University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

STRATEGIC RESEARCH PLAN:

2007 to 2011

Executive Summary

The Strategic Research Plan (the “Plan” hereafter) sets out in broad terms how Wits will attain its stated 2010 goal of becoming a “research-driven” university. How the Plan is to be converted into practice will be set out in a separate document called the Operational Plan.

To be “research-driven” implies that:

  • our academic staff will be research active, and will produce nationally and internationally recognized work within and across disciplines
  • we will publish our research in leading journals
  • we will develop postgraduate research and publication
  • teaching and learning will be research driven

Certain core principles must be in place to underpin this strategy. These are:

  • Excellence
  • Innovation
  • Autonomy
  • Focus
  • Collaboration and engagement
  • Research Environment
  • Sustainability

Six goals or objectives have been determined to take the Plan forward. These are:

1. Qualifications, research output and research quality

The Plan requires most academic staff members to be research-active and sets out the defining criteria. Targets for PhD completions are set. The peer standing andpublic profile of our research staff will be raised. More sophisticated criteria for measurement of research outputs will be introduced.

2. Challenging, relevant and innovative research

Broad guidelines for a balance between fundamental and applied research will be developed. Fundamental research will be respected and encouraged. IP management tools will be enhanced and commercialization of marketable intellectual property will be encouraged. The externally-funded work policy will be bedded down.

3. Areas of Excellence

Individual researchers form the backbone of our research system. Building on this, ten Research Thrusts are currently recognized. These are not immutable. A number of additional “areas of distinction” are suggested, some of which may be come Thrusts.

Proposals for associating Thrusts with particular research entities, NRF Chairs, or Centres of Excellence, to make them more tangible, are set out.

4. Research Partnerships for Strategic Purposes

A small number of new focused international partnerships are proposed, particularly with leading international institutions.

More tightly-focused research partnerships with the private sector, NGO’s and Government agencies will be created.

An expansion in inter-personal international collaborations will be encouraged, to include bringing more distinguished scientists and postdoctoral fellows to Wits.

5. Research environment, organization and systems

The capacity of the Research Office, Wits Health Consortium, Wits Enterprise and the Development Office to support achievement of the foregoing goals will be enhanced in order to provide better support for researchers, with a strong ethos of client support and values added.

Postgraduate support capacity will be enhanced through the establishment of a very modest Postgraduate function. Existing research management models, including the results of decentralization, will be rigorously examined to see if delivery is satisfactory.

A research equipment replacement strategy will be implemented and the capacity of the Library to offer adequate support to researchers will be reviewed.

6. Long term research funding and research intensiveness

This will be secured by a raft of measures, including:

  • expanded external fundraising
  • replacement of ageing research equipment
  • attracting more and better postgraduates
  • expanding the research mentoring of younger academics by more experienced staff
  • more postdoctoral fellowships
  • expanding the cohort of female and Black researchers
  • reducing the average age of our cohort of leading researchers

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University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

STRATEGIC RESEARCH PLAN:

2007 to 2011

1Preamble

The University’s vision statement, Wits 2010, states that “our aim will be to develop our reputation as a research driven University.” As such we will be able to:

  • provide enlightened and far-seeing intellectual leadership to society
  • assist with providing insights into the best paths for the development of the country and region
  • enhance our image, reputation and competitiveness
  • attract and retain high calibre staff
  • secure funding to support all our programmes,
  • attract high-quality students,
  • establish highly productive strategic relationships with other universities and our partners in industry, government and civil society, and
  • improve the quality of undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral and professional education for a new generation of researchers, educators and innovators

In order to become “research driven” we will ensure that:

  • our academic staff will be research active, and will produce nationally and internationally recognized work within and across disciplines
  • We will publish our research in leading journals
  • We will develop postgraduate research and publication
  • teaching and learning will be informed by our research

2Principles

Our Research Plan is underpinned by certain core, mutually reinforcing and mutually dependent principles:

  • Excellence: We seek to produce excellent research which is recognized as such both nationally and internationally
  • Innovation: We wish our researchers to be innovative, to extend the frontiers of knowledge, and to make their mark on the community of scholars and on society at large
  • Autonomy: We seek to ensure that Wits researchers are free to set their own research agendas, to choose their collaborators, to select those whom they wish to train and mentor, and to determine how they contribute to the generation, preservation, transmission and application of knowledge
  • Focus: We seek to expand and consolidate our existing research thrusts, in our areas of greatest strength, and to develop new thrusts where appropriate
  • Collaboration and engagement: We seek to ensure that our researchers are active in pursuing opportunities for inter-institutional, international and cross-disciplinary collaboration in research and research training and that, where possible, they are able to establish reciprocal relationships with those able to use the knowledge developed through Wits research
  • Research Environment:We seek to create an enabling, efficient environment where discovery and creativity are fostered and encouraged and where ideas are discussed freely and critically in a spirit of openness and tolerance.
  • Sustainability: We seek to ensure the sustainability of high quality research by securing large-scale financial support for research, thus ensuring that existing and new initiatives can be supported over time, as well as developing younger and previously disadvantaged groups of researchers

Research Objectives

These principles give rise to a set of objectives. As far as possible, we will seek to attach measurable goals to these in Faculty and University Operational Plans:

GOAL 1: Qualifications, research output and research quality:

Excellence in research is an intangible which can only be measured through a range of proxies. International and national norms tend to give the greatest weight to the proxies of productivity and quality of publication outlets, citations, staff qualifications and peer acknowledgement. Our strategy is based upon the assumption that these proxies reflect, but do not constitute, quality in research. Our goal will be broadly, therefore, to improve drastically upon our performance in these areas, while taking other less easily measurable aspects of research quality into account. In order to improve in these areas we will, by 2011, seek to achieve a number of goals, some of which are made explicit here and some of which will be further developed in Faculty and University Operational Plans:

The first of these will be to require each member of the academic staff not on a teaching track to be “research active”. A “Research Active' individual is understood as someone “who pursues research on an ongoing basis, as a major focus of their academic activity”. To be regarded as 'research active' a full time staff member shall, at a minimum, normally have published at least five of the following items in the past five years.. These are: 1) a refereed Research Book (counts as 5 items); 2 ) one Refereed Chapter in a Research Book 3) one Refereed Journal Article; 4) one Refereed Conference Paper. The focus in these cases should be on ISI accredited publications. In addition, in order to be defined as research active, a staff member shall have achieved at least one of the following measures: 1) One external research grant; 2)External research income of more than R100,000 in the past five years;3) Supervision to successful completion of at least one research higher degree student in the past five years; 4) Publication of a further three publications in above publications categories in the past five years; 5) An NRF rating[1]

We will also aim to:

  • increase the number of rated researchers at the university from 175 to 250;
  • produce an average of 1 ISI accredited journal article per SLE per year
  • produce an average of 2 DoE Research Units per SLE per year
  • increase the average number of academic staff with a PhD to 75% in the “non-professional” disciplines, and 50% overall
  • require that wherever appropriate, PhD degrees be awarded only if publication of work from the thesis has taken place or is in the pipeline
  • have in place new sabbatical policies and provisions to aid research productivity.
  • have in place new incentive models for research productivity
  • increase the number of citations of our publications by other respected researchers;
  • improve our record ofacademic staff giving invited lectures at international conferences and symposia,especially at other research intensive universities;
  • increase the number of Wits researchers who enjoy national and international recognition for the quality of their work
  • continue to encourage retired members of staff to remain research active
  • become accustomed to widespread use of a variety of measures to assess and interpret the quality of our research, including citations, publications in accredited journals, conference presentations, production of knowledge considered by peers as being at the leading edge of disciplines, the perceived value of research findings to users; the number and nature of other products of research or other activities of knowledge creation such as productions or exhibitions.

GOAL 2: Challenging, relevant and innovative research

A university which is both innovative and research-intensive needs to sustain a multiplicity of objectives. A purely “innovative” approach could imply a loss of focus on the fundamental aspects of research; while a purely “research intensive” focus might imply that the mechanisms and incentives to innovate are weak. The history of Wits shows that it has traditional strengths in both of these respects – its engineering and sciences focus (as the most “SET”-intensive University in South Africa) rests upon a powerful tradition of service to industry, the economy more broadly, and many professions; while its strong humanities, social sciences, pure sciences, and fundamental medical research tradition lends it the stature to pursue and sustain long-term research in these fields unencumbered by short-term service considerations. Both aspects require an approach to research which is lively, proactive, inventive and original.

By 2011 we will have built on existing strengths in the following areas:

  • widespread seminar, discussion, conference and visitor programmes that encourage academics and postgraduates to work at the frontiers of their disciplines
  • sustained, systematic international contacts and exchanges between Wits researchers and researchers in “top 100” universities elsewhere, as appropriate for particular fields
  • a culture which protects the valuable balance we have developed between basic and applied research;
  • a culture which protects “basic” research, while ensuring that it seeks to address significant questions at the forefront of knowledge
  • efficient and effective systems of intellectual property protection that ensure appropriate use and acknowledgement of all knowledge sources
  • highly developed and university-wide systems to manage commercial exploitation including patents, diversity and quantum of funding grants, based in Wits Enterprise
  • a well-developed culture of entrepreneurship amongst students in the most applied disciplines
  • a fully-functioning Externally-Funded Work policy and set of systems which is easily used and widely accepted across the University

GOAL 3: Building on areas of excellence

In many areas of the University the individual researcher, who grapples with the tensions between research and teaching commitments, provides the backbone of our research effort. Individual researchers will be encouraged and supported wherever appropriate. In addition, the existing University Research Thrusts provide a framework upon which further areas of focus and excellence can be developed. These research thrusts should not only continue, but be further expanded and consolidated and linked into teaching programmes where possible and appropriate. They should continue to take into account national needs and agendas. The thrusts that are officially recognized by Senate are:

  • Biodiversity
  • Cities
  • Development
  • Education
  • Environmental Sciences
  • HIV/Aids
  • India/South Africa
  • Materials Sciences
  • Mining, Minerals and Exploration
  • Origin of Species and National Heritage

Between 2007 and 2011, we will work to:

  • ensure better coverage of research thrusts and areas of distinction in faculties where they are less well represented
  • anchor each existing Thrust within at least one strong research entity (many of which already exist):
  • this is well under way in the case of Origin of Species; Mining/Minerals, Biodiversity, HIV/Aidsand Materials Sciences; these will be consolidated; the targeted investment in each will be R50m overall in this period, from all sources
  • Cities, Development, Education and the Environment have potential research entities which could be used as the focus for development; targeted investment in each, R20m during this period from all sources
  • India/South Africa: target by 2011 will be to have built the appropriate research entity as anchor, to a reasonable level of function, with a minimum investment of R10m during this period from all sources
  • Further anchor each existing Thrust around at least one Research Chair, based on, but not confined to, the NRF Chairs programme

We shall also:

  • identify new “areas of distinction” in some or all of the following broad fields, which are areas of identifiable existing strength at Wits in some cases, or of considerable potential strength in others:
  • Astronomy
  • Computational Aspects of Research
  • Energy
  • ICT
  • Mathematical Sciences
  • Molecular Biosciences
  • Nanotechnology
  • Nuclear Sciences
  • Population, Health and Society
  • Prevalent Local Diseases
  • Water Research
  • Biomaterials
  • Develop specific strategies for each additional “area of distinction”, which could include developing them into Research Thrusts, Centres of Excellence, Research Niche Areas, Chairs, Research Entities etc
  • Molecular Biosciences will aim to become a research thrust with the attendant strategies around anchoring each in an entity, and/or a Chair, and with core associated funding
  • Astronomy, ICT, Mathematical Sciences, Nanotechnology, Energy, and Prevalent Local Diseases will aim for Research Chairs
  • Water Research, Nuclear Sciences, Computational Aspects of Research, and Population, Health and Society will aim to become Research Niche Areas or develop a similar focus
  • Identify criteria for the prioritisation of funding applications that will promote work in research thrusts and/or potential research thrusts or areas of distinction with particular potential within the University
  • Regularly review and evaluate research thrusts and other areas of focus, so as to ensure their ongoing relevance
  • Develop new thrusts as appropriate
  • Consolidate and further develop the research thrusts with a focus on areas of strength
  • Increase the funding for the research thrusts
  • Increase the number of scholars involved in the research thrusts
  • Increase the number of cross disciplinary projects linked to research thrusts.
  • Promote and develop Centres of Excellence where appropriate

GOAL 4: Research Partnerships for Strategic Purposes

In addition to its normal, bottom-up research collaborations with Universities all over the world, by 2011 the University will have set up and consolidated broader, University-wide, research partnerships, flowing from the areas of focus it has selected for special attention. The purposes of these research partnerships will be many and varied – including bringing younger Wits academics into systematic contact with leading researchers in our strategic areas; leveraging funding; assisting with training of postgraduates; bringing us in contact with potential postdoctoral fellows and new staff; opening up new areas for research, particularly in our neighbouring countries and broader region; etc. Between now and 2011, thus we will:

  • consolidate and strengthen existing research partnerships
  • develop a small number of focused, new strategic research partnerships, nationally, in the rest of Africa and internationally
  • set targets for the development of partnerships nationally, regionally and internationally
  • increase the number of strategic research partnerships with prestigious academic institutions, building on the fledgling partnership with MIT
  • set up partnerships with a clear research dimension with the private sector, government agencies and NGOs
  • substantially expand the extent of international research collaboration involving Wits academics;
  • substantially expand the number of internationally renowned researchers, scholars and post-doctoral fellows who visit Wits’ areas of strategic research focus

GOAL 5: Research environment, organization and systems

The Research environment at Wits requires development in a variety of specific areas in order to provide better support for researchers. At present there is a small Research Office which performs the following functions:

  • Supports the URC (prepares agendas and reports, carries out its instructions, which will involve sourcing and disseminating information, prepares its annual budget, prepares annual report to Senate and Council
  • Manages three ethics committees and the Institutional Biosafety Committee
  • Collects, collates and submits publication returns to Dept of Education
  • Liaises with science councils, especially the NRF and MRC (screens and submits applications for ratings and several types of grant, collects and submits reports, receives grants, opens accounts, informs grant holders and acts as intermediary, engages in policy and implementation discussions, manages devolved NRF funds)
  • Performs the financial management of some, but not all, research accounts (opening accounts, responding to account enquiries, management of URC budget, issuing of invoices, co-ordination with Wits Foundation, financial reports to funders
  • Handles general policy matters, (including but not limited to: advising URC; liaison with science councils and Government; annual Frascati return; university research policy issues, including thrusts, new chairs, budgetary allocations; research management system; legal agreements; attending URC, FRC, SMG and numerous ad hoc meetings; external work policy; liaison with donors, e.g. Ford, Mellon, Oppenheimer, Wellcome, etc; maintaining our website

However the goals of Wits 2010 will require more substantial assistance for academic staff in a number of areas, which cannot at present be handled given the current Research Office staffing levels. The areas with which expanded assistance will be required include the following: