Funding, return to labs critical to research

18 May 2020 | Story Helen Swingler. Photo Michael Hammond. Read time 7 min.
Research funding and a return to laboratories and studios were central to DVC Professor Sue Harrison’s message during the vice-chancellor’s online special assembly on 14 May.
Research funding and a return to laboratories and studios were central to DVC Professor Sue Harrison’s message during the vice-chancellor’s online special assembly on 14 May.

Research funding and a return of students to laboratories and studios were central to Professor Sue Harrison’s message during the online special assembly hosted by Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng on 14 May. Harrison is Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Internationalisation at the University of Cape Town (UCT).

“These certainly are challenging times, but it is very inspiring to be a part, and in places the driver, of new initiatives and innovations that will take us to a better place post-COVID-19,” Harrison said.

But despite COVID-19-linked disruptions to UCT’s academic programme, “significant volumes” of academic writing and desktop research were being achieved “where it can because many of our academics are completely immersed in online teaching and the additional demands of home life”, said Harrison.

She commended UCT’s researchers for “their amazing contributions” to COVID-19 research, through the university’s COVID-19 Research Task Team.

The present challenges were also shaping UCT’s view of its role in future research.

“Our researchers are really responding to the many issues that will need to be addressed in our new world,” she said. “This moment is a critical one to think through the key research foci for the future – and the impact of UCT’s research.”

But the university would need to work aggressively to maintain healthy levels of research funding to sustain this, she said.

Besides securing research funding, it was also critical to secure funding to cover lockdown delays in postgrad projects, especially where postgraduates have not been able to lab, studio and field work. Around one-third of UCT postgraduates are funded from external “soft funded” sources, beyond the funding agencies who fund another third or more.

 

“We are in discussion with big funders to find solutions.”

“We are in discussions with big funders to find solutions, but we’re encouraging students on National Research Foundation [NRF] funding to apply now for extension funding.”

Her immediate foci will be, first, the research contracts UCT has signed with external entities, particularly monitoring the ramifications of delayed research delivery “and all its consequences” and on supporting students, postdoctoral researchers and soft-funded researchers.

“We have a task team working on understanding and mitigating the consequences on our research enterprise, focusing on externally funded research in general and soft-funded researchers in particular.”

Research adaptations

Those teams linked to research – administration, the technical teams and academics – are all working remotely except for a small team of critical COVID researchers and those attached to several projects where the risk to the patients involved in the studies far outweighed COVID-19 risks.

“We have a small team across the university maintaining critical facilities. And we have a fully resourced virtual library, thanks to library staff for the additional online resources available through negotiations with libraries worldwide.”

Online teaching

Although undergraduate and taught postgraduate programmes have moved online, some programmes have not, for example, the performing arts and those that require practical work in schools, clinics or laboratories. Harrison said UCT was planning a safe and responsible return for these students, in line with national regulations.

“The institutional planning is under way. As soon as the framework is bedded down, we will begin the planning at the granular level.

 

“Many are missing the knowledge commons and the daily interactions with fellow researchers.”

“In our postgrad research programmes, laboratory- or studio-based students have had to rethink and reorder their work to be able to complete desktop research. All students have had to cope with working in a different environment – many are missing the knowledge commons and the daily interactions with fellow researchers.”

Harrison said there was a postgraduate online task team in place to handle aspects specific to postgraduate study.

Where students were concerned about being able to register for follow-on degrees, the university would adapt where necessary to keep the academic programme in place, allowing students to progress.

“We have considered the need for alterations in submission dates and the fact that some students who should have finished by year end will not. Similarly, we are in discussion with the NRF on awarding of bursaries for postgraduates if results are out later.”

She thanked those teams that had been instrumental in keeping the postgraduate programmes and students on track: the Postgraduate Funding Office; the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT); Information and Communication Technology Services (ICTS) for laptop delivery; the Research Office through the Postgraduate Hub; and the International Academic Programmes Office (IAPO).

Vulnerable postgraduates

Beyond the academic aspect, Harrison said many postgraduate students were in tough situations due to living conditions, connectivity, life demands, etc and in these cases course convenors or supervisors had access to the UCT CARES referral network, via their faculty contact people.

“The UCT CARES referral system works very well and works for both postgraduate and undergraduate students.”

Harrison urged supervisors to maintain close communication with their students.

“Not all our students are managing to stay as productive as they would wish.”

Not business as usual

While a return to research in laboratories and studios is top of mind for many students and researchers, the phased return will follow strict, university-wide protocols.

“We must plan this holistically within government regulations, following a socially responsible approach. We are entering a key planning phase on this now, although dates are not yet clear. We will do this with a task team enabling us to link across faculties to the granular, environment-specific level.

“We see laboratories all around the world grappling with this, as are we. It will not be business as usual and we will develop new norms. But I am sure we will embrace it, because disruptions are where innovation comes from.”


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UCT’s response to COVID-19

COVID-19 is a global pandemic that caused President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a national disaster in South Africa on 15 March 2020 and to implement a national lockdown from 26 March 2020. UCT is taking the threat of infection in our university community extremely seriously, and this page will be updated with the latest COVID-19 information. Please note that the information on this page is subject to change depending on current lockdown regulations.

Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, has in June 2022 repealed some of South Africa’s remaining COVID-19 regulations: namely, sections 16A, 16B and 16C of the Regulations Relating to the Surveillance and the Control of Notifiable Medical Conditions under the National Health Act. We are now no longer required to wear masks or limit gatherings. Venue restrictions and checks for travellers coming into South Africa have now also been removed.

In July 2022, the University of Cape Town (UCT) revised its approach to managing the COVID-19 pandemic on UCT campuses in 2022.
Read the latest document available on the UCT policies web page.

 

Campus communications

 
2022

Adjusting to our new environment 16:50, 23 June 2022
VC Open Lecture and other updates 17:04, 13 April 2022
Feedback from UCT Council meeting of 12 March 2022 09:45, 18 March 2022
UCT Council
March 2022 graduation celebration 16:45, 8 March 2022
Report on the meeting of UCT Council of 21 February 2022 19:30, 21 February 2022
UCT Council
COVID-19 management 2022 11:55, 14 February 2022
Return to campus arrangements 2022 11:15, 4 February 2022

UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre

On Wednesday, 20 July, staff from the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Faculty of Health Sciences came together with representatives from the Western Cape Government at the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre at Forest Hill Residence to acknowledge the centre’s significance in the fight against COVID-19 and to thank its staff for their contributions. The centre opened on 1 September 2021 with the aim of providing quality vaccination services to UCT staff, students and the nearby communities, as well as to create an opportunity for medical students from the Faculty of Health Sciences to gain practical public health skills. The vaccination centre ceased operations on Friday, 29 July 2022.

With the closure of the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, if you still require access to a COVID-19 vaccination site please visit the CovidComms SA website to find an alternative.

 

“After almost a year of operation, the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, located at the Forest Hill residence complex in Mowbray, will close on Friday, 29 July 2022. I am extremely grateful and proud of all staff, students and everyone involved in this important project.”
– Vice-Chancellor Prof Mamokgethi Phakeng

With the closure of the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, if you still require access to a COVID-19 vaccination site please visit the CovidComms SA website to find an alternative.


Thank You UCT Community

Frequently asked questions

 

Global Citizen Asks: Are COVID-19 Vaccines Safe & Effective?

UCT’s Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM) collaborated with Global Citizen, speaking to trusted experts to dispel vaccine misinformation.



If you have further questions about the COVID-19 vaccine check out the FAQ produced by the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation (DTHF). The DTHF has developed a dedicated chat function where you can ask your vaccine-related questions on the bottom right hand corner of the website.

IDM YouTube channel | IDM website
 

 

“As a contact university, we look forward to readjusting our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in 2023 as the COVID-19 regulations have been repealed.”
– Prof Harsha Kathard, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning

We are continuing to monitor the situation and we will be updating the UCT community regularly – as and when there are further updates. If you are concerned or need more information, students can contact the Student Wellness Service on 021 650 5620 or 021 650 1271 (after hours), while staff can contact 021 650 5685.

 

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