Page 47 - DUT Annual Report 2020

UNIVERSITY ENGAGEMENT
Engagement
In 2020 the University approved the DUT Engagement Framework 2030, which is grounded in DUT’s ENVISION2030 strategy. The University’s commitment to engage with its people (students, staff, alumni, community members) and the public (industry, corporate sector, non-governmental organisations, non-profit organisations, government, business, etc.) is outlined in the strategy. These form the key internal and external stakeholders, partners, and communities with whom DUT needs to connect. The Engagement Framework aims to ensure that by 2030 engagement is strongly integrated within all core areas of the University, in its teaching and learning, its research and innovation, and its entrepreneurial education.
Engagement supports outcomes in all of our core functions of Teaching and Learning, Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Additionally, engagement strengthens our impact on the needs of society, building the University’s brand and reputation, fundraising and attracting the best talent, both in terms of staff and students. The Engagement Framework aims to promote engagement as a form of higher education transformation
that addresses inequality, access, skills training, cultural diversity and community engagement, as well as ensuring that DUT becomes an ‘Engaged University’ and produces ‘Adaptive Graduates’, two key SOs.
To demonstrate this, in 2020 DUT had signed off over 45 agreements, some of which contributed to meeting our fundraising goals to support and place students for WIL. In total, approximately R110 179 711 was raised through various engagements and partnerships. Included as an outcome of these engagements were donations in cash and in kind from several of our Chinese partners, including a $1 million donation from the Chinese International Education Foundation towards establishing the Model Confucius Institute as part of the DUT Innovation Hub project.
Partnerships
Building collaborative networks across the private and public sectors greatly contributes to the teaching and research enterprise at a university. DUT is deliberate in making reasoned choices for mutually beneficial partnerships and collaborations. Significant strides were made in fostering these university partnerships in 2020. This included a grant from the Royal Academy of Engineering for a project on the role of engineers
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