Message from the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research Technology Innovation & Partnerships (DVC: RTIP)

CPUT AS AN ANCHOR OF SOCIETY | Celebrating and showcasing relevant, responsive and innovative research

This report covers CPUT’s research and innovation activities during the 2021 academic year. During this period, with the world still under the unwelcome Dr David Phaho embrace of Covid-19, higher educational institutions had to continue implementing innovative ways to assist students to progress with their respective academic studies. The restrictions to campuses imposed particular challenges on our postgraduate students, who typically need access to research facilities. There were also challenges relating to fulfilling requirements for travel to conferences and seminars, and for research field work.

In terms of research funding, this remains a challenge sector-wide, with the public purse stretched to the limit due to unforeseen Covid-19-related costs as well as a generally moribund economic situation in South Africa. In spite of this, CPUT researchers continued to successfully source external funding during 2021 from industry, SETAs and state agencies such as the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), which greatly enhanced our research and teaching outputs.

Notwithstanding these challenges, this overview of CPUT research activities still indicates that we have much to celebrate. Universal acclaim as well as adoption of CPUT’s new decadal plan, Vision 2030 (V2030), have provided us with institutional navigational markers for the next decade as a smart and people-centric university. In terms of ‘oneness’, the plan speaks to “human-centricity and being humanhearted through our smart people and the smart CPUT community”. The ‘smartness’ dimension focuses on technological developments and innovations as considered by the current and future industrial revolutions. It supports the notion that CPUT, as a university of technology, “will embrace technology in the broadest and most positive sense to advance a better humanity, better socio-economic circumstances, better health conditions, education, safety, food security and general living conditions in our region, the rest of Africa and globally”. CPUT’s stellar achievements from 2010 to 2020, anchored by the RTIP 10-year Blueprint, can only be enhanced by this new and foresighted decadal plan.

The university continues to not only encourage and support excellence amongst our researchers, but also to celebrate their successes. The CPUT Research Festival held in October 2021 was a celebration of excellence in research, teaching and innovation. The awardees received prizes in three categories, namely Research Output, Research Supervision and External Funding. We are very proud of the work our esteemed colleagues are doing across all our faculties, centres and institutes.

Research chairs initiative

CPUT is proud to host a number of externally- as well as council- funded research chairs. These are critical to our academic project in terms of research outputs and innovation, as well as postgraduate student supervision. They also actively support transdisciplinary approaches and research at CPUT and beyond. The NRF (SARChI) chairs at CPUT include Prof Tandi Matsha’s DST-NRF-Nedbank SARChI Chair of Cardiometabolic Health Research Unit. Over and above these, we also have a number of CPUT-funded research chairs in key global imperatives such as Biotechnology and Smart Energy. We also host SETA research chairs such as Work-Integrated Learning (ETDP SETA) held by Prof Joyce Nduna.

Research entities

At CPUT, research entities are an important and productive hub of excellence for the institution. They are also involved with enhancing technology transfer, non-formal teaching, community service and outreach programmes, in ways that are above and beyond those readily possible within faculties. World-class research institutes such as the Applied Microbial & Health Biotechnology Institute (AMHBI) continue to fly the CPUT flag high, with ground-breaking research and innovation initiatives focused on beneficiation of uniquely South African natural resources such as rooibos tea.

Universal acclaim as well as adoption of CPUT’s new decadal plan, Vision 2030 (V2030), have provided us with institutional navigational markers for the next decade as a smart and people-centric university.

National Research Foundation ratings

A key imperative is to increase the number of NRFrated researchers and scholars at CPUT. During the period under review, CPUT has increased the number of NRF-rated researchers to 46, putting CPUT’s total amongst the highest in the UoT sector. There is a relentless drive to greatly increase the number in the years ahead to support our research agenda. This is directly linked to our strategy to increase the number of CPUT staff members with doctoral qualifications.

Postgraduate education

The support for postgraduate students, championed by our Centre for Postgraduate Studies (CPGS) continues, even in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. CPGS, working with the faculty deans and other key players, continues with contingency measures such as online workshops as well as continuous engagement between postgraduate students and their supervisors, albeit remotely. The focus on postgraduate success continues to bear fruit, with 28 students obtaining doctoral level qualifications and 203 receiving master’s qualifications in 2021. It is hoped that these triumphs will increase significantly in the years ahead, as CPUT is looking to double this year’s number of postgraduate students by 2030. Technology transfer

Through our office of Technology Transfer and Industrial Linkage (TT and IL), CPUT continues to punch way above its weight in terms of driving and facilitating innovation and, where possible, to contribute to regional and national economic development. The expertise residing within the TT and IL office has been noted nationally, with the elevation of the director, Dr Revel Iyer, to the Board of the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA).

Challenges in the commercialisation of innovations from university research remain in the wider higher education sector. Specifically, there is difficulty in obtaining investment finance for start-up related activities in South Africa. The TT and IL office continues to engage with venture capital firms to fund our spin-off companies with the hope of generating much needed 3rd stream income to the university in the future.

Strategic initiatives and partnerships

During 2021, CPUT greatly expanded our local and international partnerships and collaborations in support of our research and teaching agenda. The international mobility of students and staff picked up pace this year, albeit from the pandemic-related low base of 2020. The advent of online and hybrid options has enabled a large number of our students and staff to still attend seminars, conferences and other engagements without incurring travel costs. The office of Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships (SIP) was positioned during 2021 to be the central repository of all CPUT partnerships and collaboration agreements, working closely with faculties and other university formations.

In conclusion

In 2021, we unfortunately bade farewell to a number of our researchers and scholars, either through retirements, resignations or sadly when they passed on. Although they are no longer with us at CPUT, their contributions to the institution will continue to benefit our staff and students for many years to come. We can honour their exemplary legacy through our commitment to research excellence in the greater interest of CPUT.