College of Business and Economics | Annual Report 2020 30 Prof Fiona Tregenna Prof Cecile Nieuwenhuizen Prof Erika Kraemer Mbula Africa with a long-term investment trajectory of up to fifteen years. The College takes pride in hosting three SARChI Research Chairs: Prof Cecile Nieuwenhuizen, SARChI Research Chair in Entrepreneurship Education; Prof Erika Kraemer Mabula, SARChI Research Chair in Transformative Innovation, 4IR and Sustainable Development; and Prof Fiona Tregenna, SARChI Research Chair in Industrial Development. In 2020, CBE’s total external research funding has grown to R24.4 million from R10.8 million in 2019 (+126%), of which R16.5 million was sourced nationally, while external international research funding grew from R2.08 million to R7.9 million. CBe researCh exCellenCe In a bid to contribute to knowledge on the impact of SARS-CoV-1/2 on the socio-economic fibre of South Africa given the prolonged lockdown, some of the research units in the CBE have engaged in investigating different aspects of COVID-19, key among them is the School of Economics (SOE) which has a highly visible research ‘Happiness Index’ in collaboration with researchers in Europe and Australia. Other centres in the SOE have focused on the impact of the COVID-19 on livelihoods. The School of Tourism and Hospitality (STH) has focused on understanding the changing dimensions of the tourism industry given the emergence of the COVID-19. Numerous researchers have engaged with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, with some 120 titles contributing to the evolving field of 4IR. To further deepen research in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the College is in the process of establishing the Centre for Data Science (CADS), which will lead research in applied data science, and offer specialist training and postgraduate qualifications in the field. On a more practical note, the Centre for Technopreneurship, School of Consumer Intelligence and Information Systems, has held a series of hackathons to encourage technological innovation.
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