Research activities at CPUT are set to intensify with the roll-out of five additional research chairs.

The chairs are internally funded and will bring the number of research chairs at CPUT to nine.

The university currently has four chairs that are funded by external partners.

This includes a Chair in Wholesale and Retail Leadership, which is funded by the Wholesale and Retail Seta as well as Chairs in Teacher Education, Biomedical and Microbial Biotechnology and Small Satellite Technology and Applications for Africa, which are funded by the National Research Foundation.

The roll-out of the new research chairs comes as the university prepares to launch its seven focus research areas, which form part of the Research and Technology Innovation Blueprint (RTI), a strategy document that sets CPUT’s research agenda.

Dr Chris Nhlapo, DVC for Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships, who is driving the RTI, says each focus area will be anchored by a chair, which will be responsible to drive research in the identified area.

 “These individuals will have to set an agenda for the focus areas as well as set up niche areas,” says Nhlapo.

The new chairs will focus on the areas of energy, climate change and environment, human and social dynamics, including issues related to service delivery, economic growth and international competitiveness as well as design for sustainability.

The existing chairs will support the focus area of bio-economy and biotechnology and space science and technology.

Nhlapo says the choice of these focus areas have been informed by CPUT’s strengths, areas likely to make the strongest contribution to strategic imperatives and national priorities as well as the need to support a multi-disciplinary approach to research and innovation.

Written by Candes Keating
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CPUT’s best practices and longstanding contribution to the wholesale and retail sector has been recognised by the Wholesale and Retail Sectoral Education and Training Authourity (W&R SETA) with a Good Practice Award.

CPUT walked away with R100 000 for winning the Training Providers: Universities category at the 2016 Good Practice Awards hosted by the W&R SETA at the Sandton Convention Centre recently.

The purpose of the awards are to recognise remarkable contributions to skills development in the Wholesale and Retail Sector by the stakeholders of the W&RSETA.

CPUT has the largest Retail Department of all universities in Africa with more than 800 students studying different retail programmes and was one of the first institutions in South Africa to offer qualifications in Retail Business Management

CPUT was the first university to establish a Wholesale and Retail Leadership Chair funded by the W&RSETA through a national open bid process and has since started a Retail Academy to offer the Retail Quality Council for Trades and Occupations programmes as well as credit bearing short courses.

“We are proud to be the first university to win the WRSETA Good Practice Award in the Category for South African universities,” says Petrus Venter, HOD: Retail Business Management Department.

“We are grateful for the contributions and teamwork of every member in the Retail Department, Retail Chair and Retail Academy, the management and support staff of CPUT, the retail industry, other universities and the WRSETA that have made this achievement possible.”

Venter added that the department is heading towards exciting times as it will implement the new HEQSF-qualifications including the development and registration of a D Com degree in Retail Business Management as well as securing a sustainable Retail Research Chair and Retail Academy.

Written by Kwanele Butana
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