College of Business and Economics | Annual Report 2021 11 Prof Frank Riedel Prof Stefano Ponte Prof Naresh Malhotra Prof Ulrich Schmidt Prof Jarkko Saarinen Prof Thomas Baum Prof Robin Nunkoo The South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) was established in 2006 by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the National Research Foundation (NRF). It is designed to attract and retain excellence in research and innovation at South African public universities through establishing Research Chairs at these universities with a long-term investment trajectory of up to fifteen years. The College takes pride in hosting three SARChI Research Chairs: Prof Cecile Nieuwenhuizen, SARChI Research Chair in Entrepreneurship Education; Prof Erika Kraemer Mabula, SARChI Research Chair in Transformative Innovation, 4IR and Sustainable Development; and Prof Fiona Tregenna, SARChI Research Chair in Industrial Development. In 2021, CBE’s total external research funding declined by 8%, from R28 million to R26 million, leading to a substantial drive towards grant applications with promising results awaited in 2022. POSTGRADUATE PROFILE Postgraduate enrolment below master’s grew in 2021 to 1 998 (+10%); enrolments for master’s grew to 842 (+12%), while doctorate enrolments increased to 302 (+16%). In 2021, postgraduate output below master’s grew to 1 181 (+6%). Master’s graduates dropped from a five-year peak of 224 in 2020 to 193 (-14%) in 2021. This drop is undoubtedly due to the societal, professional, economic, and personal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic since most of our students at this level are in full-time senior-level employment. Doctoral output grew slightly to 40 (+8%). The CBE is well on schedule to improve higher degrees administration processes. In 2021, the College Higher Degrees Committee started migrating many of its processes online. The migration is being done in a phased approach. It will eventually culminate in increased automation and available information in the higher degrees administration processes, in line with the aspirations of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. RESEARCH STRUCTURES The CBE houses an institute and nine centres dedicated to research and community development. • The Centre for Competition, Regulation and Economic Development (CCRED), located in the School of Economics, specialises in industrial development, competition and barriers to entry, and regional value chains. CCRED, for example, draws leading global experts, such as Dr Antonio Andreoni (SOAS, University of London, UK); Dr Rashmi Banga (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development); Parminder Jeet Singh (IT for Change, India); Prof David Kupfer (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil); Prof Stefano Ponte (Copenhagen Business School, Denmark); Dr Tim Sturgeon (MIT Industrial Performance
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