SU has set itself the vision to be established as a leading research-intensive university on the African continent by pursuing excellence and remaining at the forefront of its chosen focal areas, by gaining national and international standing on the basis of its research outputs, by being relevant to the needs of the community, and by being enterprising, innovative and self-renewing.
RESEARCH FOR IMPACT, IN NUMBERS
| Distinguished researchers (2022)
|
| Postgraduate Students
|
44 research chairs, of which 23 are National Research Foundation (NRF) South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) chairs, funded by the Department of Science and Innovation
| 493 NRF rated researchers, of which 20 are A-rated
|
310
doctoral degrees awarded in 2021
| 4960 master's students registered as at June 2022
|
>350
postdoctoral research fellows | 1611 PhD students registered as at June 2022 |
| Networks & Partnerships
|
| Innovation
|
320 bilateral partner institutions in 64 countries, across 6 continents
|
25 formal bilateral agreements with other African universities
| 27Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications submitted since 2019 (more than any other entity in SA) | 30 spin-out companies launched since 2014 |
35 SU innovations aligned with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 goals |
|
| Rankings
|
| Contracts
|
2nd on the Times Higher Education World University Rankings’ (THE WUR’s) list of South African universities
| 1446 research contracts processed in 2021, compared to 956 in 2018 (a 66% increase in 4 years)
|
24th on the THE WUR’s list of universities in emerging economies
| 70% of SU's research contract funding from international funders in 2022 |
