Message from the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academia)

Holding of the 13th Edition of the Research Week has again been impacted by the pandemic. As such, this Edition of the Research Week, which initially was scheduled for June 2021, had to be postponed as was the case for several other activities mentioned in the Calendar. This year’s Edition will again be virtual while involving best paper and poster awards.

The main thrust of the 13th Edition titled ‘Building Resilience through Research in the COVID-19 Era’ is a very topical one that cuts across several disciplines and could be addressed from various perspectives. It is expected that researchers will provide insights into the extent to which the society, the economy and institutions have been or are being able to absorb the shocks of the pandemic. Academics and students have been invited to disseminate outcomes of their research on topics essentially on or related to the theme encompassing national and regional if not international priorities.

It is also worth noting that the chosen research thrust is also aligned with UoM vision of a ‘Research Engaged and Entrepreneurial University’. Needless to add, research remains important to unveil and better understand the intricacies of COVID-19 and how best our institutions and society as a whole could respond to become more resilient.

Our Research Week remains the most important disseminating platform which fosters significant involvement, dedication and interaction of academics and students of the different Faculties and Centres on campus. The Call for Abstracts and Papers has again been enlarged this year to rope in researchers who have been and are still working jointly on projects or papers with UoM staff. This allows for much greater visibility of the research being undertaken by the UoM staff and students especially related to the COVID-19. Moreover, it is expected that interaction with varying groups of researchers will further enhance our knowledge of this unprecedented pandemic and its challenges.

The different virtual sessions are expected to provide excellent opportunities for researchers benefiting from different funding schemes to showcase their research commitments and achievements. As previous Editions, opportunities will be provided to specific research groups which have benefited from alternative sources of funding - locally and internationally – on the different aspects of the COVID-19 era. We anticipate that the 13th Edition will involve even greater engagement of academics, students and researchers from outside.

It is with great pleasure therefore that I wish all of you well for an insightful, thought-breaking, impactful and fruitful Research Week 2021.

Prof Sanjeev K Sobhee