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Walter Sisulu University (WSU) has made remarkable strides in its research objectives, showing significant growth with over 300 research output units produced over the past three years.
Placed in the rural Eastern Cape, the university is strategically positioned to tap into numerous economic development opportunities, contingent upon robust research activities.
WSU Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof. Rushiella Nolundi Songca, in her opening address this year highlighted the institution's strategic approach to boosting research output, indicating a plan to intensify these efforts.
Prof. Songca reported a 38.5% increase in research output units between 2019-2020 and a 42% increase between 2021-2022, driven by journal publications, book publications, and conference proceedings.
WSU Research & Innovation director ProfSiyabonga Mxunyelwa highlighted the university's role in producing impactful research that addresses societal challenges in the Eastern Cape and beyond.
He noted that in the past three years, WSU has seen exponential growth in research outputs, with the number of publications quadrupling.
This surge is attributed to a paradigm shift in leadership under Prof. Songca, who has been instrumental in fostering a research-centric culture at WSU.
“This progression is owed to a paradigm shift through the leadership of Prof. Songca that is instrumental, demanding, and initializing a research culture at WSU,” said Prof Mxunyelwa.
Prof Mxunyelwa also pointed out that WSU has transitioned from an incoherent and fragmented research approach to a more consolidated and collaborative model.
He added that more conferences and the promotion of researchers have encouraged increased research activity.
“There are people coming from a chemistry background joining those with an economics background, which encourages writing papers together. A multi-interdisciplinary approach is one of the things that helped us,” he explained.
He emphasized the importance of cultivating a research culture, encouraging researchers to present papers at conferences and subsequently publish their work in DHET accredited journals.
This commitment to research is positioning WSU as a key player in generating knowledge and driving economic development in the region. The university recently hosted its annual Multi-Inter-Transdisciplinary Conference, which brought together WSU researchers across disciplines. Initiatives such as socio-illness write-ups, journal publications, and other projects have further propelled research output.
By Yolanda Palezweni
