College of Business and Economics | Annual Report 2023 52 NATIONAL AND GLOBAL FOOTPRINT We have developed formal partnerships with several organisations and networks, including AFRICALICS, GLOBELICS, UNU-MERIT, Open AIR, American University of Cairo, JOOUST, IDOS, UNDP, UNCTAD and others. AFRICALICS visiting fellows’ programme On 1 September 2023, UJ welcomed the 2023 Cohort of AFRICALICS Visiting Fellows at our premises at the Johannesburg Business School for a transformative study visit spanning three months. The study visit was part of the one-yea r fellowship programme, which has been running since February 2023 and has a range of online sessions, including mentoring sessions, online courses, writing sessions, and paper presentation seminars. One of the key events during the three-month study visit was one week that brought together mentors and home supervisors, offering a unique opportunity for the fellows to engage in one-onone discussions and receive personalised guidance. The week-long programme also included training of students, postdocs, home supervisors, and mentors on improved methods for PhD supervision and how to make the most out of it. Several sessions and meetings were organised, providing visiting fellows and our students with a supportive and constructive environment to discuss their research, address challenges, and gain valuable insights from experienced scholars and mentors. After the threemonth study visit, the Fellows made significant progress by producing three thesis drafts and seven papers. GLOBELICS International PhD Academy From 27 November to 8 December 2023, UJ-TRCTI hosted a two-week GLOBELICS International PhD Academy in partnership with the GLOBELICS Network, the UNESCO Chair in African Integration and Innovation (Institute for Economic Research on Innovation, Tshwane University of Technology), and the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD. A total of 23 students participated in the academy: 13 international PhD students were selected to participate in the academy from countries including Brazil, India, Switzerland, Kenya, USA, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, and South Africa). The academy was also of benefit to an additional 10 observers (MPhils, PhDs, and PDRFs) located in South Africa who attended the lectures and presentations. Our visiting scholars, Prof Rasmus Lema, Prof Keun Lee, Prof Jo Chataway and Dr Maty Konte all delivered lectures for the Academy at UJ. GLOBAL EXCELLENCE AND STATURE In December 2023, Prof Erika Kraemer-Mbula was appointed by the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, to serve on the Council of the United Nations Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries for a term of three years. The UN Technology Bank helps least-developed countries build their science, technology, and innovation capacity for socioeconomic transformation and towards achieving the SDGs. Prof Kraemer-Mbula has been a steering committee member of the Open African Innovation Research (Open AIR) network for the past 10 years. She is a selected member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the Future of Job Creation (2023-2024) and was nominated jury member for the Einstein Foundation Award for Promoting Quality in Research for 2023. SARChI TRCTI appointed five GES 4.0 Scholars, Prof Edward Lorenz, Distinguished Visiting Professor, Prof Rasmus Lema, Visiting Professor, Prof Keun Lee, Visiting Professor, Dr Maty Konte, Senior Research Associate and Prof Joanna Chataway, Visiting Professor. We appointed a visiting Professor of Practice, Dr Shawn Cunningham, and five Visiting Professors, Dr Michael Gastrow, Prof Fred Gault, Prof Jacob Park, Prof Johan Schot, Prof Tukur Garba, and Dr Lucy Heather Baker as a Visiting Associate Professor In addition, the Chair also hosts five senior research associates: Dr Stephen Kehinde Medase, Dr Pamela Mreji, Dr K Chandra Shekar, Dr Olga Ustyuzhantseva, Dr Mike Awoleye. WAY FORWARD The Trilateral Chair conducts research that develops and tests new theoretical and policy frameworks to understand transformation, in the context of the 4IR and from an African perspective, by unpacking the social and technological relationships that explain the rate, direction and patterns of (radical) innovation adoption, diffusion and use. The Chair also promotes and builds the capacity of younger scholars to help develop the next generation of African thinkers leading transformative change and engages with policymakers as key stakeholders and research partners to influence policy change.
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