The Strategic Initiatives and Partnership (SIP) Directorate recently hosted Hochschule München University of Applied Sciences who has an existing collaboration with the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences (FBMS).

The aim was to touch base with FBMS and to expand the collaboration to other faculties.

“In this regard, the SIP Office was contacted to engage in discussions as to how we can expand on the partnership, in particular there was interest with the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (FEBE),” said Dr Tasmeera Singh, Manager: International Relations SIP.

The CPUT delegation included SIP director, Prof Judy Peter, Prof Veruscha Fester: Assistant Dean: Research, Technology, Innovation & Partnerships (FEBE), Dr Fareed Ismail: Senior Lecturer/Researcher of FEBE and Xolelwa Bashala: Office Administrator of Strategic Initiatives and Partnership meanwhile Hochschule München University of Applied Sciences was represented by Veronika Wäninger: Non-EU Mobility of Stabsabteilung International Office.

Peter extended a warm welcome to everyone present in the meeting. Fester conducted a presentation about the FEBE which included the CPUT structure and background:

• FEBE structure and governance
• CPUT V2030 Focus areas applicable to FEBE
• FEBE Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes
• Faculty research focus areas
• FEBE Flagship projects

Peter conducted a short presentation about the Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships:

• The CPUT Smart Focus Areas
• SIP Internationalisation role
• Facilitate student leadership and agency
• CPUT active partnerships (Erasmus+, African and International)
• International Education Forum

Singh said the meeting was “very good” as there is great potential for expanding the collaboration constructively.

There were also discussions on potential collaborations around engineering management, staff exchange for Nano and 3D printing fields of research. Singh added that the “successful meeting was a starting point for further engagement with different faculties across CPUT”.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, Prof Marshall Sheldon is thrilled with the performance of the CPUT World Skills teams that attended the WorldSkills South Africa National Competition held in Durban.

The five CPUT teams clinched a total of six medals, three gold and as many silver medals. CPUT also received tools for CNC milling to the value of R70 000 as part of upskilling the competitors and experts from the Department of Higher Education and Training.

The tools are now kept at CPUT CNC workshop for training of community. After the national competition, numerous sponsors and SETAs showed interest to work and invest at CPUT as a hub and a driver of higher order skills as there are not many universities part at this stage. This puts CPUT in a better opportunity to train the trainers for the WorldSkills Competition (WSC). CPUT also stands a chance to explore possibilities of incorporating Work Integrated Learning (WIL) into the WSC program. The competition stirred a good atmosphere of skills excellence among students and staff who attended it. Only the Mechanical and Mechatronics department participated in this year’s WSC, but the invitation is expected to be extended to other departments such as Information Technology, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Food Technology.

Sheldon said the CPUT teams’ performance made her enormously proud of the student and staff’s achievements.

The competition was planned to be held in China but due the COVID situation in that country it was changed to Europe, and various countries in Europe will host the competition for various skills.

The mobile robotic team won a gold medal and they will be going to France in October 2022. The female student who participated in the CNC skill team won a gold medal and she will be going to Germany in October 2022.

“The Faculty is very proud of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics staff and students for putting CPUT on the map in terms of the 4IR World Skills and wish them all of the best with the competition abroad.”

Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning, Prof Rishidaw Balkaran also congratulated the team. “Well done! To the colleagues and students at the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics, thank you for the excellent work and waving the CPUT flag high,” Balkaran enthused.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, Dr David Phaho said: “This is great news and congratulations to the faculty and the involved colleagues.”

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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The Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (FEBE) recently gave a fond farewell to three exchange students from Hochschule Dusseldorf - University of Applied Sciences (HSD) who spent six months at the Faculty.

At this gathering, the students from the German university shared their experiences about the student exchange programme at CPUT and life in South Africa especially in Cape Town. Asst. Dean: Research, Technology, Innovation & Partnerships, Prof Veruscha Fester, opened a question-and-answer session about the students’ exchange programme experience at CPUT. Fester said she wanted to know how their experience was in South Africa. The students responded positively saying that they had always wanted to come to South Africa and experience the culture.

Asked about choosing CPUT, the students said Düsseldorf has built a good relationship with several universities in Cape Town, but they selected CPUT and due to the long standing relationship CPUT has with Düsseldorf. Quizzed about differences between education in Germany and South Africa, they said CPUT allows students to work more independently which provided them opportunity to grow.

The titles of the projects for the three students are:

• Jil Labes - Analysis for drone rescue.
• Julian Hasemann - Development of extruder for the recycling of 3D printing filaments.
• Lanlucas van de Veen - 3D printable structure for the cube-sat standard.

The students also highlighted that they had experienced the kindness and hospitality of the people of South Africa, saying that they “are happy with what they have, and they learned that happiness does not cost a lot. South African people are kind”. They also said they have noticed a gap between rich and poor. The students also expressed some challenges they experienced while in Cape Town.

Fester said in her closing remarks: “Receiving international students allows us to benefit from internationalisation at home which allows interaction between local students and international students and faculty. So, it’s important that we make the internationalisation agreement work for what it is that we want to achieve. That is to develop a multi-cultural community by building capacity in learning and teaching, research and technology innovation and community engagement for students and staff as global citizens in preparation of a global world.”

Prof Jörg Niemann, Claudia Fussenecker and Martin Schlösser, from the "Life Cycle Excellence" research unit at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, together with Dr Monika Katz from the International Office, laid the foundation for this long-term and sustainable partnership that has seen several staff and student exchanges over the past 7 years.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce
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CPUT recently hosted a high-level delegation from two German Higher Education Institutions – DHBW Ravensburg and DHBW Karlsruhe.

The aim of the visit, which was held at the Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Computer Engineering (DEECE), was to strengthen relationships between CPUT, DHBW Ravensburg and DHBW Karlsruhe and to engage in further collaboration between the institutions. The visit centred around the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (FEBE).

The German delegation consisted of Prof Dr-Ing. Herbert Dreher, President DHBW Ravensburg, Prof Dr-Ing Stephan Schenkel, President DHBW Karlsruhe, Ingela Lundin, International Relations Officer, DHBW Ravensburg, Prof Dr Stephan Sauter, Industrial Engineering, DHBW Ravensburg and Prof Dr Thomas Dobbelstein, International Business, DHBW Ravensburg.

“For us it’s very important that we learn from each other,” said Dreher.

The CPUT delegation consisted of Dr David Phaho, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships, Prof Rishidaw Balkaran, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Learning and Teaching, Prof Judy Peter, Director Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships, Prof Veruscha Fester, Assistant Dean: Research, Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, FEBE and several other representatives from the Faculty and from Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships.

Phaho welcomed the delegation and said the university wanted to ensure that it built on already great relationships.

Dobbelstein said his institution already has long-standing ties with the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, which includes, among other things, staff and student exchanges.

The delegation also had the opportunity to visit the South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre

Earlier in the month a delegation from The Hague University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands and KU Leuven in Belgium visited CPUT and was also welcomed to DEECE.

The objective of the meeting was to renew the partnership agreement with CPUT in the areas of research, staff, and student exchange, amongst others.

The Dutch and Belgium delegation, which consisted of Sabine Amft (THUAS) Pepijn van Willigenburg, (THUAS) Prof.ir Annick Dexters (KU Leuven) and Albert van Oudheusden (UNSA) were welcomed by Prof Bingwen Yan (Acting) Assistant Dean: Teaching and Learning.

Written by CPUT News
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

CPUT recently hosted a high-level delegation from two German Higher Education Institutions – DHBW Ravensburg and DHBW Karlsruhe.

The aim of the visit, which was held at the Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Computer Engineering (DEECE), was to strengthen relationships between CPUT, DHBW Ravensburg and DHBW Karlsruhe and to engage in further collaboration between the institutions. The visit centred around the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (FEBE).

The German delegation consisted of Prof Dr-Ing. Herbert Dreher, President DHBW Ravensburg, Prof Dr-Ing Stephan Schenkel, President DHBW Karlsruhe, Ingela Lundin, International Relations Officer, DHBW Ravensburg, Prof Dr Stephan Sauter, Industrial Engineering, DHBW Ravensburg and Prof Dr Thomas Dobbelstein, International Business, DHBW Ravensburg.

“For us it’s very important that we learn from each other,” said Dreher.

The CPUT delegation consisted of Dr David Phaho, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Technology Innovation and Partnerships, Prof Rishidaw Balkaran, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Learning and Teaching, Prof Judy Peter, Director Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships, Prof Veruscha Fester, Assistant Dean: Research, Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, FEBE and several other representatives from the Faculty and from Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships.

Phaho welcomed the delegation and said the university wanted to ensure that it built on already great relationships.

Dobbelstein said his institution already has long-standing ties with the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, which includes, among other things, staff and student exchanges.

The delegation also had the opportunity to visit the South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre

Earlier in the month a delegation from The Hague University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands and KU Leuven in Belgium visited CPUT and was also welcomed to DEECE.

The objective of the meeting was to renew the partnership agreement with CPUT in the areas of research, staff, and student exchange, amongst others.

The Dutch and Belgium delegation, which consisted of Sabine Amft (THUAS) Pepijn van Willigenburg, (THUAS) Prof.ir Annick Dexters (KU Leuven) and Albert van Oudheusden (UNSA) were welcomed by Prof Bingwen Yan (Acting) Assistant Dean: Teaching and Learning.

Written by CPUT News

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The Innovative Solutions Seminar (Innosol2_2024) SDG 7, recently hosted by the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (FEBE) encompassed a wide range of topics, including Energy Efficiency and Management; Sustainable Urban Development; Energy Access; Economics and Social Impact as well as Innovations in Renewable Energy for Energy Storage.

Dean: Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, Prof Suresh Ramsuroop who welcomed the guests at the South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre (SARETEC), said the event was “indeed a success based on its intended purpose”.

“Our goal was to bring together diverse stakeholders—including policymakers, industry leaders and researchers from various disciplines within CPUT, to discuss innovative strategies and share insights on advancing affordable and clean energy solutions,” Ramsuroop stated.

The symposium facilitated meaningful dialogue and showcased the research activities in FEBE that have the potential to drive significant progress in this field. Ramsuroop said the high level of engagement from participants and the positive feedback they received further affirmed that they achieved their objectives. “We look forward to continuing the momentum generated by this event and exploring and supporting the new collaborations towards a sustainable energy future.”

In his opening address, Strategic Advisor: Association of Municipal Electricity Utilities of Southern Africa, Vally Padayachee, made his presentation on the evolving electricity grid for the 21st century: A South African perspective.

In his plenary address, the Chief Executive Officer at the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI), Dr Titus Mathe, talked about the energy access challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Africa through strategic research and partnerships. There were several presentations and discussions throughout the one-day event.

Assistant Dean: Research, Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, Prof Veruscha Fester, expressed her sincere gratitude to the guests and speakers for their contributions and insights. “The discussions we've had today have been invaluable in shaping our collective understanding and approach to advancing SDG 7. Our distinguished guest speakers have clearly identified the key challenges we face, and it is now our responsibility to refocus our efforts to provide the solutions needed to address energy access, renewable energy resources, energy efficiency, and low-carbon alternatives,” Fester noted.

She added that grid modernisation will be key to bringing all these efforts together, as presented by Padayachee. “Let’s carry forward the momentum from this gathering, turning ideas into action and continuing to foster collaboration that drives sustainable energy solutions for South Africa and beyond.”

It was indeed an honour and privilege for FEBE to have influential industry leaders present at the seminar. Mathe who was accompanied by SANEDI Board Chairperson, Sicelo Xulu, also took the opportunity to visit the SARETEC facilities. “They were highly impressed by the facilities and its contribution to SANEDI’s mandate and expressed the desire to partner with SARETEC and support its current and future endeavours,” Ramsuroop remarked.

Written by Aphiwe Boyce

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