with global research developments. Research Day Worldwide, a roundup of all the latest in research policy and politics from the UK, US, Europe, Australia & New Zealand, Asia and Africa.

Access to ResearchResearch.com is available from any PC on the university network, though staff is encouraged to obtain their own username and password, which allows access from a PC off the University network, as well as allowing staff to set up customised funding alerts on their own areas of research and subscribe to news alerts (click on Apply for a personal account under my institution's license to register and obtain a username and password).

Other facilities include the ability to bookmark information, collate and distribute it to colleagues in the form of a "Magazine". This is especially useful for staff with a research co-ordination role.
Further detail is available from the Directorate Research Development (Dr Aldo Stroebel, stroebea.rd@mail.uovs.ac.za, 401 3506).

 

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