05 April 2024

On 4 April 2024, two invitees from the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) attended the South Africa-Sweden University Forum (SASUF) networking event at the Sweden Ambassador’s residence in Pretoria.

SASUF is a strategic internationalisation project uniting 40 partner universities in South Africa and Sweden to accelerate bilateral cooperation in higher education, research, and innovation. The day’s events included engaging with think tanks, research institutions, companies, industry, and representatives from the National Research Foundation (NRF), the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), and the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI).

In her welcoming address, Ms Helin Bäckman Kartal from SASUF, referred to Sweden as a “powerhouse of innovation across the globe” and that SASUF partnerships with South African universities are considered “flagship” initiatives.

SASUF invited all public South African higher education institutions to submit posters and to present satellite workshops and conference papers for the upcoming Research Innovation Week from 13-17 May at the Lund University, Malmo University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

“Ventures into the world of socially engaged scholarship: contemplating impact and discoveries to date promoting a sustainable society“ will be part of an international multidisciplinary collection of posters on how universities approach current global challenges. The poster chronicles a collaborative community engagement project between the Faculty of Management Sciences and the Gold Fields Library since 2021. While the initiative’s primary focus pivots around adult literacy, rehabilitation and well-being, it also aligns with all the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as suggested by the United Nations: SDG3, SDG4, SDG5, SDG10 and SDG17.

VUT representatives at the event, Dr Karien De Bruyn, Information Specialist at the Goldfields Library and Prof Christel Marais, HR Management Associate Professor, thanked the SASUF project coordination team for arranging a platform for inter-institutional collaboration and discussions with experts on the future of research and education.