On Wednesday, 25 June 2025, the National Research Foundation (NRF) hosted a delegation from the University of Venda (Univen) and Southeast University of China at the NRF’s Pretoria Campus. The visit was anchored around discussions on strategic collaboration on Doctoral and postgraduate training programmes, particularly through the Presidential PhD Programme—an initiative spearheaded by The Presidency and implemented by the NRF.
This engagement offered both institutions an opportunity to better understand the objectives and design of the Presidential PhD Programme, following the recent Expression of Interest Call for Proposals for the Presidential PhD Programme Hubs. Discussions centred on how the two universities could collaborate and contribute to, and benefit from, this initiative, especially in developing high-level research capacity with long-term societal and scientific impact.
The meeting also served as a platform to explore broader areas of collaboration among the NRF, Univen and Southeast University, reinforcing South Africa’s commitment to the enhancement of bilateral research ties with Chinese institutions, including the South Africa-China Young Scientist Exchange Programme, and the hosting of the global secretariat hubs of the Future Earth network. This visit forms part of a broader strategy to deepen international cooperation through targeted skills development training initiatives and emphasises the importance of internationalisation.
“Univen remains committed to developing locally relevant and globally competitive graduates,” says Thabo Dikgale, Acting Director, International Relations and Partnerships at the University of Venda. “The Presidential PhD programme will provide Univen with a unique opportunity to leverage its global partners to support an impact-driven programme, reflecting our aspiration to be at the forefront of academic institutions pioneering positive societal change”.
“Univen and Southeast University’s visit presented a strategic opportunity to advance the goals of the Presidential PhD Programme, as well as future postgraduate NRF-led initiatives, while building impactful international research linkages”, added Refilwe Mashigo, Senior Specialist for Government Resources and Programmes at the NRF.
About the Presidential PhD Programme
The Presidential PhD Programme culminated from the Presidential Plenary on Science, Technology and Innovation, held in December 2023, where President Cyril Ramaphosa called for the establishment of the Programme through an initial R1 billion investment, aimed at supporting PhD training both locally and abroad, linked to large-scale and established research programmes, in both the public research facilities and industry. The Programme is a collaborative effort of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, the Department of Higher Education and Training, and the National Skills Fund.
Institutions interested in submitting an Expression of Interest (EoI) for the Call for Proposals for Hubs to Host the Presidential PhD Programme should access Call-related documents on this website: https://presidentialphd.co.za/
Source: www.nrf.ac.za
