The Faculty of Law of the University of Pretoria is proud to announce that five staff members in the Department of Mercantile Law have received new NRF ratings as established researchers.  They are Professors Jacolien Barnard (C2 rating), Monray Botha (C2 rating), Hermie Coetzee (C1 rating), Stefan Renke (C2 rating) and Dr Reghard Brits (C2 rating).

The NRF rating system is a key driver in the NRF’s aim to build a globally competitive science system in South Africa. It is a valuable tool for benchmarking the quality of our researchers against the best in the world.  NRF ratings are based on recent outputs of researchers and the impact of the research as perceived by international peer reviewers. The rating system encourages researchers to publish high quality outputs in high impact journals/outlets. In their role as supervisors, rated researchers impart cutting-edge skills to the next generation of researchers.

The rating of individuals is based primarily on the quality and impact of their research outputs over the past eight years, taking into consideration the evaluation by local and international peers. It identifies researchers who are among the leaders in their fields of expertise and recognises those who constantly produce high quality research outputs. Several South African universities use the outcomes of the NRF evaluation and rating process to position themselves as research-intensive institutions, while others provide incentives for their staff members to acquire and maintain a rating and give special recognition to top-rated researchers.

Congratulations to the Department of Mercantile Law on this achievement.

From left to right: Profs Stefan Renke, Hermie Coetzee, Monray Botha, Jacolien Barnard and Dr Reghard Brits