College of Business and Economics | Annual Report 2024 33 Prof Fiona Tregenna Chairholder SARChI: Industrial Development OVERVIEW 2024 was another exciting and productive year for the DSI/NRF South African Research Chair in Industrial Development (SARChI-ID). In 2024, SARChI-ID developed new initiatives, and extended and built on previous collaborations, policy engagements, capacity building, and impactful research. Our activities have centred on: 1. Undertaking research of high quality and impact. 2. Building capacity, through postgraduate supervision, additional training of our postgraduate students and capacity-building more widely (beyond the university). 3. Contributing to policy and public engagement. The central themes of our work in 2024 included: structural change, industrialisation, innovation, the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) and frontier technologies, technology intensity and technological change, the green transition, trade, regional integration, political economy, and industrial policy. The domains of the work have ranged from the locality of Johannesburg, to national, regional, continental and global. SARChI-ID’s collaborations and activities have achieved an international footprint across African, European, South American, North American and Asian countries. Our research has shed light on how African countries can overcome barriers to industrial development, such as inadequate infrastructure, weak productive capabilities, limited technological adoption, and dependence on primary industries. A major research theme has been sustainable industrial development, including research on green manufacturing, resource efficiency, and low-carbon technologies, aiming to reconcile economic growth with environmental sustainability. Another key focus of our research in 2024 has been on innovation, including its links with structural change and the potential of innovation to contribute to development. Some highlights of the year included: In terms of research outputs, for the first time our team has collectively surpassed 35 Research Output Units (ROUs) in 2024. Completion of the project ‘Measurement Framework for the Contribution of Science, Technology and Innovation to Inclusive and Sustainable Socio-Economic Development’, that was commissioned and funded by the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI). Our role as the Africa Regional Partner for the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Through this, we contributed to UNIDO’s flagship report, the Industrial Development Report 2024, leading the work on Africa. We hosted, co-hosted or partnered in several major events, including: the Fourth Young Scholars Conference on Structural Change and Industrial Policy in Africa; the Industrial Policy for Policy Makers (IPPM) programme; and the 2024 TIPS Annual Forum themed “Small Business, Inclusive Growth, and Industrial Policy in South Africa”. This is in addition to several impactful seminars, webinars, colloquia, symposia, and book launches. Hosting President Cyril Ramaphosa for the inaugural Elijah Barayi Lecture was a major event during 2024. SARChI-ID has since been awarded funding to host the Elijah Barayi Memorial Lecture for the next three years, 2025 to 2027. The Second Elijah Barayi Memorial Lecture will take place in May 2025.
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