Researchers in the Energy Economics Research Unit (EERU) within the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) at the University of Pretoria (UP) were recently awarded second prize at the UP 2025 Senate Conference Research Project Competition.

The competition seeks to promote trans- and interdisciplinary research collaborations across at least three UP faculties, with potential to produce quality research with societal impact in highly acclaimed journals.

The winning EERU team brings together experts from various UP faculties with diverse specialisations. The team includes EERU’s Dr Alanda Venter, Prof Heinrich Bohlmann, Dr Jessika Bohlmann and Prof Roula Inglesi Lotz, as well as Profs Henrietta Langmi and Mmantsae Diale, both from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, and Profs Ramesh Bansal and Raj Naidoo from the Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment & IT.

Headed by Prof Roula Inglesi-Lotz, SARChI Chair in Just Energy Transition, the research team was awarded for their interdisciplinary research project, titled “Multidisciplinary Dynamic Skills Development for Energy Research and Innovation”.

The project, which will run over a three-year period, is an initiative to design and pilot an adaptive, multidisciplinary training programme that aims to equip South Africa’s future energy workforce with cutting-edge knowledge and skills by conducting a global and national skills gap analysis in the energy sector. Through its multidisciplinary nature, it will integrate several disciplines, including economics, engineering, chemistry, and physics, for a holistic approach. This will ensure that all participants, ranging from high school learners to policymakers, can navigate the evolving global energy landscape. The programme aims to engage industry, policymakers, communities, and academia to co-design training for greater impact.

Prof Inglesi-Lotz notes that the awarded prize of R150 000 will assist in enhancing the research through curriculum development, stakeholder engagement workshops, pilot implementation, dissemination of findings and other related research and publication activities. She expressed delight in leading this initiative, which will not only contribute to knowledge but will also drive societal impact through research-informed solutions.

“This funding will allow us to bring together exceptional colleagues from across disciplines to tackle one of the most urgent challenges of our time: preparing a skilled and adaptable workforce for South Africa’s just energy transition. It will enable us to create a co-designed, evidence-based training programme that not only strengthens academic knowledge, but also empowers communities and equips policymakers with actionable tools,” she said.

Commenting on the importance of this research, Prof Karin Barac, Deputy Dean for Research and Postgraduate Affairs in the Faculty of EMS, said such trans- and interdisciplinary research is essential in addressing today’s complex challenges.  “This research enables the integration of diverse knowledge systems, fosters innovative problem-solving, and generates impactful outcomes that no single discipline could achieve in isolation.”

She added that this research and award “not only advances academic excellence through novel scholarly collaboration, but also positions EMS at the forefront of socially responsive and globally relevant research”.