A first for the university: Unisa to host 3^rd National Postdoctoral Fellowship Research Forum

From 3 to 5 July 2024, Unisa will, for the very first time, host the annual National Postdoctoral Fellowship Forum at its Muckleneuk Campus in Pretoria. This prestigious three-day event will see a gathering of eminent scholarly voices, among them postdoctoral fellows, office administrators, funders and service providers, who will discuss alternative approaches towards optimising the postdoctoral research experience at South African research institutions. This year, the forum is themed Strategies for enhancing postdoctoral research support at South African research institutions.

The key objectives of this forum are to 

• propel research (as an institutional objective)
• share experiences and success stories on postdoctoral issues and management
• create a platform for debate
• create an enabling environment for postdoctoral research
• find ways to retain postdoctoral fellows at research institutions 

Featured in this event's plenary sessions are industry partnerships, career development opportunities, visas and immigration, SARS ruling and stipend standardisation, internationalisation, collaborations and memoranda of understanding, postdoctoral challenges and postdoctoral research, and Unisa’s catalytic niche areas.

Unisa prioritises the development of a research environment that fosters innovative excellence.  This is achieved not only through collaborating with both established and emerging scholars, but in addition, through hosting discussion platforms such as the prestigious National Postdoctoral Fellowship Research Forum.

By ensuring that the postdoctoral fellows have access to resources such as funding and mentorship, the university empowers them to translate their high-quality research into impactful contributions for the country and the continent.  This unwavering commitment by the university ensures that the culture of research and innovation remain on par with established standards of research excellence.

Click here to view the programme

*By Godfrey Madibane, Acting Journalist, Department of Institutional Advancement