The Department’s delegation to the conference consisted of Associate Professor and acting Head of Department Serena Coetzee, Associate Professor and South African Chair the of the International Thematic Group “Ecology and Climate Change” Gregory Breetzke, Dr Dan Darky, and Dr Christel Hansen. A specific focus of the conference was the necessity for the BRICS NU to foster real collaboration in Master’s and PhD programmes with a theme of “Unlocking BRICS Universities Partnerships: Postgraduate Opportunities and Challenges”. A number of people, including the Minister of Higher Education and Training the Hon. Naledi Pandor, attended the event and the Minister specifically emphasised the necessity of concrete actions in the framework of the BRICS NU. Other keynote talks, and presentations were given by Prof. Ari Sitas, Chair of South African BRICS Think Tank, and Prof. Rasigan Maharajh, Chief Director of the Institute for Economic Research on Innovation at Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa.

The Department’s delegates were mainly involved in the practical discussions of the International Thematic Groups (ITG). Each group was asked to prepare concrete proposals on joint postgraduate programmes and a plan for collaborating over the next few years. With South Africa currently chairing each ITG, Professor Breetzke chaired the session of the Ecology and Climate Change ITG. The Department has been active in this ITG for some time, having recently collaborated with Tomsk State University in Russia. Tomsk State University organises an annual Summer School, to which the Department sent five South African students and researchers, with the aim of encouraging collaboration and skills exchanges. More on the Summer School can be read here. For more on the 3^rd BRICS NU Conference click here.