{"id":41736,"date":"2026-08-19T13:03:35","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T13:03:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/?p=41736"},"modified":"2026-08-20T10:23:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T10:23:15","slug":"vut-founded-iccrssf-gathers-momentum-as-unisa-takes-the-baton-for-2027","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/nso\/vut-founded-iccrssf-gathers-momentum-as-unisa-takes-the-baton-for-2027\/","title":{"rendered":"VUT-founded ICCRSSF gathers momentum as Unisa takes the baton for 2027"},"content":{"rendered":"

“The VUT-founded ICCRSSF concluded its second edition in Victoria Falls with calls to turn climate research into action as Unisa prepares to host the conference in 2027.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

19 August 2026 | Story by: Tayron Mhlongo | Picture: Supplied<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 minutes read time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n \n
\n Vaal University of Technology (VUT) Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation, Commercialisation and Internationalisation (RICI), Professor Simphiwe Nelana, third from left, joins representatives during the symbolic handover of the International Conference on Climate Resilient, Smart and Sustainable Futures (ICCRSSF) hosting rights to the University of South Africa (Unisa) for the 2027 edition.\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What began at the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) in 2025 is steadily growing into a shared African platform for climate research, innovation and collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second International Conference on Climate Resilient, Smart and Sustainable Futures (ICCRSSF 2026), hosted by Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) from 12 to 14 August 2026 at Elephant Hills Resort in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, brought together more than 200 academics, researchers, policymakers, innovators, industry leaders, government representatives and sustainability practitioners from across Africa and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Held under the theme, \u201cDesigning Systems for Accelerating Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Societies,\u201d the three-day gathering moved across disciplines, tackling questions of water and wastewater management, renewable energy, food systems, artificial intelligence, education, tourism, climate finance and environmental governance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For VUT, the conference represented both continuity and growth. The University conceived and hosted the inaugural ICCRSSF in South Africa in 2025 before the platform crossed national borders for its second edition in Zimbabwe. Its expansion reflects the original vision of creating a multidisciplinary platform capable of bringing institutions, sectors and countries together around practical responses to climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opening the conference, VUT Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Stephen Khehla Ndlovu, challenged universities to ensure that climate research does not remain confined to academic spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe must generate solutions, influence public policy, empower communities and develop graduates capable of leading society through unprecedented environmental and developmental challenges,\u201d said Professor Ndlovu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He argued that no institution or country could confront the climate crisis alone, calling instead for collaboration capable of translating research into policy, innovation into practical solutions and knowledge into measurable societal impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That call was reflected in the breadth of research shared during the conference. VUT researchers contributed to discussions ranging from artificial intelligence and renewable energy to environmental management, education, sustainable technologies and community-engaged scholarship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the issues brought sharply into focus was South Africa’s wastewater challenge, alongside research into cleaner water technologies, the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence in higher education, cleaner hydrogen production and the integration of additive manufacturing into fine art education. Together, the contributions illustrated how climate resilience increasingly intersects with technology, education, infrastructure, economic development and the everyday lives of communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the conference drew to a close, Professor Simphiwe Nelana, VUT Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation, Commercialisation and Internationalisation (RICI), said the next challenge was ensuring that the ideas presented in Victoria Falls were translated into policy, investment and innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hope that African governments can take some of the discussions that have taken place here and the articles presented, and turn them into policies,\u201d said Professor Nelana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf government invests more in research, this research can be converted into innovation and commercialisation. I\u2019m emphasising that there must be more investment from government.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The closing chapter of ICCRSSF 2026 also opened the door to the next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a symbolic handover, VUT, as the founding university and inaugural host, and GZU, host of the second edition, passed responsibility for the conference to the University of South Africa (Unisa), which has been awarded the hosting rights for ICCRSSF 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accepting the responsibility on behalf of Unisa, Dr Mantepu MaseTshaba, Acting Executive Dean of the College of Economic and Management Sciences, said the discussions in Victoria Falls had underscored that climate change could not be treated only as an environmental problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe also heard that this is not only an environmental crisis, but also an economic crisis, a food security crisis, an education crisis and, most fundamentally, a human crisis,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unisa will now build on the foundations laid by VUT and GZU as the conference enters its third year. The progression from VUT in 2025, to GZU in 2026 and Unisa in 2027 reflects a model of shared institutional ownership in which each host carries the work forward while widening its reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For VUT, that journey is significant. An initiative born at the University has moved beyond institutional and national borders while retaining its founding purpose: to connect research, innovation and partnership with the urgent realities confronting society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As ICCRSSF leaves Victoria Falls and looks towards 2027, its measure of success will ultimately lie not in the number of papers presented, but in what happens after the conference rooms empty: whether ideas become policy, research attracts investment, partnerships endure and knowledge begins to change lives.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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