Research Office hosts skills development workshop

The Research Office invites all UCT researchers to attend a series of professional skills development workshops during the November study break, as part of its university-wide research development programme.

These workshops are open to UCT staff members involved in research at any level and across all disciplines, but will be pitched at the level of the established researcher who wishes to expand and develop specific skills in the process of developing their research career. Researchers are invited to register for any one or both of these workshops.

The workshops will be held in the main auditorium at the Valkenberg Hospital Education Centre in Observatory.

The first workshop takes place on Thursday, November 2, from 13h30-16h30, and will focus on research project management. It will be presented by UCT's Professor Andy Duncan. Duncan is a geologist by training, but is currently seconded to the Vice-Chancellor's Office as project manager. In this capacity he is involved in a number of large UCT projects, including AIMS, AEON and supaTsela. This workshop will have a particular focus on project management as part of research planning.

The second takes place on Friday, November 3, from 09h00-16h30, and the theme will be grantsmanship and ethics in research. This full-day workshop will be presented by Professor Michael Zigmond and Dr Beth Fischer of the University of Pittsburg in the US. Zigmond and Fischer have extensive experience in presenting research development workshops, and have done so in a number of countries.

The workshop will provide participants with a thorough introduction to proposal writing. Individuals will increase their understanding of the funding process and will have the opportunity to develop their skills through individual and group exercises, including a mock grant review.

Also to be discussed are the critical variables in establishing credibility as a grantee, including developing a strong publication record. Ethical dimensions of science will be discussed throughout.

To register, please contact Dr Therina Theron on to obtain a workshop registration form, which should be submitted by no later than Friday, October 13.

There are no costs involved for UCT staff members. For catering and monitoring purposes, please ensure that you register in time if you wish to attend.