Stellenbosch University's (SU) annual Research Output Award ceremony took place virtually on Friday 5 February 2021. The awards were presented to SU researchers who made the biggest contribution to accredited publications (based on audited publication statistics of the 2018-output year) and doctoral graduates (December 2019/March 2020 graduations).

For the purpose of the recognition with regards to accredited publications, two categories were taken into account, namely (i)  researchers making the biggest contributions in terms of the publication subsidy units (PUs) of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) (cut-off this year was 4.45) and (ii) researchers who produced the highest number of accredited research publications in collaboration with their national and international research partners and students (cut-off this year was 14). In this round, supervisors who delivered three or more doctorates for the period mentioned were also acknowledged.

Prof Eugene Cloete, Deputy Vice-Chancellor​: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies at SU, presented the awards and said research publications and doctoral graduates are among the most important products that SU researchers deliver. These activities make a critical contribution to expanding SU's international reputation as an excellent research university and make a significant contribution to SU's annual income. More importantly is the fact that new knowledge generated at SU in this manner is transferred to a global audience, thus enhancing the application of research results and the establishment of high level human capacity. 

“Researchers delivering these types of outputs of high quality are regarded as some of the most important assets at any university. I consider it a privilege to be able to give recognition to the outstanding performance of this group of researchers," said Prof Cloete.​

Echoing Cloete's sentiments, Prof Wim de Villiers, Rector and Vice-Chancellor at SU, congratulated all the awardees and said: “Research can be demanding, but it is also exhilarating. I appreciate all our researchers` outstanding contribution, their continued resilience and adaptability to change – as we have seen also in the past year. I am impressed with their sterling efforts and the impact that their research has, which contributes greatly to the aims set out in SU`s Vision 2040".

The following researchers received awards:

For any enquiries, please contact Maryke Hunter-Hüsselmann (mh3@sun.ac.za). 

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