2025 Joint UCDP Managers’ Workshop
16 September 2025 | Settlers Monument, Makhanda, Eastern Cape, South Africa
The 2025 Joint University Capacity Development Programme (UCDP) Managers’ Workshop was convened on 16 September 2025 at the Settlers Monument in Makhanda, Eastern Cape, ahead of the Joint UCDP Send-Off Colloquium.
The workshop brought together UCDP and USDP Managers in person, reflecting a strong commitment to collaborative programme oversight and coordination. The session provided a structured platform for managers to engage in critical reflection on programme implementation, share institutional experiences, and strengthen coordination across participating institutions.
The Managers’ Workshop played an important role in ensuring coherence and strategic alignment across the UCDP, contributing to the continued effectiveness and sustainability of the programme ahead of the Colloquium proceedings.
USDP Participates in 2025 Joint UCDP Send-Off Colloquium in Makhanda
The University Staff Development Programme (USDP) participated in the 2025 Joint University Capacity Development Programme (UCDP) Send-Off Colloquium, held from 17 to 18 September 2025 at the Settlers Monument in Makhanda, Eastern Cape.
The Colloquium provided an important platform to reflect on and celebrate the achievements realised through the UCDP, particularly in advancing doctoral training and strengthening research capacity within the higher education sector. A key highlight of the event was the recognition of 85 USDP recipients from Phases 1 to 5 who successfully completed their PhD studies with programme support.
The Colloquium also served as a valuable forum for academic exchange and knowledge sharing. Eleven USDP recipients presented their doctoral research, highlighting the tangible scholarly outputs of the programme and its continued contribution to strengthening higher education and research capacity in South Africa.
2025 Junior Research Fellow Week Workshop
9–12 September 2025 | University of Pretoria, Groenkloof Campus
The 2025 Junior Research Fellow (JRF) Week Workshop was convened from 9 to 12 September 2025 at the University of Pretoria’s Groenkloof Campus. The week-long programme served as the formal induction for Cohort 3 of the Junior Research Fellowship Programme, while also incorporating ongoing developmental activities for Cohort 2 fellows.
The induction workshop was honoured by the participation of Ms Mandisa Cakwe, Director: University Capacity Development at the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), who addressed the fellows on the induction day. Her presence reaffirmed DHET’s commitment to advancing research capacity development and supporting emerging scholars within the South African higher education system.
The workshop brought together Junior Research Fellows from both cohorts as part of a structured programme aimed at strengthening academic competence and professional development. A series of interactive, in-person sessions provided opportunities for engagement, knowledge exchange, and collaborative learning among fellows, mentors, and facilitators.
Key focus areas addressed during the workshop included Research Project Management, Grant Writing, Effective Mentorship in Academia, Holistic Wellness, Artificial Intelligence in Research, and Scholarly Publishing. The programme also allocated dedicated writing time to enable fellows to advance their research outputs, alongside scheduled mentor–mentee engagements to support individual research trajectories.
2025 Junior Research Fellow Week Workshop
7 – 11 April 2025 | University of Pretoria, Groenkloof Campus
The week-long workshop brought together Junior Research Fellows from Cohorts 1 and 2 as part of the ongoing Junior Research Fellowship Programme. The initiative focused on strengthening the fellows’ academic and professional development through a series of interactive, in-person sessions.
Core themes explored during the workshop included Developing an Academic Career, Work-Life Balance, Understanding the NRF Rating Process, and a Communication Sciences Workshop. Fellows took part in structured activities aimed at improving research planning, academic writing, and personal effectiveness within the research environment.
Highlights of the workshop included dedicated writing time, personalised mentoring sessions, and collaborative peer learning. These engagements fostered meaningful relationships among fellows, mentors, and facilitators. Creating a supportive community for continued growth in academia.
Junior Research Fellow Week Workshop
26–29 August 2024 | University of Pretoria, Groenkloof Campus
The Junior Research Fellow Week workshop took place from 26 to 29 August 2024 at the University of Pretoria’s Education Campus Library in Groenkloof. Junior Research Fellows from Cohorts 1 and 2, along with their mentors, participated in this enriching, in-person event.
This week-long workshop served as the official induction for Cohort 2 of the Junior Research Fellowship Programme. The primary focus was on equipping fellows with essential skills for advancing their academic careers. Key themes included Developing an Academic Career, Writing for Publication, and Grant Writing.
Participants engaged in targeted sessions designed to enhance their research writing and research planning. The workshop also provided dedicated time for writing, one-on-one mentoring opportunities, and dynamic peer-to-peer learning. These in-person interactions fostered meaningful connections between fellows, mentors, and facilitators, laying a strong foundation for ongoing academic and professional growth.
University Staff Doctoral Programme (USDP) Launch
University Staff Doctoral Programme (USDP) was officially launched on 7 March 2023 as the University of Pretoria’s Future Africa Campus. The launch event took the form of a panel discussion with representatives from each of the five (5) USDP phases represented and was followed by cocktails reception at the University of Pretoria’s Javette Art Centre. The launch was attended by the university partners, USDP beneficiaries as well as higher education sector stakeholders
United States-Africa University Partnership Initiative Summit (6 - 8 February 2023)
The United States – Africa University Partnerships Summit, was hosted by the University of Pretoria at the Future Africa Campus from 6 – 8 February 2023. The theme for the Summit was “Equitable and Sustainable Partnerships for Impact”; which underpins itself on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 17: Partnerships for Goals. The UPI Summit intended to provide a platform to share key experiences and lessons from the investment by the United States Department in collaborative projects between African and United States higher education institutions. The summit also sought to explore approaches to strengthen, leverage and expand these partnerships to create a more sustainable and equitable impact on society. To achieve these goals the summit aimed to facilitate the United States supported project coordinators and their beneficiaries, as well as higher education leaders and experts from across the African continent and the United States of America.
The summit further leveraged ongoing collaborative engagement related to doctoral training, students and staff exchanges and university capacity building which were initiated through the United States – South Africa Higher Education Network that was initially funded by the Department of Higher Education and training and launched in 2018, and sustained by the US Embassy since 2020.