In a significant development for entrepreneurship and economic development, the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) has been awarded a grant by Universities South Africa (USAf) to establish an Economic Activation Office (EAO).

This initiative marks a crucial step towards fostering innovation, stimulating entrepreneurship, and steering industry collaboration for the University.

According to Prof Chengedzai Mafini, the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Management Sciences where the facility will be hosted, the purpose of the EAO is to play a central internal role in the university’s entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem. He emphasised that its other critical focus will be on the facilitation and coordination of support, networking and information sharing within the broader university community.

He added that being awarded the grant reflects the confidence and recognition that USAf has on VUT’s potential to drive entrepreneurship and economic transformation, while also creating tangible impact. “In addition to stimulating the spirit of entrepreneurship among VUT community, the EAO is poised to become a hub for fostering partnerships between academia, industry, and government entities, with a focus on research, innovation, and entrepreneurship,” he said.

To oversee the Office, the university has appointed Ms Onica Thandi Matsheke, a Lecturer within the Department of Human Resource Management, as its Economic Activation Officer. In this role, Matsheke, will collaborate with internal and external stakeholders relevant to entrepreneurship, such as academic faculties, incubators, centres for entrepreneurship, technology transfer offices, student affairs and university leadership. She will facilitate support for student entrepreneurs within the university ecosystem.

Details of the official launch of the EAO, will be communicated in due course.

The coordination of the EAO will be within the Faculty of Management Sciences under the leadership of Prof Mafini. Inquiries regarding the EAO should be directed to Ms Matsheke at Office N206, Tel 016 9509567, and email onica@vut.ac.za