Prof Razia Adam, Deputy Dean of Research in the Faculty of Dentistry, says joining the INSPIRE global partnership will open new opportunities for UWC dentistry students to collaborate with international peers. Image: SuppliedThe University of the Western Cape’s (UWC) Faculty of Dentistry has marked a major milestone by becoming the first dentistry school in Africa to join INSPiRE (International Network of Strategic Partners for Research Excellence) Oral Health Consortium, a prestigious international partnership dedicated to training the next generation of oral health researchers and advancing innovation globally.
Joining the consortium in December, 2025, UWC has become the sixth member of the global network of leading dental schools that include the University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Dentistry in Canada, Peking University School of Stomatology in China, the University of São Paulo School of Dentistry in Brazil, and the Faculty of Dental Medicine of the Portuguese Catholic University in Portugal. Another member that joined INSPIRE recently is the University of Otago in New Zealand, bringing together dental health expertise from Africa, Oceania Asia, Europe, and North and South America.
Prof Razia Adam, an associate professor and Deputy Dean of Research in UWC’s Faculty of Dentistry, said joining the international partnership would open new opportunities for UWC dentistry students to collaborate with peers at leading universities through joint and exchange programmes, as well as scholarship opportunities. She added that being the only African university invited to join the partnership “confirms our status as a leading school in dentistry”.
Established in 2024 by four founding member universities, the consortium will use its collective power and opportunities for academic exchange to drive cutting-edge research to find solutions for oral health challenges in communities.
Some of the consortium’s strategic initiatives include:
- Advanced training programmes through interactive online modules, courses and group projects
- Establishing a mechanism for PhD students to spend up to six months at member universities for research experiences
- Form a specialised subgroup of interdisciplinary researchers working on saliva
Prof Adam explained that the consortium is set to expand by adding two universities each year until a cap of 12 universities is reached - two universities per continent. “Total membership of 12, by invitation only, is considered optimal to balance diversity with efficiency. The aim is to be a truly global network of leading dental schools with representation from each continent,” she said.
In addition to fostering collaborative research, the consortium will promote student mobility through joint programmes, exchanges and scholarship opportunities, enriching academic experiences across institutions. With the landscape of global health, and in particular oral health, undergoing a paradigm shift and oral diseases considered one of the most common and prevalent types of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) worldwide, Prof Adam said UWC’s participation in the global body, “allows us to contribute to the global conversation, ensuring that our voices are heard”.
“This consortium also represents a shift towards equitable partnership. Consortia such as this provide access to networks, and collaboration on teaching, training and research, including the possibility of applying for grant funding,” Prof Adam said.
