Page 5 - University of Pretoria RESEARCH REVIEW 2018

Introduction
UP’s research strategy is centred by our commitment to pursue research that matters, and in this way to contribute to a sustainable future for Africa.
Embedded in the University’s long-term strategic plan, UP 2025, is our vision to become a leading research-intensive university in Africa. As the performance results for 2018 have shown, there has been a consistent strengthening of the University’s research capacity: the increase in research productivity, the percentage of staff with doctorates and those who have achieved National Research Foundation (NRF) ratings, the number of postdoctoral fellows, and the number of Master’s and doctoral graduates. Taken together, all these have contributed to UP’s research-intensive identity, and to strengthening our pipeline of the next generation of researchers and science leaders.
In 2018, the percentage of academic staff with PhDs stood at 67%, and the number of NRF-rated researchers at 507, which is 37% of academic staff at UP and 13% of all NRF- rated researchers in South Africa. Postgraduate student enrolment made up 33% of the overall enrolment at UP, while the number of postdoctoral fellows were 253, of whom 118 (47%) were female, and 164 (65%) were from international destinations.
In 2018, 36 new and renewed agreements were concluded with regional and
international partners, taking the total number of active agreements to 204, across
70 countries and six continents. A good proxy for the effectiveness and extent of UP’s
networks of collaboration is the number of internationally co-authored papers. Over a
five-year period (2014–2018), 44% of UP’s research publications were co-authored with
regional and international scholars. Furthermore, 1 392 publications (or 10,6%) were positioned in the top 10% globally, based on citations. Further evidence of UP’s international standing are the number of researchers and papers positioned in the top 1% globally. In 2018, 53 UP researchers were positioned in the top 1% internationally, with 145 papers.
UP’s focus on research partnerships in Africa is closely related to pursuing science that transcends disciplinary and institutional divides, and advances the type of science leadership needed to address key challenges in Africa. To this end, UP is a partner in a number of research consortia in Africa and contributes actively to the region’s knowledge base and planned intervention strategies.
There were a number of new developments in 2018. In line with the University’s strategy to prioritise areas of research strength, three major research platforms will shape the future direction of research: the Future Africa Institute and campus, the Javett-UP Art Centre, and the start of the Engineering 4.0 development and Future Transportation Hub. These are briefly reported on in the conclusion to this Review, illustrating the nature of research that underpins convergence science and translational research, and thereby maximising relevance and impact.
I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to those who are doing the excellent research we have showcased here, and to all who have contributed to this 2018 Research Review.
Professor Stephanie G Burton,
Vice-Principal: Research and Postgraduate Education
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