In keeping with the University’s ambition to develop as a centre of research excellence, the Faculty will strive to improve both the quantity and quality of its research output. 

The following key measures will be pursued to achieve this goal:

• Existing focal areas of research will be consolidated and supported with additional resources (PLAAS and ACCEDE) – the aim will be to develop and sustain them as centres of excellence.
• Emphasis will be placed on building research capacity in the fields of entrepreneurship, finance, development economics and information systems (the establishment of a Business Informatics Centre will form part of this initiative).
• Other potential niche areas will be explored in the fields of fiscal and economic policy formulation, regional economies, leadership development.
• Employee wellbeing, the social impact of information systems, knowledge management, e-government, international politics and the economy, policy of food and farming systems, and disaster management amongst others.
• Academic departments will be encouraged to develop niche areas which have the potential to emerge as areas of research excellence.
• The generic field of “development” will be advanced as a unifying theme across different disciplines in the Faculty. This will necessitate the creation of greater synergies across different research entities in the Faculty.
• Measures will be introduced to support young and inexperienced academics to improve their research output (this will form part of the brief of the yet to be established post of Deputy Dean for Research).
• The individual research output of academics will be assessed annually. 
• Academics will be encouraged to publish with their post-graduate students. 
• A system of rewarding research excellence will be formalised, including awards for experienced and emerging academics and post-graduate students. 
• International research networks will be strengthened and extended. This will include a greater emphasis on attracting visiting scholars. 
• Emphasis will be placed on security research grants from national and international funding organisations.

Details on the implementation of this Faculty research approach are spelt out in the Research Strategy documentation.