Important Notice
GES 4.0 for Societal Impact call for proposals! Closing date 31 July 2024 – click here to learn more
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Mandate of SIA at University of Johannesburg
To provide support and an enabling environment for success and outstanding experience through strategic partnerships
About us
The Strategic Initiatives and Administration (SIA) Unit was established in 2015 and is responsible for managing the following programmes:
Global Excellence and Stature (GES) Initiative launched in 2014 as an integral and structured approach to catalyse institution-wide change for enhanced effectiveness and efficiency across University’s missions and administration support functions. These are:
- GES 1.0 initiative
- GES 4.0 initiatives: With the inauguration of the new Vice-Chancellor (VC) and Principal in 2018, SIA, under the supervision of the DVC: Research and Internationalisation, led and facilitated strategy development and implementation of the GES 4.0 Initiative, which was a precipitation of the VC’s vision of positioning UJ in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) within the context of the changing social, political and economic fortunes of Africa. This initiative builds on the success of the GES 1.0 and is envisaged to add a significant impetus to UJ’s overarching strategic goal for attaining global excellence and stature as articulated in the Strategic Plan 2025.
- GES 4.0 SI initiatives: Building on the achievements of GES 1.0 and GES 4.0, UJ introduced, in 2024, GES 4.0 for Societal Impact (GES 4.0 SI), where the focus shifts to technology for societal impact and sustainability. This strategy aligns with the 2035 Strategic Plan which is based on four important values: Positive societal impact; innovation: pushing boundaries in knowledge generation, in technology, in the way we teach and learn, in the way we do research, and in the way we collaborate; inclusivity: harnessing difference and diversity; and integrity to underpin all endeavours. Three core areas of Education, Research and Innovation, Purposeful Collaborative are informed by the three themes of Societal Impact and Sustainability, Global Footprint and Partnerships, and Technology for the Future.
The GES Initiative has interlinked catalytic interventions, whose particular objectives are aligned with and support goals of the University Strategic Plan 2025. In particular, these interventions are aimed at strengthening academic and research capacity and leadership within the University, with an ultimate goal of increasing research outputs and impact.
The GES catalytic interventions supported by SIA are:
- Flagship Institutes and Programmes
- Distinguished Professors and Distinguished Visiting Professors Programmes (DPs and DVPs)
- Postdoctoral Research Fellows (PDRFs)
- Postgraduate students (master’s and doctoral)
Responsibilities:
- Ensure success of all programmes
- Coordinate, manage and act as a key contact point
- Identify and broker strategic partnerships
- Facilitate and encourage partnerships
- Performance Reporting
Programmes to improve research productivity and staff qualifications, which are:
- Staff Qualification Programme
- Staff Research Productivity Programme
- Postdoctoral Research Fellows Research Productivity
Responsibilities:
- Ensure success of all programmes
- Research and benchmark on successful interventions and strategies
- Draft and implement proposals for improving effectiveness of programmes
- Business intelligence
- Performance reporting
Management and Administration of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) University Capacity Development Grant (UCDG)
In addition, the Unit has an administration function, which includes the following:
- Reviewing and revising policies
- Drafting of proposals and statutory reports for the Research & Innovation Division
- Managing and facilitating opportunities on strategic research projects and partnerships with external institutions
- Managing, guiding and coordinating as well as conceptualisation and hosting of some annual lectures