Page 7 - Research & Innovation Report 2020

DVC’S MESSAGE: RESEARCH, INNOVATION
AND INTERNATIONALISATION

Sustainability for the future

By Dr Thandi Mgwebi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor:
Research, Innovation and Internationalisation (RII)

Sustainability sciences at Nelson Mandela University seek to address key local and global
questions, such as how to most effectively improve social capacity to guide interactions
between nature and society toward more sustainable futures.

Research aligned to the goals of sustainable development has
long been pursued from disciplines as diverse as geography
and geochemistry, ecology and economics, chemistry and
mechatronics; or physics and political science. Increasingly,
however, a sustainability science research agenda has emerged
that transcends the basis of foundational disciplines and focuses
instead on understanding the complex dynamics arising from
interactions between human and environmental systems.

Central questions in this agenda include, but are not limited to:
How can these dynamic interactions be better incorporated into
emerging models and concepts that integrate the earth systems,
social development, and sustainability? How are long-term trends
in environment and development reshaping nature–society
relationships? What factors determine the limits of resilience and
sources of vulnerability for such interactions? How can science,
technology and innovation be more effectively harnessed to
address sustainability goals?

The strength of sustainability sciences at Mandela University, built
over many years, is reflected in the 2021 Times Higher Education
(THE) Impact Rankings which indicate the University is emerging as
a leader in sustainability in South Africa and Africa.

Mandela University’s approach to sustainability science research
aligns not only with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Dr Thandi Mgwebi
Goals (SDGs), but also with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 – The
Africa We Want, and South Africa’s National Development Plan. increasingly entrenched in the University’s research, teaching and
This means that the University is addressing global issues from learning and community engagement. Alongside this, we promote
a uniquely African perspective that has local impact and global a strong ethos that extends to the University’s day to day actions,
relevance. This approach is also based on the University’s Vision entrenching sustainability as an institution-wide culture.
2030, in particular its focus on sustainable futures, as articulated
in Strategic Focus Area 2: “Pursue impactful, pioneering research, The World Bank states that climate change is the most significant
innovation and internationalisation to address grand societal challenge to achieving sustainable development, and it threatens
challenges and promote sustainable futures”. to drag millions of people into grinding poverty, particularly in the
developing world. Therefore, sustainability science that focuses
An institutional building process for advancing sustainability on the multiple challenges posed by this global change has to
science is underway, applying the core principles of sustainability be placed at the forefront of the research enterprise. This cannot
– transdisciplinarity and systems-thinking – that are already simply be research for its own sake; it has to inform policy direction

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