Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ strengthens ties with the Norwegian government
- Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ University
In a visit by the Norwegian Minister of Research and Higher Education, Sigrun Aasland, Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ researchers presented some of their joint projects.
Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ University and the Norwegian government have strengthened their already strong relationship last week, with a visit of the Norwegian Minister of Research and Higher Education, Sigrun Aasland to the University.
The Norwegian delegation decided to visit Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ as part of their visit to South Africa for the G20, due to the University’s historic bonds to Norway, as well as its strong academic standing internationally.
Welcoming Aasland and her delegation Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Zeblon Vilakazi said the meeting as “an important moment for global cooperation in higher education and research”.
“Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ values these partnerships not only for the funding and international exposure they bring, but because they help solve pressing global problems,” said Vilakazi.
As part of the visit, two Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ researchers presented their major collaborative research projects between Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ and Norwegian partners.
Dr Nechama Brodie, a senior lecturer in Journalism at Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½, presented findings from the Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Centre for Journalism’s “Safety Matters” project, an international partnership with Oslo Metropolitan University, Brazil and the US.
“Journalists are being silenced in ways that undermine democracy – not just in fragile states, but in established democracies too,” said Brodie. “This project builds practical safety skills and creates global awareness.”
The project that has been running since 2021 is funded by the Norwegian government and investigates threats to journalists’ safety and aims to build tools to better protect them. The initiative includes joint research, exchange programmes, and collaborative teaching across the four countries.
A new project, also headed by Brodie and funded by the Norwegian government launched this year and will look at three major treats that journalists face, namely climate change, digital technologies and AI.
Associate Professor Chevonne Reynolds from Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½’ School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences presented a new joint research project, called “RECOVER”. The project aims to develop nature recovery maps to guide conservation in both Norway and South Africa.
The maps are co-created with local stakeholders in both countries to reflect both ecological needs and social realities, and will be used to restore degraded landscapes.
“This is about finding data-driven ways to restore nature while including the voices of communities,” said Reynolds. “It’s science that speaks to people on the ground.”
The project is supported by the Research Council of Norway and involves local partners such as SANParks, SANBI and several Norwegian municipalities.
Between 2020 and 2024, Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ and Norwegian institutions co-published over 300 academic papers, with strong research ties in areas such as environmental science, medicine and astrophysics.
Dr Samia Chasi, Head: Internationalisation and Strategic Partnerships at Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½, said these collaborations were growing in both number and depth. “We now have partnerships that span journalism, nature conservation, archaeology, nuclear science, and music education,” she said.
The visit concluded with a tour of the university’s Evolutionary Studies Institute, where guests viewed exhibits on early human origins — another key area of Norwegian–South African collaboration.
Aasland, who leads Norway’s policy on higher education and research, said South Africa remained a key partner in the country’s global cooperation efforts. “The work we do together strengthens both our institutions and has global impact,” she said.