Latest News Archive
Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
03 October 2024
|
Story Ansie Barnard
|
Photo Supplied
From left to right: Londeka Mkhwanazi, Semither Mkhize, Salima van Schalkwyk, Slindokuhle Ndlovu, Asanda Mpinga, Mantombi Molefe, Ntombinkulu Khumalo, Mosebjadi Chauke and Thembinkosi Mkhwanazi.
The Amrut Foundation, in partnership with the University of the Free State (UFS), successfully hosted its Inaugural Innovathon at the UFS Qwaqwa Campus. This competition is designed to identify and support innovative products and services that not only generate profit but also contribute to the public good, with a strong emphasis on ethical business practices. Through this collaboration, students gain national exposure for their businesses and receive support to create sustainable social enterprises.
Five teams of student social entrepreneurs from the Qwaqwa campus were shortlisted to participate in the regional finals. Their selection was based on ventures that adhered to a social entrepreneurship model and demonstrated plans for long-term profitability and sustainability.
During the Innovathon, a panel of judges from the UFS, the Amrut Foundation, and the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) selected two outstanding teams to represent the UFS at the national finals, which will take place in October. The winning ventures, Biofly-Pro and Root Rescue were each awarded R20,000 to further develop and expand their initiatives.
Hemang Desai, Executive Director of the Amrut Foundation, expressed his enthusiasm for the event: "Amrut is proud to co-host the Free State leg of the inaugural Innovation Challenge with the UFS. Supporting students with entrepreneurial ambitions that align with societal care is one of our key focus areas."
Dr Grey Magaiza, Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director for the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies at the UFS, highlighted the importance of social entrepreneurship: “Social entrepreneurship is a collaborative effort towards creating sustainable and ethical business processes. The two winning projects embody these principles, and we look forward to their continued growth. In line with our Vision 130, social entrepreneurship can serve as a critical lever for university-community engagement.”
Congratulations to Biofly-Pro and Root Rescue on their well-deserved achievements!
UFS student awarded medal: Soil and Crop Science Societies
2006-02-10
|
Ms Kimberly Jennings (23), B Sc (Hons) student in the Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS), was recently awarded the medal for the best oral paper by an author under 30 years old at the combined conference of the Soil and Crop Science Societies held at the University of Kwan-Zulu-Natal Howard College campus.
The conference was attended by 290 national and international delegates who contributed 150 papers on a wide range of subjects. Ms Jennings' paper discussed the redox behaviour of a Kroonstad soil form in the Weatherley catchment. The research was partly funded by the Water Research Commission.
From the left: Ms Kimberly Jennings, Mr Garry Patterson (President of the Soil and Science Society of South Africa) and Dr Cornie van Huyssteen (snr lecturer at the UFS Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences and acting chair of the awards committee).
Photo (supplied)
|