Page 30 - VC 5 Year Review Report 2022

the CCC sought to bring together expertise from anti-GBV training for first responders. Apart from
various faculties, fields and disciplines to facilitate a sourcing external funding, the University also set
transdisciplinary approach to engaging with society up a Convergence Fund to provide an avenue for
on different levels. employees at the University to contribute towards
COVID-19 initiatives. These funds were disbursed
Under the CCC’s purview, Mandela University through the CCW in the form of food parcels and
contributed in various ways to the production and other material relief.
distribution of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs),
such as cloth masks, face shields, and hand sanitiser. With the lifting of the COVID-19 regulations and the
The University also played a vital role in providing national state of disaster, the CCC has since been
ICT solutions for tracking, tracing, and managing dissolved and reconceptualised. However, the cross-
data related to COVID-19 cases, producing models functional, transdisciplinary work of the CCC will
to understand the behaviour of the pandemic more be integrated into the engagement matrix of the
generally, and modelling the economic effects of University to establish new and revitalised affiliations,
the pandemic. Furthermore, Mandela University systems of working and means of accountability to
provided educational resources on the pandemic for build a transformative, responsive university.
use in campaigns extending beyond the University
to promote behavioural change and to assist Ocean Sciences
stakeholders in making informed decisions regarding The United Nations proclaimed 2021-2030 as
the COVID-19 vaccine. the International Decade of Ocean Science for
Sustainable Development in an effort to mobilise
The CCC also coordinated the engagement of the stakeholders worldwide behind a common framework
University with societal challenges exacerbated that will serve as a pivotal driver in protecting the
by the pandemic. Within the Engagement and world’s oceans. With the launch of the first dedicated
Transformation Portfolio (ETP), the Community Ocean Sciences Campus in South Africa in September
Convergence Workstream (CCW) was convened 2017, Nelson Mandela University began an exciting
to draw on the expertise of those in the portfolio journey towards becoming the “go-to” destination
to initiate projects on tele-counselling, sustainable for Ocean Sciences.
food systems, archiving and citizen journalism, and
The Ocean Sciences Campus is a hub for creative,
pioneering transdisciplinary, postgraduate ocean
sciences research, teaching, innovation, and
engagement that builds and maintains critical mass
in key niche areas spanning the three interdependent
spheres of sustainability, namely, promoting
The University sustainable livelihoods for coastal communities
by tapping the economic potential of the oceans
also set up a while preserving marine biodiversity and ecological
integrity for the benefit of future generations. This
Convergence is enabled and supported through infrastructure
developments funded by the Department of Higher
Fund to provide Education and Training, which have made it possible
for the University to invest in modernised laboratories,
an avenue for facilities, and equipment on the campus.

employees at As part of our ocean sciences strategy, all faculties

have been scaling up academic qualifications at under-
the University to and postgraduate levels, developing short learning
contribute towards programmes (SLPs) to respond to the continuing
professional development needs of various sectors
COVID-19 initiatives. of the oceans economy, and harnessing inter- and
transdisciplinary research and innovation capabilities

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