UCT 2025 Open Textbook Award and other updates

Dear colleagues and students

Nominations for the 2025 University of Cape Town (UCT) Open Textbook Award are now open. Read more about this and other recent developments on campus.

1. UCT 2025 Open Textbook Award nominations

Nominations are now open for the 2025 UCT Open Textbook Award. The award aims to support innovative open education activity that addresses challenges related to the cost and accessibility of teaching and learning materials, as well as curriculum change and multilingualism at UCT.

Nominations can be made by open textbook authors or by a third party.

The deadline for nominations is Thursday, 31 July 2025.

• Read more about the award and how to submit a nomination. 
• Read the full DVC Desk: Call for nominations: 2025 UCT Open Textbook Award.

2. Congratulations to Ikey Tigers

The UCT Ikey Tigers were crowned Varsity Cup winners on Monday, 14 April 2025 following their impressive 44–21 victory over Stellenbosch University’s Maties in the 2025 FNB Varsity Cup final. The win marked their third Varsity Cup crown – a proud addition to the titles earned in 2011 and 2014.

After two narrow defeats in the 2023 and 2024 finals, coach Robbie Fleck and his dedicated team arrived in Stellenbosch with purpose and passion. The team spirit, teamwork and unity were among the key ingredients that resulted in this victory.

• Read the full VC Desk: Congratulations to Ikey Tigers.
• Read the UCT News story.
• See the photo gallery.

3. Essential CCTV construction works on middle campus

The UCT community is advised that essential construction work will take place on middle campus during the remainder of April and in May 2025 to enable the installation of additional CCTV cameras.

The affected areas will include the subway/Cambria House parking area and the P1 middle campus parking area.

The work will be completed in phases to limit the impact on the availability of parking in the affected areas. Active site areas will be clearly demarcated and cordoned off during construction.

4. SWS to host Wellness Drive

One of the key events on the Student Wellness Services (SWS) calendar, the Wellness Drive, got under way on Wednesday, 23 April and will continue on Thursday, 24 April 2025.

The SWS Wellness Drive provides students with an opportunity to embark on a journey towards enhanced well-being and self-care. The university brings together an array of activities and resources to help students thrive mentally and physically. It offers a diverse programme designed to help students immerse themselves in a world of wellness.

UCT’s top priority is the well-being of students, and the Department of Student Affairs supports them every step of the way. By participating in the Wellness Drive, students can connect with peers, learn new self-care techniques and take meaningful steps towards a healthier and more balanced life.

Students are encouraged to join the various mindfulness activities, including painting and much more, as follows:

• Wednesday, 23 April 2025, at the health sciences campus
• Thursday, 24 April 2025, Molly Blackburn foyer and the Plaza, upper campus

The event on Thursday will also launch the Vibe Meter: Well-being checklist, a fun and engaging tool for students to assess and enhance their mental wellness. SWS, in collaboration with Memorability, will present the Finding Calm Toolkit, which offers mental wellness solutions for students.

• Read the full services offered by SWS.

For more information, please contact the SWS practice manager.

5. UCT Innovation Builder Fund: Call for Expressions of Interest

The UCT Innovation Builder Fund (IBF) is now accepting new expressions of interest. The IBF was launched in 2019 with the primary goal of nurturing and advancing UCT research projects that have demonstrated an initial proof of concept. The fund is designed to support projects that have been assessed as commercially viable and where research outputs have either been protected or have protectable intellectual property.

This unique opportunity provides financial support and aids in maturing research outputs and mitigating associated risks, thereby preparing them for later-stage funding. Successful projects will receive a grant ranging from R150 000 to R500 000 to aid their development.

Applications are invited from UCT researchers across all disciplines conducting innovative research with the potential for commercial application and IP protection.

The deadline for submissions is Monday, 28 April 2025.

To apply, please complete the Expression-of-Interest form and send it to Francois Oosthuizen.

For more information about the IBF, including detailed application requirements and procedures, please visit the fund page.

6. Three upcoming d-school Afrika transformative student programmes

The Hasso Plattner d-school Afrika at UCT has announced three dynamic learning opportunities designed to build the next generation of African innovators. Running from May to July 2025, these programmes invite students from across the continent to explore new ways of thinking, working and solving real-world challenges.

First up is the Introduction to Design Thinking – a free, two-day in-person course on Wednesday, 7 May and Thursday, 8 May 2025. Perfect for students who are new to innovation, this beginner-friendly programme introduces the fundamentals of human-centred problem-solving. Participants will collaborate in multidisciplinary teams, learn how to build empathy, and leave with the creative confidence to tackle future challenges.

The Design Thinking Week is returning from Monday, 23 June to Friday, 27 June 2025. This in-person experience is all about learning by doing. Students will immerse themselves in a real-world challenge, working in diverse teams and guided by experienced coaches through the full innovation journey; from problem discovery to prototype. This programme is ideal for South African students looking to sharpen their collaboration, critical thinking and impact-driven design skills.

The Design Thinking in Afrika programme takes place online from Monday, 7 July to Friday, 18 July 2025. This trans-African learning experience connects students from across the continent in a highly interactive learning environment. Final-year undergraduates, current postgraduates and recent graduates will work together to solve challenges that matter, gaining global perspectives and local insights along the way.

All three programmes are designed for students aged 18–35 and are open to those enrolled in or recently graduated from higher education institutions.

7. Data centre maintenance to impact numerous buildings

ICTS will perform important maintenance on the Bremner data centre on Friday, 25 April 2025. As a result, numerous UCT buildings and residences will be impacted.

On Friday, 25 April 2025, the Bremner Building may experience a five-minute interruption to wired and wireless network connectivity between 08:30 and 09:00. Similarly, the building may experience another five-minute interruption between 13:00 and 14:30 on the day.

The following buildings may experience network outages (both wired and wireless) between 09:00 and 15:00 on the day:

Residences: 8 Avenue Road; All Africa House; Amalinda; Avenue Road Residence; Baxter Hall; College House; Edwin Hart; Ex-Air Residence; Forest Hill Residence; Glendower Residence; Graça Machel Hall; Harold Cressy; Kilindini Residence; Kopano; Leo Marquard Hall; Linkoping Residence; Philip Kgosana Residence; Stanley Road houses; Tugwell Hall; University House; Varietas Residence; Wolmunster; The Woolsack.

Other buildings: Allan Cormack House; Avenue House; Ballet School; Baxter SLC; Baxter Theatre; Cambria House; Glenara; Irma Stern Museum; Isaac Albow; PCH/Ivan Toms; The Cottage; UCT Fitness Centre; Welgelegen.

If your building will be impacted, please prepare in advance, given the possible network interruptions. For example, if your building will be offline for the day, you may want to work from home or another UCT location during the maintenance period.

Communication and Marketing Department

Read previous communications:

• From the UCT Executive
• Campus Announcements