SECTION 5 Sustainable Impact
SECTION 5 Sustainable Impact
IMPACT SUSTAINABLE
At UP, sustainability is translated into action through: • Leadership, which sets the tone and shapes the institutional culture • Institutional and curricular transformation to meet current and future societal needs • Innovative models of research, education and engagement
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s a university, we recognise the important role we play in sustainable development and see our contribution as twofold. Firstly, through the way we function and conduct ourselves as an institution, as we interact with a range of stakeholders. Secondly, through our work in the core functions of teaching, learning, research and community engagement. The capability we build by educating undergraduate and postgraduate students, and the new knowledge we create from research, both contribute to meeting societal needs for a just and inclusive society, and the protection of our planet for future generations. In realising our contributions within these themes, it is essential for us to ensure financial sustainability for future viability of the institution. To achieve the required step change in our contributions to a better country, continent, and world, we have integrated sustainability into our University of Pretoria Strategic Plan: Destination 2026 and Beyond. By intentionally hardwiring sustainability into the institutional strategy, sustainability is top of mind in thought and practice. This ensures coherent activities and leverages efforts across all facets of the University, thus amplifying our impact.
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Financial sustainability One of the University’s main revenue streams – subsidy income – continues to account for a smaller proportion of total income annually, declining by 4.3% over the last three years. Tuition fees and other fee income have also shown limited growth due to the fee compact. The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), in consultation with Universities South Africa (USAf), capped the tuition fee increase for 2022 at 4.23% and accommodation fees at 6.23%. Gross student debt at the end of the financial year amounted to R673.6m (2021: R659.1m). The provision for bad debts has been increasing over the past three years due to insufficient funding to support the missing middle students, the decline in the economy and the demand for fee-free higher education. External research funding Securing and growing alternative sources of funding has become increasingly important in the face of economic instability and a declining state subsidy.
UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA | ANNUAL REVIEW 2022
A significant portion of third-stream revenue is from external research funding. Government-related grants from agencies account for almost half of external research funding, but this percentage has declined over time. Other categories of research funding sources include international grants, funding from national institutes and centres, and private sector research contracts. International grants and research contracts grew in the 2022 period, indicating a recovery from the COVID-19 driven decline seen in 2021, as well as reflecting UP’s rising international profile and continued focus on strengthening private sector relationships. Funding from national institutes and centres declined by some R6 million for the year. Overall, external research funding increased by almost R65m from R614 918 186 in 2021 to R679 744 387 in 2022. Enterprises University of Pretoria Enterprises University of Pretoria Pty Limited (Enterprises UP) played a significant role in generating alternative sources of funding. The company develops, implements
• Broadened access to higher education, with enhanced student support in their journey through the University, and across the student lifecycle • Advancing a transdisciplinary agenda with accelerated and expanded collaboration and partnering to amplify our impact • A capable, technology-enabled, responsive, and financially sustainable institution.
and manages the business activities of the University, such as continuing education, consulting and contract research. Driven by the motto “Shifting knowledge to insight”, the company successfully expanded its footprint in South Africa and globally, resulting in a total turnover of R235.5 million in 2022. Commercialisation of research An important means of contributing to societal impact is through commercialisation of research. Additionally, it enhances the University’s positioning and is a source of third-stream income. While UP intellectual property activity showed a modest decline in 2022 relative to 2021, our research continues to make a meaningful contribution to South Africa, Africa and the world. Since 2013, 177 new inventions have been disclosed, and UP was recognised as having the highest number of patents in a 2020 DHET report. By the end of 2022, ten spinoff companies in existence for at least two years, continued to be active. Collectively, they employed 198 employees, demonstrating sustainability as well as employment creation.
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