UFS Engages in Collaborative Ventures at SASUF Research and Innovation Week in Sweden

Recently, a delegation from the University of the Free State (UFS) participated in the South Africa – Sweden University Forum’s (SASUF) Research and Innovation Week held in Sweden.

Chevon Slambee, the local SASUF Coordinator, says the aim of the visit to Sweden was to strengthen connections in research, education, and innovation to effectively support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This involves fostering collaboration and leveraging expertise in these areas to contribute meaningfully to local and global sustainable development efforts as outlined by the United Nations. Slambee is responsible for the Strategic Projects and Virtual Engagement portfolio in the Office for International Affairs (OIA).

The UFS delegation included, among others, Prof Francis Petersen, UFS Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Dr Jared McDonald, Chief of Staff, Simba Matema, the SASUF student representative, and Slambee.

More than 20 vice-chancellors from South Africa’s public universities attended the research and innovation week in Sweden. Starting in Stockholm and ending in Malmö, they engaged with Swedish peers in high-level forums hosted at institutions such as Stockholm University, the Karolinska Institute, and Lund University. They discussed the next phase of SASUF and explored ways to enhance its reach and impact. Prof Petersen highlighted the importance of SASUF, commenting, “The collaboration is one of the most significant bilaterals for the South African higher education sector. There is huge potential and goodwill between the partner universities to take SASUF to new heights in the coming years.”

UFS-Sweden partnerships 

Since its launch in 2017, SASUF has facilitated numerous engagements, resulting in more than 70 collaborative projects involving 300 researchers from Sweden and South Africa. Pertaining to the UFS, there was collaboration with 32 institutions in Sweden, leading to the co-authorship of 311 publications. Among these publications, 95 were co-authored between 2018 and 2024, with UFS academics ranking among the top 10 co-authors.

Initiatives involving the UFS include the Centre for Development Support‘s project on voluntary medical male circumcision. In another initiative, RangeX – a project of Prof Ralph Clark in the Afromontane Research Unit – the UFS is the sole African partner within the Horizon BiodivERsA consortium. Prof Corinna Walsh, a researcher in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, secured grants for public health nutrition and maternal and child health research. Additionally, Prof Felicity Burt from the Department of Virology participated in a project on diagnostic tools and therapeutic monoclonal antibodies against the Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus. Dr Nadine Lake, Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies, led a Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency-funded project enhancing gender-sensitive research, while Dr Angeline van Biljon from the Department of Plant Sciences delivered online lectures on biofortification.

Representing the Faculty of Law at SASUF’s Research and Innovation Week, Dr Grey Stopforth and Dr Jacques Matthee joined the ranks of UFS collaborators in Sweden. They presented a poster, titled A Collaborative Initiative for Adopting Ethical AI Principles in Law Courses in South Africa and Sweden, proposing collaboration on AI in law and digital technology with Swedish universities.

The poster session proposed collaboration with Örebro University and the University of Gothenburg on AI in law and digital technology, focusing on joint research projects to better understand AI’s legal and ethical contexts. Additionally, partnering with Stockholm University’s Centre for the Advancement of University Teaching will also aid in integrating AI into the UFS curriculum.

One critical insight from the Research and Innovation Week was the interconnection between legal education and other disciplines, emphasising that AI should not be studied in isolation from law. Discussions highlighted the significance of incorporating social sustainability into broader AI developments. “Our presentation’s legal lens brought into focus the necessity for generative AI to be used responsibly, ensuring fairness, transparency, and non-discrimination. This echoed the need for ethical AI principles in the curricula,” commented Dr Matthee.

He added, “In higher education, it’s important to consider the impacts of generative AI on all facets of academia, including its effects on students, staff, and research processes. Our presentation resonated with many participants, underlining that adopting ethical AI principles in the Law curriculum is just the beginning of a broader, multi-stage process requiring continuing commitment at every level, from institutional to student support.”

What stood out to Dr Stopforth was the shared challenges Swedish universities face in integrating generative AI into teaching. He sees this as an opportunity for joint research between Sweden and South Africa. “The lack of projects on law and AI principles suggests a potential area for collaboration. Exploring each country’s legal framework and societal impact of AI could offer valuable insights and advantages for both nations,” he stated.

“This event has laid a strong foundation for future endeavours. It’s imperative that we maintain the momentum to achieve our shared goals for a sustainable and equitable future in terms of socially sustainable generative AI,” said Dr Stopforth.

Drs Matthee and Stopforth’s research project supports the Advancing Digital Ethics in Higher Education: A Focus on Generative AI initiative and aligns with the university’s continuing commitment to achieving Vision 130.

Fanelesibonge Masinga, a UFS PhD student working at the Human Sciences Research Council, also presented a poster. She focused on, The Inclusion of People Living with Disabilities in Disaster Risk Reduction: Support and Services as an Adaptation Measure for Women Living with Disabilities in Northern Cape, South Africa. Masinga believes that despite advocacy, disabled individuals – particularly women – remain excluded from disaster aid efforts, facing additional gender and poverty challenges. She aimed to foster collaboration on this critical topic.

In addition to its joint research initiatives, the UFS recognised the importance of integrating SASUF into its student body, leading to the establishment of a student-led SASUF structure in 2023. This initiative focuses on conceptualising, collaborating on, and implementing various events and projects that address and offer solutions to the SDGs. The structure also aims to amplify the voices of students from all member universities and to strengthen connections with student bodies from other South African and Swedish universities.

The SASUF Research and Innovation Week was a valuable opportunity for the UFS delegation to showcase its research, build relationships with international partners, and explore avenues for collaboration. The event stressed the importance of international collaboration in addressing global challenges and highlighted the role that universities play in driving innovation and knowledge creation. Moving forward, the UFS remains committed to strengthening its international partnerships and leveraging collaboration to make meaningful contributions to society.