CPUT recently welcomed an Erasmus Mundus delegation from Europe for a final round of promoting the wonderful initiative. A scholarship opportunity for studying, teaching, training and research, its inception in South Africa is a result of a partnership between eight European and five South African universities, one of which is CPUT.

Offering scholarships for postgraduate study or research, varying in duration from three months to two years, the aim is to promote European higher education throughout the world and to offer a valuable framework for exchange and dialogue between cultures.

Students and staff members who successfully apply for the scholarships receive a monthly subsistence allowance from 1000 to 2500 Euros, tuition waiver, return flights covering one round trip from South Africa to Europe, and full insurance cover, including travel, health and accident.

Six representatives from two consortiums, the Erasmus Mundus Action 2 for South Africa (ema2sa) and Europe-South Africa partnership (EuroSA) visited the Bellville campus in early February to deliver presentations on how students and staff members can access the scholarship.

More than 20 administration and academic staff members attended the meeting and were helped with their applications. Welcoming the guests and prospective applicants, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships Dr Chris Nhlapo, said, “CPUT is striving to be a leading academy and one of the best universities in the country. We are proud to be rated number one amongst all other Universities of Technology when it comes to research. We are even ahead of some traditional universities in terms of our research outputs.”

Nhlapo emphasised that despite this, CPUT still needs to do much more in terms of increasing the number of people with doctoral degrees. “We plead with staff and want to emphasise that exchanges such as Erasmus Mundus are critically important in promoting research and scholarship.”

Pre-Alumni Officer from the Advancement Department, Nandipha Madadasana, was ecstatic to be given the opportunity to apply. She’s hoping to study for a Masters Degree: Globalisation and Development at Antwerpen University.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for South Africans to get exposure and experience in Europe. The qualification will definitely help me in terms of understanding social factors that motivate people to participate in development. It will also help me find answers to better institutional advancement programming.”

By: Andiswa Dantile

Written by CPUT News
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Spain, Paris and Italy – These are just some of the destinations a group of South Africa university staffers and students can expect to jet-off to later this year.

Through the Erasmus Mundus Action 2 for South Africa (ema2sa) programme, a group of 52 South Africans will be selected to complete their master, doctoral or short study programmes at a European University.

Funded by the European Commission, the programme aims to develop and improve the skill base at South African universities.

Recently a delegation from Erasmus Mundus visited South Africa to promote the next call for applications and spent a morning interacting with CPUT staffers.

The coordinator of the programme, An Hunt, described the scholarship as a “win, win situation for everyone involved.”

She said the programme not only allows South Africans to improve their qualifications but also provides opportunities for networking, which could lead to collaborations in various areas in the higher education sector.

Director of International Affairs, Merle Hodges also urged CPUT staffers to apply for the scholarships.

“It is a wonderful opportunity to increase your qualifications and also expand your horizon and become a global thinker,” said Hodges.

On completion of the study programme recipients are required to return to South Africa and plough back into their institutions.

Last year several CPUT staff members were awarded scholarships, with some selected to complete their master degrees and others for short stay academic programmes.

Head of CPUT’s Biomedical Sciences Department Prof Johan Esterhuyse, was one of the lucky recipients of a scholarship, which saw him visit Antwerp University in Belgium and Han University College in Holland.

The visits enabled him to benchmark the new Medical Science Degree against similar international options.

Prof Esterhuyse said South African universities are in dire need of highly qualified academics and urged fellow staff members to improve their qualifications.

“Make use of this opportunity,” said Prof Esterhuyse.

For more information see www.ema2sa.eu

By Candes Keating

Written by CPUT News
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Students and staff from universities across the country preparing to depart for studies funded by Erasmus Mundus were recently hosted at CPUT for a pre-departure conference.

The conference is a valuable tool in preparing students for the rigours of academic life in a foreign European country as well as allowing students to network with one another.

Erasmus Mundus is a strategic scholarship programme which partners with South African and European universities and has already seen €28 million spent on scholarships in the past four years.

CPUT has been aligned with the programme since its inception and is the fourth university from the Western Cape Province to host the conference- previous ones having been hosted at UWC, UCT and Stellenbosch University.

The conference was a two-day affair that attracted recipients from across the country as well as representatives from interested organisations like embassies.

Speakers like Roeland Van Der Geer who heads the European Union delegation in SA emphasised the importance of Erasmus Mundus in the greater partnership between the EU and SA.

“You are part of a much wider relationship with South Africa which includes trade, employment creation and strengthening government capacity,” he says.

CPUT’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Research, Technology, Innovation and Partnerships Dr Chris Nhlapo encouraged all delegates to seize the amazing opportunity afforded to them.

“This is an opportunity to become an acknowledged researcher and interact with higher education on an international level. Grab this opportunity with both hands,” he told the group.

Written by Lauren Kansley
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CPUT has officially launched an Erasmus Mundus Alumni Chapter.

The Erasmus Mundus programme offers South African staff and students the opportunity to complete a Masters, PhD and Post Doc programme with affiliate universities in Europe.

Staff members can also apply for staff visits to investigate aspects related to their work at European universities.

To date, 55 CPUT staff members and students have had the opportunity to improve their qualifications at European Universities.

Director of the Office of International Affairs, Merle Hodges, says the alumni chapter will play a key role in CPUT’s Erasmus Mundus activities.

Apart from providing support to new participants and promoting the programme, alumni can also assist with various studies and reports requested by the European Commission, who funds the programme.

“The EU Commission wants a report on the progress of students and staff who participated in the programme. This is the type of task the alumni can assist with,” says Hodges, who is a joint coordinator of Eurosa, one of the Erasmus Mundus programmes.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Technology and Innovation, Dr Chris Nhlapo, commended the programme and says it has played a key role in supporting staff to improve their qualifications.

Apart from improving qualifications, Nhlapo says the programme has had other positive spin-offs like the successful roll-out of the University’s Medical Laboratory Science qualification.

Former Head of the Biomedical Sciences Department, the late Prof Johan Esterhuyse, who was one of the first recipients of the programme, participated in a staff visit at Antwerp University in Belgium and Han University College in Holland where he had the opportunity to benchmark the new programme against similar international options.

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

CPUT will participate in a multimillion rand capacity building programme over the next three years.

The University is one of several South Africa universities that have managed to impress decision makers running the European Union funded Erasmus+ Programme.

Director of the Office of International Affairs, Merle Hodges, who oversees the programme at CPUT, says up to now, the Erasmus Mundus programme has largely focused on mobility programmes, which has provided staff and students with the opportunity to complete a Masters, PhD and Post Doc programme with affiliate universities in Europe.

However, the organization has now turned its attention to capacity development in the higher education sector and recently put out an international call for proposals, to which CPUT responded to.

“CPUT has been successful in three capacity building programmes,” says Hodges.

The value of the programmes are approximately R 35 million. 

The capacity programmes include the following: Entrepreneurship, Modernisation and Innovation in South Africa (EMISHA ) ; Internationalisation and Modernisation Programme for Academics, Leaders and Administrators (IMPALA ); and The International Learning Network on Sustainability (LenSin ).

EMISHA aims to enhance innovation capacities by training students, researchers and staff, while IMPALA will focus on internationalization at the four historic disadvantaged institutions, which includes CPUT, the University of Forth Hare, University of Venda and the University of Limpopo.

“This project aspires to develop clear and viable internationalisation strategies within the South African universities to bring them up to par and give them a much needed head start for future international cooperation initiatives,” says Hodges.

As part of the IMPALA programme, South African university staff will be trained in the areas identified.

Hodges says CPUT is the Principal partner and Joint Coordinator of IMPALA.

The LenSin project looks at internationalization, intercultural cross-fertilization and accessibility of higher education by consolidating and empowering a global network called the Learning Network on Sustainability.

Hodges says all the projects are joint initiatives, which will see South African institutions colloborate, with each project coordinated by a European University.

The projects are set to get underway later this year.

*Image courtesy of anankkml at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Written by Candes Keating
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Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.