The University of the Western Cape (UWC) hosted their Research Recognition Awards on Friday, 26 August 2022. The theme for this year’s research recognition awards was, “Making research and innovation count through connecting possibilities”.

According to Professor José Frantz, the awards acknowledge the contribution all stakeholders make to making a difference in the communities and societies in which we live and serve. This could not be possible without the contribution made by our academic staff, support staff and postgraduate students.

Our keynote speaker, Dr Marlon Cerf from the Medical Research Council, highlighted and reminded us of the following in his keynote address:

• There is a need to harness the skillsets of our youth for sustainability, and our research needs to be contextually relevant. 
• Strengthening the  research and innovation pipeline in various ways should be a key objective.
• Capacity development and creating an enabling environment are crucial to ensure that academics and students can be successful.

Prof Frantz: “As we celebrate the nominees and winners, we want to thank all for contributing to making research and innovation count and for contributing to making the following three faculties the top faculties.”

As the leaders of these faculties, this is what the Deans had to say:

“It is really about innovation and the societal impact made. For the Faculty of Natural Sciences, it became very clear during the COVID-19 pandemic that science needs to play a much bigger role in communicating to the communities, as a result of so much fake news being spread in the two years. If one really looks at the role science played over the last two and half years, it’s about how we change the way we speak to communities and their understanding of what we are doing. Once there is an understanding from the communities and engaging with experts, it counteracts all the fake news being released. With scientists, it has always been about identifying a problem, doing the research and then publishing the research, and that is where it ends. Now, we have changed that mindset, It is now that process, but once you have the publication, what happens after? From the outset, it is now to get communities involved from the beginning, the stakeholders playing a role throughout the entire process.” (Professor Burtram Fielding, Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences)

In the words of Professor Anthea Rhoda, Dean of the FCHS, “the vision of the Faculty of Community and Health Sciences is around impacting the communities and societies through knowledge - learning and teaching, but also the new knowledge that we obtain through research. In terms of aligning that to the IOP goal of the DVC: R&I, we really want to connect possibilities to communities, and in terms of innovation, our focus is social innovation either through products or services, in order to impact societies.”

“The Faculty has continued to reposition itself in terms of its partnership with communities and the extent to which research connects possibilities. This has been evident, amongst other faculty projects, not only to demonstrate appreciation and cultivation of research and scholarship around communities whose human, cultural and linguistic rights are violated, but the inquiry also speaks truth to power with a view to reshape and change people’s lives.” (Professor Monwabisi Ralarala, Faculty of Arts and Humanities)

To end this prestigious event, the DVC, Prof Frantz acknowledged the contribution of all who make research and innovation count at UWC, and specifically thanked the nominees and winners for their resilience and perseverance in continually contributing to the knowledge economy and finding solutions for the daunting problems facing our society.

Professors Burtram Fielding, Anthea Rhoda and Monwabisi Ralarala (left to right, below) receiving their faculties' recognition awards from Professor Mattia Vaccari (Director: eResearch Office)

      

The full list of winners includes: