College of Business and Economics | Annual Report 2021 48 In 2021, we collaborated with AfricaLics in providing training for our doctoral students. We developed a programme that extended the 7th AfricaLics PhD Academy with contributions by scholars from the Chair. These sessions were designed to ensure Academy participants engage interactively with the different theoretical frameworks and thematic areas promoted by the Chair’s research programme. The Chair’s visiting scholars also provided important methods training to the participants; filling a gap that is lacking at most of their home universities. This was the first of what we expect to become a regular engagement in AfricaLics activities, broadening our reach and knowledge of the Chair and so cultivating the pipeline of students for the Chair. The Trilateral Chair partnered with the IDEA League (an alliance among five leading European universities of technology), and five African universities, including UJ, in designing and delivering the Water, Energy, Food and Environment (WEFE) Nexus Autumn School. The School offered students the possibility of gaining a comprehensive understanding of the interconnections between water, energy, food, and the environment, and developing new ideas for sustainable solutions. It took place online over 10 days and through 28 sessions, in October 2021. Three doctoral students of the Chair participated in the School, and a module was delivered by Prof Kraemer-Mbula. PhD student Wondia Mireille Yeo had this to say about the experience: “The WEFE Nexus School was enriching, and I enjoyed discovering assessment and management tools and learning about practical case studies”. The Trilateral Chair has developed multiple platforms for students and PDRFs to engage among themselves as well as with senior scholars. These platforms have been essential for the Chair’s members to share ideas, as well as for mentorship and capacity building. • The Brown Bag sessions launched in April 2021; they are informal lunchtime presentations to present work in progress, ongoing research projects, project proposals and article ideas. • The Conversation with Authors series, started in 2020, has been a valuable platform for critical engagement. We invite inspiring authors and emerging scholars to present their own original research papers. • The Reading Club is a student-led initiative. In the sessions, students discuss theory and methods, providing a forum for learning, networking and sharing. Several of our students and early career researchers attended a Postgraduate Writing Retreat on 2-6 August 2021. The retreat went through the multiple steps and themes of writing a dissertation and journal articles. Each session zoomed in on a particular theme, such as the research proposal, research design and methodology, thesis writing, and publishing and presentations. The retreat was attended by two PhD students and two PDRFs. Doctoral students Gaboile Mabeba and Tebogo Ramaoka completed a three-month online Research Methodology Course delivered by UJ’s College of Business and Economics. POLICY AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND ACTIVITIES In line with our commitment to the ‘usability’ or the ‘societal value’ of research, one of the Chair’s goals is to conduct research that is policy-relevant. Some examples of projects that have had a policy impact include: • The development of a Sector Development Plan for the micro-digester industry in South Africa. The South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) commissioned a study to review the state of the micro-digester industry in South Africa as part of its Working for Energy Programme, which has an objective “to provide sustainable clean energy solutions to rural and low-income urban communities with special emphasis on job creation, skills development, and community enterprise development”. The Trilateral Chair collaborated with UJ Process Energy and Environmental Technology Station (UJ-PEETS) to provide a series of inputs to assist them in conducting the feasibility report and the development of a sector development plan for these micro-digesters. The Trilateral Chair has coordinated a series of online discussions in October and November 2021 in the form of action dialogues, engaging government, academia, SMMEs, industry partners, and community stakeholders to provide input and channel the next steps for the sector. The Sector Development Plan for the micro-digester sector in South Africa will be completed in early 2022. The Chair has been requested to take the lead in writing the plan. • Building a Community of Practice in Transformative Innovation Policy (TIP) Transformative Innovation Policy (TIP) proposes a new approach to support innovation that
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