The University of the Western Cape (UWC) hosted another successful Research Week this week, which started on Monday, 30 October until today, 2 November 2023.
This year’s theme is ‘Collaboration Through Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): a multidisciplinary approach.’
This year’s UWC Research Week sub-themes are:
The four-day event was an opportunity to showcase the importance of research and how it is used in all facets of life. Research and innovation are important for the development of society from different aspects, and these aspects need to be viewed through various lenses to find solutions to the challenges facing society.
As the world looks towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Goals, the University is also cognisant of the fact that many issues impact the actual achievement of sustainable research and innovation goals.
However, every small step counts, and understanding what UWC is doing and how it contributes can help build a sustainable future. Universities are vehicles where knowledge generation can be used to solve societal problems, and Research Week gives an overview into what is currently happening at UWC.
Professor José Frantz is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation and opened the week’s proceedings by reflecting on the progress made over the years during Research Week and the focus on the SDGs.
She said: “What we are doing is to transform lives through the research that we do, and the research that we do is the knowledge production that we’re currently doing. But nothing of this has an impact if it doesn’t translate to our learning and teaching in terms of what we do in the classroom and how we transfer knowledge to others.”
In her opening statement, Professor Julie Phillips, the Director for Research Development and Postgraduate Support, also reflected on the role that universities need to play in realising the SDGs. “It’s time for higher education institutions to think critically about our role in society and how we can act as catalysts for a transition towards sustainability. In terms of research, we should encourage and support our researchers to engage in equitable and collaborative SDG-related research.”
Prof Phillips added: “As universities, we are uniquely placed to lead the cross-sectoral implementation of the SDGs by providing an invaluable source of expertise in research and education on all sectors of the SDGs.”
Some of the UWC Research Week topics included:
Find more information about UWC Research Week HERE.
This year’s theme is ‘Collaboration Through Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): a multidisciplinary approach.’
This year’s UWC Research Week sub-themes are:
- Theme 1: Climate Change
- Theme 2: Education for a Sustainable Development
- Theme 3: Social Transformation
- Theme 4: Health - Understanding the burden of disease
- Theme 5: Sustainable Urbanisation
- Theme 6: Digital Technologies
The four-day event was an opportunity to showcase the importance of research and how it is used in all facets of life. Research and innovation are important for the development of society from different aspects, and these aspects need to be viewed through various lenses to find solutions to the challenges facing society.
As the world looks towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Goals, the University is also cognisant of the fact that many issues impact the actual achievement of sustainable research and innovation goals.
However, every small step counts, and understanding what UWC is doing and how it contributes can help build a sustainable future. Universities are vehicles where knowledge generation can be used to solve societal problems, and Research Week gives an overview into what is currently happening at UWC.
Professor José Frantz is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research and Innovation and opened the week’s proceedings by reflecting on the progress made over the years during Research Week and the focus on the SDGs.
She said: “What we are doing is to transform lives through the research that we do, and the research that we do is the knowledge production that we’re currently doing. But nothing of this has an impact if it doesn’t translate to our learning and teaching in terms of what we do in the classroom and how we transfer knowledge to others.”
In her opening statement, Professor Julie Phillips, the Director for Research Development and Postgraduate Support, also reflected on the role that universities need to play in realising the SDGs. “It’s time for higher education institutions to think critically about our role in society and how we can act as catalysts for a transition towards sustainability. In terms of research, we should encourage and support our researchers to engage in equitable and collaborative SDG-related research.”
Prof Phillips added: “As universities, we are uniquely placed to lead the cross-sectoral implementation of the SDGs by providing an invaluable source of expertise in research and education on all sectors of the SDGs.”
Some of the UWC Research Week topics included:
- Application of genome-guided approaches for the discovery of novel drug candidates (Dr Nompumelelo Nyembe)
- Newly diagnosed patients’ voices of living with HIV/TB co-infection in a rural PHC setting, Eastern Cape, South Africa (Lwandile Tokwe)
- The voices of women who are deaf - Exploring their experiences of gender-based violence (Dr Ronel Davids)
Find more information about UWC Research Week HERE.
