South Africa and China kick-off student exchange programme
Seven South African students will soon leave for China – the first under the South Africa-China Young Scientists Exchange Programme. A farewell ceremony will be held in Pretoria tomorrow, 30 April 2019.
The five-year agreement establishing the exchange programme was signed by the South African Department of Science and Technology and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology in 2017, to give young researchers from both countries an opportunity to share knowledge and develop skills.
The programme will promote the development of scientists, scholars and researchers, focusing on various scientific fields including biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, ICT systems, green technologies, the exploitation of mineral resources, and space science and astronomy.
The Young Scientists Exchange Programme is jointly funded with the aim of cultivating future leading scientists, by promoting the exchange of researchers between research institutes, universities and enterprises in an effort to advance research and development, and produce academic papers, new patents and innovative products.
The majority of the successful students, selected through a call issued by the National Research Foundation earlier this year, come from historically disadvantaged institutions.
The students are Nokuthula Peace Mchunu (Durban University of Technology), Lizelle van Dyk (University of the Witwatersrand), Ndanduleni Lesley Lethole, Peace Prince Mkhonto and Winston Nxumalo (University of Limpopo), and Wynston Ray Woodenber and Anthony Walters (University of KwaZulu-Natal).
They will spend up to 12 months at universities across China – Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan University Beijing, the Beijing General Research Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University Tongji, the National Astronomical Observatories of China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The media are invited to the ceremony as follows:
Date: Tuesday, 30 April 2019
Time: 11:00 for 11:30 - 14:00
Venue: Chinese Embassy, 225 Athlone Street, Arcadia, Pretoria
RSVPs: Veronica Mohapeloa
Cell: 083 400 5750
E-mail: veronica.mohapeloa@dst.gov.za
