05 May 2025 | Story: Nontobeko Moimane | Photo: Supplied.
2 minutes read time.
Dr Narissa Ramdhani: Convenor of the Metaverse Project and Professor Anneke de Klerk: Metaverse Project Coordinator
The Vaal University of Technology (VUT) had the honour of participating in the second Transnational Meeting of the thirteen European partners, hosted by Universitat Jaume I in Castellón de la Plana, Spain, in April 2025. VUT represented the African continent in the European Union funded Metaverse Academy Project, together with its own partner, CXIA.
Flying the VUT flag high were Professor Anneke de Klerk, the Metaverse Project Coordinator, and Dr Narissa Ramdhani, the Convenor of the Metaverse Project. Their presence at this important gathering underscored the university’s technical expertise and strategic role in the global discourse on immersive technologies.
Dr Ramdhani described the meeting as a pivotal milestone for the consortium, centred on reviewing achievements, tracking progress, and exchanging updates from all partners for 2024. “It was a platform enriched with robust discussions, where ideas were sharpened and accountability to the EU funder remained paramount,” she said.
The VUT delegation made a strong impression, offering incisive analyses of partner roles and activities, while proudly presenting the university’s achievements in dissemination efforts within South Africa.
Dr Ramdhani highlighted that what distinguished VUT was its success in securing strategic partnerships within South Africa’s Golden Triangle and with key funding organisations. This has positioned the university as a leading force in the country’s immersive technology landscape. “These alliances ensure the local sustainability of the project and actively contribute to the upskilling of communities and industries through innovative, technology enabled education,” she added.
At the heart of the Metaverse Academy Project is an ambitious vision to develop a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platform, offering nineteen entrepreneurial and future focused courses in Extended Reality (XR) technologies. The initiative seeks to empower students, support the unemployed by enhancing their employment prospects, and modernise the skill sets of those already in the workforce.
Given the prestigious and global scope of this project, VUT’s contribution was not merely commendable: it was exemplary. The team’s work elevated the institution’s academic and technological standing within the consortium and reaffirmed VUT’s commitment to driving strategic innovation, socio economic transformation, and educational excellence.
In an increasingly digitised world, initiatives such as this align seamlessly with VUT’s strategic vision to be a university that champions learning and innovation for a digitally aware and sustainable industrial future.
