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Dr Walter Doh Nubia (Education Faculty), Sinoluvo Dyubele (International Office), Dr Noluvo Rangana (Education Faculty), Dr Emma Ayesu-Koranteng (Engineering Faculty), Dr William Zivanayi (Education Faculty), Dr Yonela Njisane (Research Support and Management), Dr Ine Dorresteijn (Utrecht University), Qhama Bona (International Office), Simangaliso Mashego (Humanities Faculty), Nancy Gwimo (International Office), Dr Makhosi Madimabe-Mofokeng (Education Faculty) and Leolyn Jackson (International Office)
Facilitated by the Strategic Partnerships and Projects team, the dialogue welcomed Dr Ine Dorresteijn from Utrecht University, as well as academics and researchers from across Nelson Mandela University.
The engagement forms part of the University's commitment to strengthening strategic international partnerships that support Vision 2030 through research excellence, transformative education, community-engaged scholarship, international mobility and the co-creation of knowledge.
It also reinforces Nelson Mandela University's approach to comprehensive and inclusive internationalisation, in which global partnerships are built on reciprocity, mutual learning and shared value creation.
The Strategic Partnership Roadmap provides a framework for deepening long-term institutional collaboration across a range of strategic priorities. The programme focused on:
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Building interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary platforms for collaboration.
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A presentation by Dr Ine Dorresteijn on The Interdisciplinary Journey in Sustainability Science: Research, Teaching, Community Engagement and International Collaboration.
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A strategic roundtable exploring:
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Collaborative research priorities and sustainable partnership development.
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Curriculum transformation, transformative education and multiple knowledge systems.
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Knowledge exchange, institutional learning and capacity development.
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Partnership activation and long-term sustainability.
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Resource mobilisation and collaborative funding opportunities.
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Staff, student and researcher mobility.
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Future opportunities to broaden institutional collaboration.
The dialogue created an important platform for colleagues from diverse disciplinary, institutional and cultural backgrounds to engage in strategic conversations that identified opportunities for future collaboration and shared impact.
Participants reaffirmed a common commitment to developing partnerships that value diverse knowledge systems, foster innovation, and strengthen institutional capacity through collaborative research, teaching and community engagement.
The engagement represents another important milestone in implementing the Nelson Mandela University–Utrecht University Strategic Partnership Roadmap.
Beyond strengthening institutional relationships, the dialogue contributes to advancing a model of internationalisation that is inclusive, equitable and impact-driven, creating opportunities for collaborative research, transformative learning, international mobility and knowledge co-creation that respond to local, African and global societal challenges.