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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

State of our campuses: UFS closes campuses until Friday 28 October 2016 to readjust academic programme

2016-10-13

The senior leadership of the University of the Free State (UFS) has carefully analysed all the risks facing the university in the current national crisis in higher education, which includes the possibility of losing the academic year. The university management has been engaged in back-to-back meetings with the student leadership, South African Police Service (SAPS), and other stakeholders over the past two days in an attempt to ensure the safety of all parties, and normalise the academic functioning of the UFS. Unfortunately, we have been unable to arrive at an agreement about the resumption of the academic year regardless of the timing of the government response to students’ demands. This is further complicated by the fact that the university has received notice of intention of an interdict to reopen with immediate effect.

Taking all of this into account, the senior leadership of the UFS has decided as follows:

The UFS will not be shutting down for the remainder of 2016. The Bloemfontein and South Campuses will, however, be shutting down from Thursday 13 October 2016 until Friday 28 October 2016. These two weeks will be used for crucial and complex arrangements to be put in place to readjust the academic calendar and ensure that all students can complete their studies.
The academic arrangements are focused on organising alternative modes of delivery of our programmes to support student learning. Academics will be working on readjusting their course materials for this purpose.
The Bloemfontein Campus and the South Campuses will be closed for undergraduate and honours students. Administrative and academic staff will be working, as well as master's and doctoral students.
Students in residence will have to vacate their rooms by 12:00 on Saturday 15 October 2016. Students who need help in this regard must please contact +27 51 401 2001 or send an email to hotline@ufs.ac.za.
Arrangements will be made to accommodate international, master's, and doctoral students.
The specific information about academic programmes will be communicated to students by their respective faculties as it becomes available.

The senior leadership wants to restate its commitment to free education as well as its willingness to stand together with students and other public universities to impress on government the urgency to decide on a time frame for the roll-out of free higher education for the poor and missing middle. During these two weeks the UFS will meet with the leadership of Universities South Africa to coordinate collective action in this regard.

Consistent with this commitment the UFS leadership will roll out a series of activities to inform and educate students and the general public on different models and experiences of providing free higher education.

The UFS is deeply concerned about the possible securitisation of our campus as a way of solving this crisis.

The UFS condemns in the strongest terms violence as a methodology to achieve ends in the context of a democratic state.We are, as always, committed to providing quality education and a conducive environment for learning.

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