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R45 Food Sock Meals Now Available at Maties Coffee Hubhttp://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=11211R45 Food Sock Meals Now Available at Maties Coffee HubRentia Smal<p></p><p style="color:#0e101a;background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><br></p><p style="color:#0e101a;background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"></p><p style="color:#0e101a;background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">Students at Stellenbosch University now have access to nutritious, easy-to-prepare Food Sock meals, available at Maties Coffee Hub in the Matie Shop at the Neelsie. The R45 meal kit serves up to four people, offering students an affordable and convenient meal solution. </span></p><p style="color:#0e101a;background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">This initiative is part of SUNCOM and Factory 209’s efforts to address the rising food insecurity challenges among the student community. </span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">Malnutrition and not knowing where your next meal will come from can </span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">place significant stress on students</span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">.</span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> SU aims to solve this challenge with a flavourful and nutritious one-pot-wonder that only requires water.</span></p><p style="color:#0e101a;background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">Founded in 2023 by Carl van Blerk, Food Sock was developed to tackle food security and loadshedding challenges in South Africa. The meal kits are designed for convenience, ensuring students enjoy wholesome meals despite financial challenges.</span></p><p style="color:#0e101a;background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">Each meal has been developed with inputs from culinary experts, including renowned Chef Francois Ferreira and celebrity chef Nataniel, to guarantee taste and nutritional value. Various flavours are available, including chicken pasta, tomato bredie, chakalaka samp and beans, mac and cheese, mutton stew, chicken veg soup and even traditional </span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">melkkos</span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">.</span></p><p style="color:#0e101a;background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">To purchase your Food Sock meal kit, visit Maties Coffee Hub at the Neelsie today.</span></p><p style="color:#0e101a;background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><br></span></p><p style="color:#0e101a;background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"></p><p style="color:#0e101a;background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><strong style="background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">About Factory 209 (Pty) Ltd</strong></p><p style="color:#0e101a;background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">Factory 209 (Pty) Ltd, a subsidiary of Stellenbosch University </span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">enterprises</span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> (USE), serves as the commercial vehicle for SUNCOM. It oversees multiple business initiatives, including Matie Shops, the Central Events and Conference Office (CECO), and Gradlinc. CECO manages event spaces, rentals, and conference facilities, while Gradlinc </span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">functions as</span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background:transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> an employment platform connecting SU graduates with potential employers.</span></p><p>​<br></p>
Universities face significant disruptionhttp://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=11204Universities face significant disruptionProf Stan du Plessis<p>​​​Universities have existed for over 1 000 years and have changed a lot over many centuries, but not as severely as in recent years, when they have faced significant disruption. Consider declining government funding, the rise of alternatives to traditional academic programmes, and the high costs of sustaining undergraduate teaching and research.<br></p><p>If we compare our situation to the likes of Harvard and Oxford, for example, one realises that in Harvard's budget, the recurring revenue (fees) pays only 55 percent of their operating expenses, including salaries. The rest comes from investment income on their $54bn endowment and direct donations this year. As Oxford's retiring vice-chancellor said: “We lose money on every student we admit, and we lose money on almost every research tranche we take…"</p><p>We at Stellenbosch University (SU) do not live in that world; we cannot absorb loss-making activities without ending in the same way as four or five elite institutions in the world can, with endowments so wildly extravagant that they can afford not to consider economic realities. Even with over 800 years of accumulation and privilege behind them, Oxford does not even serve as many students as we do.</p><p>Furthermore, we have our own unique disruptive challenges: the collapse of NSFAS, declining government subsidies and a stagnant economy. Within this challenging environment, we must work towards creating a new kind of public university in South Africa. One thing is for sure: South African universities will have to work smarter, not harder, to ensure that we are sustainable and can increase our beneficial impact on society.</p><p>While I am now looking into my crystal ball, I am arranging my thoughts according to the acronym HESU, which I've mentioned to you before. It stands for High Impact, Efficient Scalable University.</p><p><strong>Education changes families</strong></p><p>I love to use VS Naipaul's inspiring 1961 novel <em>A House for Mr Biswas</em> to explain how education changes families. Born in rural Trinidad, the grandson of immigrants who came from India as indentured servants (almost slaves), Mr Mohun Biswas could maintain a sense of himself as a man with possibilities and options and in a position to set limits on what he will put up with — also living in a society that will let him survive with this attitude.</p><p>Somehow, Mr Biswas survives, marries, supports a family after a fashion, and passes on to some of his children this sense of living in a world with possibilities. This world can reward those who accept the challenges it offers. By the end of his life, his oldest son, Anand, had become a scholarship student at Oxford. Between Anand and his grandparents is the “entire gap in living standards between the wealthy and poor parts of the world today."</p><p>Once Anand had gone to Oxford, the Biswas family - who had been poor for centuries, and Anand's great-grandfather had been a near-slave would never be poor again.</p><p>To similarly impact South Africa today, and more so in a decade from now, for high-impact, we need three things:</p><p><strong>Embrace interdisciplinary learning</strong>: to address complex global challenges will require that we cross disciplinary boundaries;</p><p><strong>We need lifelong learning</strong>; therefore, universities must offer continuous education beyond traditional degrees; and</p><p><strong>Instill collaborative learning</strong>, as fostering teamwork prepares students for an ever-changing and evolving job market.</p><p>For efficiency and scalability, we need to embrace factors such as hyper-automation, hence streamlining our operations with the help of digitization and AI. Personalisation should be centred in our strategy, utilising AI-driven learning tailored to individuals' needs. We need student success analytics — data-driven interventions so that we can improve our academic outcomes. Lastly, we must build on our progress with hybrid and online learning by expanding students' access to flexible, technology-enhanced education.</p><p>The University of the Future can embrace these changes if they are willing to invest in technology and enable a mindset shift; faculties should see hybrid learning to enhance impact, not a burden.</p><p>We need to build sustainable, transformative universities to ensure education remains a driver of social mobility and economic progress. Together, we can make HESU a reality and realise the impact we as a sector can have at an even greater scale in this country.</p><p>The future is bright.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>​<br></p>
A year to explorehttp://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=11192A year to explorePetro Mostert<p><em>​By Nicolette van den Eijkel, Chief Director: Facilities Management</em></p><p>Our focus this year must be on ensuring that we are "future-fit" by embracing innovation, sustainability, and operational excellence. We need to work on having a culture and structure of adaptability and continuous improvement so that our campus facilities and the services we provide are functional today and ready to meet the evolving needs of tomorrow's students and staff while meeting the objectives of Vision 2040. I am excited about the year ahead and the opportunity to realign and assess that we are doing the right things in the right way with the right people and the right resources.  Let us see that in December 2025, we can say: “We are (al)right".</p><p>To achieve this, in 2025 the Facilities Management Division will focus on:</p><p>The Campus Renewal Project: namely:</p><ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li>Refurbishment of Admin A</li></ul></ul><ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li>Refurbishment of Admin B</li></ul></ul><ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li>Development of the Central Campus Renewal project and the relocation of parts of Agrisciences Faculty to Welgevallen</li></ul></ul><ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li>Continuation of the existing CRP projects</li></ul></ul><p>Implementing the six-year Capital Plan to get approval from Council for funding for infrastructure needs</p><p>-       Providing a welcoming environment for all students and staff</p><p>-       Improving operational efficiency by</p><ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li>Aligning the structure of SUFM to ensure that it is “future-fit" and has the right resources in the proper structure; and<br></li></ul></ul><ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li>Understanding our funding and budgets and ensuring that the right budget is used for the right purposes.<br></li></ul></ul><p>-       Harnessing our digital assets and systems to ensure that we improve sustainability and efficiency.</p><p>The start of 2025 is good! The Chinese New Year was on 29 January, and we are entering the year of the wood snake, billed as “a year to explore, get inspired and share your light".   I hope we are all inspired to explore and make SU the best university in South Africa.</p><p>​<br></p>
A committed #Maroon Machinehttp://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=11191A committed #Maroon MachinePetro Mostert<p><strong>​</strong></p><p><em>By Ilhaam Groenewald, Chief Director Maties Sport</em></p><p>Through a comprehensive approach, sustainable development and sustainability have become concepts that can assist in solving the detrimental economic, environmental, and social repercussions in this generation and future ones. Sustainability has been promoted by organisations (civil society, businesses, public sector organisations, such as universities.  The sports environment has made strides, too. However, we must do more within our South African context, and Maties Sport is committed to the cause.</p><p>Our five strategic objectives remain our guide to fulfilling our vision: 'To be the leading university, contributing to a holistic and diverse experience through sport'.  Our commitment for 2025 is to drive participation, performance, education, and research through leadership that will advance performance at all levels as follows:</p><ol style="list-style-type:decimal;"><li><p>To advance participation and performance through our various units responsible for high performance, competitive sport, recreation, and active lifestyle; </p></li><li><p>Creating a healthy organisation focused on succession planning, supported by training, development, and staff wellbeing;</p></li><li><p>Aligning to a sustainable business model, realised through (i) fundraising initiatives with purposeful partnerships, (ii) a destination of choice supported by our world-class physical resources, and (iii) operational excellence supported by technology and innovation; and</p></li><li><p>Focusing on research for impact and innovation: our two uniquely positioned Centre for Sport Leadership and the South African Centre for Olympic Studies and Social Impact (SACOSSI) will drive initiatives to advance research for impact, training and development, and social impact.</p></li></ol><p>The new five-year vision that led to my re-appointment as the Maties Sport Chief Director aims to continue navigating the ever-evolving landscape of higher education and the essential to reimagining university sport as a catalyst for positive change.  To achieve this, we must consider including sustainable practices to shape future generations of leaders, athletes, and engaged citizens.</p><p>The #MaroonMachine remains committed to unlocking Maties Sport's full potential to thrive in a diverse and interconnected world.</p><p>I remain grateful for the privilege of serving sport at Stellenbosch University and our beautiful country.  I appreciate the leadership of Professor Stan du Plessis, Chief Operating Officer, our line manager, the Operations and Finance team, the #MaroonMachine family, and the broader sport fraternity of South Africa.</p><p>2025 will be another fantastic year, and may we collectively, through meaningful collaboration, continue to make a difference.<br></p><p><br></p>
Restoring trust in higher educationhttp://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=11193Restoring trust in higher educationPetro Mostert<p><br><br></p><p>In 2025, the Finance Division wants to contribute to restoring trust in Higher Education in South Africa. EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association in the United States whose mission is "to advance higher education through the use of information technology", indicated recently that higher education is facing a trust crisis, with public confidence declining sharply over the past decade. Their list of top issues in 2025 identifies key areas where institutions can restore trust by balancing two essentials: competence and care. Their 2025 list highlights areas where technology and data can empower institutions to deliver quality education and a positive experience for students and staff, namely:</p><p>·      Data-Empowered Institution through SU's Cloud solutions </p><p>·      Administrative Simplification </p><p>·      Smoothing the Student Journey </p><p>·      Institutional Resilience </p><p>·      Faster, Better, and Cheaper </p><p>·      Putting People First </p><p>·      Building Bridges, Not Walls - Supportable, Sustainable, and Affordable.<br><br></p><p>​<br></p>
Hoping all your squares and cubes will fit comfortably within your expectations of 2025http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=11194Hoping all your squares and cubes will fit comfortably within your expectations of 2025Petro Mostert<p></p><p>By Anita Nel, Chief Director Innovation and Commercialisation</p><p><br></p><p>(0 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9)² = 2025.</p><p>Furthermore, it also represents the sum of the cubes of all the digits of the decimal numbering system.</p><p>(0³ + 1³ + 2³ + 3³ + 4³ + 5³ + 6³ + 7³ + 8³ + 9³) = 2025.</p><p>The most recent "perfect square years" were 1849, 1600 and 1225; the next one after 2025 will be in 2116.</p><p>The Times of India Newspaper expects unprecedented evolution in these fields in 2025:</p><p><br></p><ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li><p>Medicine: Advancements in longevity, human birth, and behavioural understanding</p></li><li><p>Space Exploration: Breakthroughs in alien communication and the search for extraterrestrial life</p></li><li><p>Defence: Development of next-generation weapons and defence mechanisms</p></li><li><p>Technology: Innovations in AI, human-computer interfaces, and robotics may blur the lines between humans and machines<br><br></p></li></ul><p>My expectations and wishes for 2025 differ slightly from those of the Times of India Newspapers.  I look forward to opening the biotechnology laboratory for our spinout companies at the LaunchLab and to all the inventions our researchers will make this year.  I look forward to rolling out our residents' communication tool to more residences, to hearing yet again how much the students like the Neelsie and Matie Shop, to ensuring that all students can enjoy nutritious and delicious meals every day, to seeing conservation thrive in our Botanical Garden, to excellent and safer transport services, to ensure that more people can upskill themselves through SU short courses, to efficient copy, print and courier services on our campus and to exciting events across our campus.  I am incredibly positive about this year and hope that all your squares and cubes will fit comfortably within your expectations and plans for the year and that it will be an awesome one for all of us in the Innovation and Commercialisation division and SU.<br></p><p>​<br></p>
IT is SU’s strategic partner on our digital transformation journeyhttp://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=11195IT is SU’s strategic partner on our digital transformation journeyPetro Mostert<p><em>​By Antoinette van der Merwe, Chief Director Information Technology</em></p><p><br></p><p>Aligned to the <a href="https://www.educause.edu/research-and-publications/research/top-10-it-issues-technologies-and-trends/2025">Educause Top 10</a> issues for building a trusted, resilient institution, IT will focus in 2025 to be SU's strategic partner on our digital transformation journey by increasing collaboration with all our stakeholders and streamlining the IT project management portfolio.<br><br></p><p>We cannot do so without a cohesive and collaborative team, and we will pay special attention to staff wellness and attracting, developing and retaining staff. We recognize the urgent need to modernize the IT ecosystem and the institutional business processes. We will partner with our stakeholders to do so with a special focus on security, the mapping of as-is and to-be ICT architecture and the governance of Institutional software solutions. We will also focus on establishing an adaptive governance framework paying special attention to the acceptable use of ICT resources, including security, data management, identity access management and AI.</p><p><br></p><p>The “data-empowered institution" is a top priority on the Educause's top 10 issues list. IT looks forward to working with all stakeholders to unlock the tremendous potential whilst mitigating data management and governance risk. Cybersecurity and AI are also identified as some of the most severe global risks over the next 2 and 10 years, and here, we will also closely collaborate with all stakeholders to harness the opportunities provided by AI while increasing our security posture.  ​</p><p><br></p><p><img src="/english/PublishingImages/Lists/dualnews/My%20Items%20View/IT%20pic.jpg" alt="IT pic.jpg" style="margin:5px;width:535px;height:618px;" /><a href="https://www.statista.com/chart/29197/the-most-severe-global-risks-over-the-next-2-and-10-years/">Source</a>: The largest risks faced by the world ​</p><p>Lastly, we cannot engage in these priorities without a clear focus on further streamlining and simplifying the ICT funding model and procurement process to ensure cost optimization and sustainability. </p><p>​ </p><p>​</p><p>​<br></p>
Stellenbosch University Innovators excel at inaugural Cape Chamber of Commerce Academic Innovation Awards http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=11148Stellenbosch University Innovators excel at inaugural Cape Chamber of Commerce Academic Innovation Awards Innovation and Commercialisation<p><span data-contrast="none" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="background-color:transparent;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:#242424;font-size:10.5pt;line-height:22.0875px;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui_embeddedfont", "segoe ui_msfontservice", sans-serif;"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">​The Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry held its </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">inaugural </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">Academic </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">Innovation Awards last week to c</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">elebrate the </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">innovators who are </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">driving economic growth in the</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">Western Cape.</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> The event</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">,</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> hosted by MTN South Africa in partnership with the </span></span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="background-color:transparent;color:windowtext;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:10.5pt;line-height:22.0875px;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui_embeddedfont", "segoe ui_msfontservice", sans-serif;"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">Cape Higher Education Consortium (CHEC)</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">, </span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;background-position:0px 100%;background-repeat:repeat-x;">recognised</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">ten</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">standout</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> academic innovators</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">for their</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">significant progre</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">ss</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> in 2024</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW192852244 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{}" style="background-color:transparent;color:windowtext;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:10.5pt;line-height:22.0875px;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui_embeddedfont", "segoe ui_msfontservice", sans-serif;"> </span></p><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;clear:both;cursor:text;overflow:visible;direction:ltr;color:#000000;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui web", arial, verdana, sans-serif;font-size:12px;background-color:#ffffff;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin-bottom:10.6667px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;color:windowtext;"><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:10.5pt;line-height:22.0875px;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui_embeddedfont", "segoe ui_msfontservice", sans-serif;"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">S</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">erving as a testament to its thriving innovation ecosystem, </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">Stellenbosch University entrepreneurs </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">walked away with </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">five out of </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">the </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">ten awards</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">.</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">All </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">five winners </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">are </span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;background-position:0px 100%;background-repeat:repeat-x;">incubatees</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> of the Stellenbosch University LaunchLab</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">,</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">where they continue to receive</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">entrepreneurial support </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">to scale</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> their respective ventures</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW192852244 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:10.5pt;line-height:22.0875px;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui_embeddedfont", "segoe ui_msfontservice", sans-serif;"> </span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;clear:both;cursor:text;overflow:visible;direction:ltr;color:#000000;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui web", arial, verdana, sans-serif;font-size:12px;background-color:#ffffff;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin-bottom:10.6667px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;color:windowtext;"><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:10.5pt;line-height:22.0875px;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui_embeddedfont", "segoe ui_msfontservice", sans-serif;"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">Prof. Eugene Cloete, C</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">hief </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">E</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">xecutive </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">O</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">fficer</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> of CHEC, presented the awards </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">to</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> Stellenbosch University student entrepreneurs; </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">Chiedza </span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;background-position:0px 100%;background-repeat:repeat-x;">V</span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;background-position:0px 100%;background-repeat:repeat-x;">usche</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">,</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> Robin Truter and Alexandra Lutz</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> who</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> received the </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">‘</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">University </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">S</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">tudent Innovation Award</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">’</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">.</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">The trio were also </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">winners </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">at the </span></span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW192852244 BCX8" href="https://www.launchlab.co.za/stellenbosch-university-excels-at-edhe-intervarsity-regionals-2024/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;color:inherit;"><span data-contrast="none" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun Underlined SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;color:#467886;font-size:10.5pt;text-decoration-line:underline;line-height:22.0875px;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui_embeddedfont", "segoe ui_msfontservice", sans-serif;"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Regional Competition last year</span></span></a><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:10.5pt;line-height:22.0875px;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui_embeddedfont", "segoe ui_msfontservice", sans-serif;">. </span><span class="EOP SCXW192852244 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:10.5pt;line-height:22.0875px;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui_embeddedfont", "segoe ui_msfontservice", sans-serif;"> </span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;clear:both;cursor:text;overflow:visible;direction:ltr;color:#000000;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui web", arial, verdana, sans-serif;font-size:12px;background-color:#ffffff;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin-bottom:10.6667px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;color:windowtext;"><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:10.5pt;line-height:22.0875px;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui_embeddedfont", "segoe ui_msfontservice", sans-serif;"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">Additionally, t</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">wo </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">S</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">tellenbosch </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">U</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">niversity</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> spinout companies</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">,</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> </span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;background-position:0px 100%;background-repeat:repeat-x;">Nanosene</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> and </span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;background-position:0px 100%;background-repeat:repeat-x;">Terraclim</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">, </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">were </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">nam</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">ed </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">‘University </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">Spin Off Company of the Year</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">’</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">,</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">along with two other</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> startups</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> from different academic institutions</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">.</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">The </span></span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW192852244 BCX8" href="https://innovus.co.za/us-enterprises/#spin-out" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;color:inherit;"><span data-contrast="none" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun Underlined SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;color:#467886;font-size:10.5pt;text-decoration-line:underline;line-height:22.0875px;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui_embeddedfont", "segoe ui_msfontservice", sans-serif;"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">Stellenbosch University Enterprise (USE) portfolio</span></span></a><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:10.5pt;line-height:22.0875px;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui_embeddedfont", "segoe ui_msfontservice", sans-serif;"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> consists of 35 companies and continues to grow</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> annually</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW192852244 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:10.5pt;line-height:22.0875px;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui_embeddedfont", "segoe ui_msfontservice", sans-serif;"> </span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;clear:both;cursor:text;overflow:visible;direction:ltr;color:#000000;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui web", arial, verdana, sans-serif;font-size:12px;background-color:#ffffff;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin-bottom:10.6667px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;color:windowtext;"><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:10.5pt;line-height:22.0875px;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui_embeddedfont", "segoe ui_msfontservice", sans-serif;"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">The event serves as a precursor to the Chamber's Industry Awards on</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> 10 </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">June</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> 2025,</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> where the awardees </span></span><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:10.5pt;line-height:22.0875px;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui_embeddedfont", "segoe ui_msfontservice", sans-serif;"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">will be </span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;background-position:0px 100%;background-repeat:repeat-x;">recognised</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> based on criteria such as: Market acceptance, </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">p</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">eer </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">r</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">ecognition, </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">n</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">ovelty of </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">i</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">nnovation</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"> and s</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">cale of </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">i</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">ndustry </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">i</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">mpact.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW192852244 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:10.5pt;line-height:22.0875px;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui_embeddedfont", "segoe ui_msfontservice", sans-serif;"> </span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;clear:both;cursor:text;overflow:visible;direction:ltr;color:#000000;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui web", arial, verdana, sans-serif;font-size:12px;background-color:#ffffff;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin-bottom:10.6667px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;color:windowtext;"><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:10.5pt;line-height:22.0875px;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui_embeddedfont", "segoe ui_msfontservice", sans-serif;"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">With Stellenbosch University leading the way, the awards highlight the importance of academic innovation in the advancement of the Wes</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">tern Cape’s economic landscape.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW192852244 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":160,"335559740":279}" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:10.5pt;line-height:22.0875px;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui_embeddedfont", "segoe ui_msfontservice", sans-serif;"> </span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;clear:both;cursor:text;overflow:visible;direction:ltr;color:#000000;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui web", arial, verdana, sans-serif;font-size:12px;background-color:#ffffff;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin-bottom:10.6667px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;color:windowtext;"><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:10.5pt;line-height:22.0875px;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui_embeddedfont", "segoe ui_msfontservice", sans-serif;">For more information on the Stellenbosch University LaunchLab, </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW192852244 BCX8" href="https://www.launchlab.co.za/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;color:inherit;"><span data-contrast="none" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun Underlined SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;color:#467886;font-size:10.5pt;text-decoration-line:underline;line-height:22.0875px;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui_embeddedfont", "segoe ui_msfontservice", sans-serif;"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;">click here</span></span></a><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-US" class="TextRun SCXW192852244 BCX8" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:10.5pt;line-height:22.0875px;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui_embeddedfont", "segoe ui_msfontservice", sans-serif;">.</span><span style="font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui_embeddedfont", "segoe ui_msfontservice", sans-serif;font-size:10.5pt;background-color:transparent;color:windowtext;"> </span></p></div>
Be kindhttp://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=11012Be kindPetro Mostert<p><br><br></p><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW232754368 BCX0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;clear:both;cursor:text;overflow:visible;direction:ltr;color:#000000;font-family:"segoe ui", "segoe ui web", arial, verdana, sans-serif;font-size:12px;background-color:#ffffff;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW232754368 BCX0" style="margin-bottom:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:transparent;color:windowtext;"><span data-contrast="auto" lang="EN-ZA" class="TextRun MacChromeBold SCXW232754368 BCX0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:12pt;line-height:20.5042px;font-family:aptos, aptos_embeddedfont, aptos_msfontservice, sans-serif;font-weight:bold;"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW232754368 BCX0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;"></span></span></p></div><div><em>By Nicolette van den Eijkel, Chief Director Facilities Management </em></div><div><br></div><div>Today, 13 November, is World Kindness Day.  I self-righteously ponder what 2024 would have been like if we had all been kind and focused on collective well-being.     </div><div><br></div><div>Then I realise I’m not feeling kind when I think of our student murdered on his birthday.  I’m not feeling kind either when I reflect on all the media attention about security and the emails from lawyers, parents, and the community, which take time and energy and seem to blame us. I want to shout that we are doing our best! </div><div><br></div><div>I’m most definitely not feeling kind when I have to deal with anything related to questionable residence culture or when I see the bad culture that creeps into some of the engagements between colleagues.  I want to remind people that we are here for collective well-being, not personal benefit or the easy way out with populist decisions. </div><div><br></div><div>But then I stop, take a breath, and reflect.  I can’t control what others do, but I do know that despite all our challenges at SUFM, we do model kindness and collective well-being in our interactions with our stakeholders – a way of doing that I can do along with each of your influence.  We remain positive, continue to interact constructively, and deliver the goods.  2024 was just another year. We at SUFM stepped up and did what was required, and as a team, we delivered.  There are many, many successes that we achieved.  Thank you to each person in SUFM for being a team that we can all be proud of.  </div><div><br></div><div>If you have a holiday, take time to be kind to yourself. Enjoy the holiday time with family and friends. As always, thank you to those of you who will keep the lights on and everything safe during the holidays. I hope you will find time to be kind to yourself.  ​<br></div><div><br></div><div></div><p>I look forward to 2025, where, as a team, we will once again focus on providing a world-class environment for our staff and students. <br></p>
I am a proud member of our team http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=11013I am a proud member of our team Petro Mostert<p></p><div><em>By Anita Nel, Chief Director Innovation and Commercialisation</em> </div><div><br></div><div>Looking back at 2024, it has been a good year for the Innovation and Commercialisation Division. </div><div><br></div><div>The Innovus Technology Transfer Office and the SUNCOM office continue to receive regular benchmarking visits from other universities showing that we are the leaders in Southern Africa in this regard.  Innovus expanded their team and held a well-attended and successful technology transfer open week, attracting visitors from other African countries.  Staff members attended several global training courses and spoke at local and international conferences and events.  Our team supported SU researchers in bringing many new products and services to the market, making the world a better place.  </div><div><br></div><div>The Copyright, Trademarks and Short Courses division held a very successful inaugural Short Learning Programme Coordination Forum, attracting participants from across South Africa and managed to launch their new website amidst several challenges successfully. </div><div><br></div><div>The inaugural Agri Tech Connect event was equally successful and will also become an annual event, with the Health Tech Connect event to be launched in February 2025 to create a cluster for the health sector as well. </div><div><br></div><div> The SU LaunchLab has engaged with 856 unique students thus far in 2024 (many students attended two to three events) and has held six faculty entrepreneurship boot camps.  SU's student entrepreneurs performed remarkably well and won three of the four regional categories of the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Intervarsity. They will be participating in the final national event in November 2024. Partnerships with the Allan Gray Foundation have proven exceptionally valuable, and the current sponsorship negotiations with a bank group look promising.  An international consortium included the SU LaunchLab in a funding application, which, if awarded successfully, will generate an income of around $225 000 per annum for three years for the LaunchLab. The University of Namibia is also interested in contracting SU LaunchLab to assist with its student entrepreneurship activities.    </div><div><br></div><div>The long-anticipated LaunchLab BIO, a commercial laboratory for early-stage biotechnology spinouts and external startups, is finally taking shape and will be yet another game changer for SU. </div><div><br></div><div> The final stage of the Instant Startup (IS) online tool to provide comprehensive support to entrepreneurs, had a soft launch in October 2024 and received excellent feedback.  The tool has been made available to 20 new farmers and four supervisors of Agri Enterprise, a non-governmental organisation, and has also been licensed to Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU).  Once thoroughly tested, the IS tool will be widely commercialised.  University of Namibia has also shown an interest in potentially licensing the tool from SU. </div><div><br></div><div>SunCom also had an exceptional year.  Highlights include opening the new SU Botanical Garden Restaurant and OK urban on the Tygerberg Campus. The latter created great excitement among the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences staff and students. This also demonstrates the value of partnerships between the institution and industry.  The Transport Division is renewing its fleet of vehicles, and the Food and Compliance team implemented a highly affordable meal option for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) students who did not receive sufficient funding from the scheme for their meals during the entire academic year.  A very affordable meal option will also be implemented from 2025 to ensure that the meal funding of these students is not depleted during the year.  Our residential services had yet another excellent year and added significant value to our students' experience on our campus. </div><div><br></div><div>Our teams in Factory 209 have been recognised for excellence and have gained many happy customers in 2024.  The Matie Shops have grown and continue to impress with their quality products and service delivery. </div><div><br></div><div>This year's results underscore the SU Innovation and Commercialisation Division's commitment to innovation, risk management, and strategic investments, focusing on elevating SU's business and innovation portfolios and making SU a thriving university, relevant to society and an excellent student home. </div><div><br></div><div>I am incredibly proud to be a member of our innovation and commercialisation team and to contribute to making our university excellent. ​</div><p><br></p>