Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
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A delegation from the Polytechnic University of South Africa paid a working visit to the Republic of South Africa and held a series of business meetings with relevant ministries, universities, and research centers in Pretoria. The visit was organized as part of efforts to develop partnerships with South African scientific and educational organizations, including the expansion of the Russian-African Network University (RAFU) across Africa. The Polytechnic University was represented by Maxim Zalyvskiy, Head of the RAFU Project Office, and Nikita Golovin, Deputy Head of the International Cooperation Department.
On the South African side, the visit was organized with the support of the South African Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and was a continuation negotiations and working meetings between representatives of this Ministry, the South African Technology Innovation Agency and the South African National Research Foundation, which took place at the Polytechnic University in October of this year.
On the first day of the visit, the Polytechnic delegation held talks with Cecil Masoka, Acting Director of the Department of International Bilateral Cooperation at the South African Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation; Majola Fikiswa Liseka Mpumalanga, Deputy Director for Space Science and Technology; and Mohapi Mirranda Mmafehello, Assistant Director for Europe and the Middle East. The partners discussed cooperation in higher education and research in priority areas of development in South Africa: space technology (including small satellites (Cubesats)), artificial intelligence, digital technologies, agricultural innovation, biotechnology, and healthcare. South Africa proposed intensifying cooperation within the framework of the country's presidential postgraduate program. The parties expressed their willingness to work on economic digitalization, information exchange through technology transfer, agricultural technology, and food security. They also discussed the development of a comprehensive space technology program in South Africa, which would include student training, including scholarship support, internships, and joint projects.
Separately, the South African side expressed support and interest in collaborating with the Russian-African Network University (RAFU), currently coordinated by the Polytechnic University. The association of leading public universities, Universities of South Africa (USAf), which unites 26 universities in the country, could act as the coordinating body on the South African side.
Cecil Masoka has proposed holding a Road Show in several South African cities in the spring of 2026 with the participation of leading Russian universities to present educational programs and opportunities for joint research projects.
The second ministerial meeting took place at the South African Ministry of Higher Education and Skills, represented by Philip Tshabalala, Director of the Department of International Relations; Mokgadi Tena, Head of the Global International Partnerships Unit; and Mtheto Temwa Moyo, Head of the International Scholarships Unit. The partners discussed existing experience implementing winter schools in Russia, particularly at SPbPU, with the participation of students from South African universities; opportunities for mutual academic mobility; attracting South African applicants to study in Russia under Russian Government quotas; and identified challenges associated with applying for Russian quotas on the South African side. South Africa also expressed interest in partnering with the Russian Presidential PhD program and joint PhD programs in areas such as energy, water management, natural resource extraction, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and others.
During the visit's business program, a meeting was held with Luvuyo Mabhali, Executive Director of the Centre for Future Manufacturing, part of the South African Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Mutual interest exists in cooperation in the development of innovative materials, robotics, additive manufacturing, photonics, and the treatment of diseases using advanced technologies. Polytechnic University representatives visited the biophotonics laboratory, where they learned about research into laser technologies for solving problems in the medical industry.
Talks were held with Mahloubi Mabizela, Chief Operating Officer of USAf (the Association of Universities of South Africa). USAf is an association of 26 public universities in South Africa. The Association's activities are focused on six strategic areas, including support for innovative research, project funding, training, and professional development. During the meeting, the parties presented the activities of RAFU, USAf, and SPbPU and expressed mutual interest in partnership. Priority areas of cooperation between the two universities included biotechnology, artificial intelligence, machine learning, materials science, blockchain, space technology, and joint summer and winter schools in the natural sciences.
At the University of Pretoria, one of the largest and leading universities in South Africa, the SPbPU delegation met with the Director of the Department of Internationalization and Strategic Partnerships of the University of Pretoria, Dr. Rakeshni Ramoutar-Preisl, representatives of the international office of the university, the dean and leading professors of the Faculty of Engineering, Construction and Information Technology. During the meeting, presentations of both universities were presented, their key educational and scientific areas, the main tasks of developing international partnerships and international academic mobility. Professor Alta van der Merwe, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Civil Engineering and Information Technology, made a presentation from her faculty. The Faculty is one of the largest and most prestigious engineering faculties in South Africa and the African continent as a whole. The faculty includes three large schools: engineering, construction and information technology. The teaching population is more than 9,000 students. The main areas of teaching and research are industrial and systems engineering, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, civil engineering and infrastructure, information systems, smart cities and sustainable environments. Almost all of the key areas of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Pretoria overlap very closely with the research and educational areas of the main institutes of the Polytechnic. And in this regard, the parties agreed in January-February 2026 to continue the discussion and conduct a series of online meetings between the scientific groups of the two universities. Based on the results of these meetings, 2-3 most interesting areas will be identified and the development of joint events will continue based on them.
Following the working meeting, the SPbPU delegation was given a tour of the research centers and laboratories of the School of Engineering of the Faculty of Engineering, Construction, and Information Technology.
The Robotics and Future Manufacturing Research Center (ROFMC) in Pretoria is a leading research center in South Africa in the field of Industry 4.0 technologies. The center develops and introduces advanced manufacturing technologies and robotics into South African industry. Key areas of applied research and development of the center: industrial robotics and automation, additive manufacturing, digital design and modeling, artificial intelligence and data analysis for production, advanced materials and their processing technologies. The SPbPU delegation visited the ICR&BP as part of its big visit to the educational and scientific centers of South Africa in Pretoria. At the meeting with the head of the center, Sanviir Matadini, projects of the Polytechnic University in the field of robotics, artificial intelligence in industry, and intelligent transport systems were presented. The center presented projects on the development of industrial robots, including collaborative, autonomous transport systems, as well as educational projects in the field of industrial automation (Learning Factory: specialized courses and development of training programs at the request of the industry). Areas of activity of the center and various laboratories of St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (for example, the Laboratory of Intelligent Robotics and Cyber-Physical Systems and the Laboratory of Intelligent Industrial Automation Systems of the Higher School of Cyber-physical Systems Management of the IKNK, the Laboratory of “Industrial Stream Data Processing Systems” of the Advanced Engineering School “Digital Engineering”, a number of laboratories of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Materials and transport) overlap very much, but at the same time they have their own unique sides. In this regard, issues of developing a partnership between SPbPU and ICR&BP were discussed with the aim of exchanging experience and launching joint projects using the experience and competencies of the parties. As a result of the meeting, the parties agreed to hold a series of online meetings/webinars between the scientific groups of the center and SPbPU in the second half of January to discuss specific joint tasks and projects.
At the Tshwane University of Technology, the SPbPU delegation met with colleagues from the international office and the Faculty of Natural Sciences, which was represented by Prof. Yvonne Paul, Associate Dean Mlindelwa Lupankwa, Research Fellow and Professor Thierry Regnier. South African colleagues presented their university as a whole, as well as its priority areas of development. Professor Yvonne Paul made a presentation about the Faculty of Science, which is the largest, practice-oriented department at Tshwane University of Technology, which trains highly qualified specialists in the field of natural and applied sciences. The faculty conducts active research in the fields of physics, laser technologies, new materials, renewable energy, biotechnology and environmental protection. Of particular interest to South African colleagues is the possibility of joint work on the use of data from small spacecraft for environmental monitoring and environmental research. SPbPU presented presentations of priority scientific and educational areas in the field of natural sciences, applied physics, and space research. In addition, the possibilities of student participation in academic mobility programs, as well as in short educational programs (“Winter/Summer School”, “Winter University”) were discussed. In particular, representatives of the University of Tshwane gave feedback on the participation of 3 university students in the “Winter University in Engineering Sciences”, held at St. Petersburg Polytechnic University from November 24 to December 7.
Following the meeting, the parties agreed to begin drafting a cooperation agreement between the two universities in January, including on the principles for implementing academic mobility programs.
At a meeting at the South African Technology Innovation Agency (SATI), Patrick Krappie, Acting Director General of the Agency, presented key goals and objectives for the development of innovation and technology in South Africa. The Agency supports cutting-edge research in all priority areas conducted at South African universities and research centers, but only funds projects at the UGT 4 level ("A detailed prototype solution has been developed to demonstrate the viability of the technology") and above. Projects with Russian research centers are implemented through bilateral competitions. On the Russian side, the projects are supported by the Foundation for Assistance to Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (FASIE) and are primarily focused on small and medium-sized enterprises. As a first step in building cooperation between the Agency and Russian universities, the parties discussed the possibility of supporting joint student research initiatives and the creation of laboratories led by young scientists, involving senior students from universities in both countries.
Additionally, the busy business program included working meetings at the High Performance Computing Center, the South African Space Agency, and the South African Council for Agricultural Research. At the meeting at the supercomputer center, representatives from Polytechnic University and South Africa presented promising areas of research using supercomputer power to solve applied problems in various fields—from mathematical modeling of engineering systems to environmental and bioinformatics problems.
At a meeting at the South African National Space Agency (the government organization responsible for the promotion and development of aeronautics and space research in South Africa), the SPbPU delegation learned about its priority goals in space science and astrophysics, the use of small satellites for environmental monitoring, resource management and disaster risk reduction, and the training of engineers in space technology. SPbPU representatives, in turn, presented the university's projects in the field of space research and expressed interest in developing cooperation with the Agency and South African research centers in this area.
The SPbPU delegation also visited the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), South Africa's leading research institution in the field of agricultural technology. The Polytechnicians were hosted by Ms. Takalani Bridget Murowri, Head of International Relations, and leading researchers Dr. Mariette Truter and Dr. Quengtin Santana, who presented the objectives and research areas being conducted in the RAC's laboratories. They discussed potential joint projects, including within the RAF and with relevant universities in St. Petersburg and Russia.
The SPbPU delegation also met with Roman Ambarov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to South Africa, at the Russian Embassy in South Africa. The Polytechnic University representatives outlined their goals and objectives for developing cooperation with South African educational and scientific organizations, key areas in which the university is interested in implementing joint projects, and the main outcomes of past meetings with South African organizations. Roman Ambarov emphasized the importance of expanding academic contacts between Russia and South Africa and expressed his readiness to provide the necessary support to the initiatives of the Polytechnic University and other Russian universities.
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