College of Business and Economics | Annual Report 2020 34 inTernaTionalisaTion The CBE considers internationalisation as a very important aspect of its research and innovation agenda. During 2020, internationalisation has adapted to what is almost becoming the new norm by redefining its purpose and focus. Many of the internationalisation activities have migrated online further opening opportunities to comfortably break new ground without necessarily having to travel overseas. International students and staff interaction and mobility moved online which has enabled students, for example, to take courses offered overseas without travelling outside South Africa. Towards 2022 fuTure The CBE will continue its research and innovation developmental path. Since 2019, the CBE has embarked on an ambitious project to deepen the depth of its research impact. The mediumterm research positioning (2020 – 2022) has been informed by the desire to have more CBE academics participate in knowledge production, the inclusion of students in research endeavours, increasing external networks by appointing external research affiliates, increased collaborations and capacity-building through tailored mentoring programmes. The years 2021 and 2022 will see deepened focus on further improving research impact and visibility, improving external funding, increasing collaboration and partnerships with globally ranked individual researchers and institutions, improving capacity among emerging researchers in the CBE and increasing research leadership at the national level by increasing the number of NRF-rated researchers and SARChI Chairs. Given the different interventions being actively pursued in the CBE, it is not a far-fetched dream to reach the 500 ROUs mark by 2022 and see increased levels of quality in research outputs. The envisaged establishment of new centres pursuing the frontiers of knowledge in the focus area, such as data science, will propel the CBE as a key player in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Further, the response to COVID-19 challenges by the CBE research centre accentuates its resolve to contribute to missing knowledge to solve societal problems. With a vibrant research resume, it is promising that the CBE’s postgraduate and honours students will benefit from the epitome of knowledge frontiers generated by local researchers.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjU1NDYx