51本色

Levelling the African European academic playing fields

9 May 2025 - Wits University

Visit by Secretary-General of CIVIS European Universities’ network aims for collaboration that builds trust and public engagement with Africa.

CIVIS is a network of 11 European universities and now, through the CIVIS Alliance, six African associate universities, committed to tackling the polycrises of the 21^st Century. Wits University is the only South African institution in the CIVIS Alliance.

Equal partnerships in unequal societies

In 2022, Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal, signed an associate agreement with CIVIS, which committed to deepening African-European science cooperation.

Vilakazi said at the time: “Although we have numerous direct partnerships with universities in the EU, this new agreement will institutionalise cooperation with the entire Alliance and its members. This is an opportunity for us to level the playing fields and to develop equal partnerships in unequal societies.”

Strategic visit

Professor Stefan Lang is the first Secretary General of CIVIS since it became a legal entity in 2024. Lang is Vice-Rector for International Affairs and Digitalisation at the University of Salzburg, Austria.

He is a geographer and Geoinformatics and Remote Sensing expert. Having spent time as a postgraduate in Mozambique in the early 2000s, mapping the floods, and in Botswana, Lang is an advocate for Africa.

In an official strategic visit to Wits as an Alliance associate in April 2025, Lang met with Dr Samia Chasi, Director of the Internationalisation and Strategic Partnerships Office (ISPO); Alison Simons, Manager International Projects: UK; Dr Mahomed Moolla, the Wits-CIVIS originator; and Dr Karuna Singh, who represents the University on the CIVIS Council. Professor Zeblon Vilakazi, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, and Professor Lynn Morris, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation, hosted Lang at a lunch after the meeting.

Also in attendance in the meeting to present their network participation to date were academics who lead hubs 1, 2, 3 and 5 of the at Wits.

Hubs are the structures through which CIVIS African associate members and European member universities collaborate to address major societal challenges in climate change, healthcare, democracy, mobility, digital transformation, and cultural heritage.

Lang’s visit formed part of a series of strategic visits to the CIVIS member and associate universities to strengthen collaboration, share best practices, and collectively envision the future of the alliance.

Awareness, engagement, equality

Discussion at the Wits meeting covered African-European science collaboration, equitable partnerships, the specific potentials of CIVIS as a European University alliance, third-party funding strategies, supporting collaboration in the CIVIS bodies, and promoting and creating awareness of the (relatively young) CIVIS Alliance amongst academics and students.

Professor Ute Schwaibold, from the School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Studies, who leads Hub 1 on Climate, Environment, and Energy, has been involved with CIVIS since the beginning. She stressed the importance of internal communications amongst the hubs. “We’re working in silos,” she said.

The discussion covered challenges such as experiences of the “very one-sided” collaboration in Hub 2 on Society, Culture, Heritage, regarding fossil access and student mobility, although the hub has nonetheless produced publications. Professor Marion Bamford of the Evolutionary Studies Institute recommended detailed collaboration agreements before projects start.

Professor Turgay Celik, Hub 5: Digital Tech Transformation lead, said that Wits is very active in this area. Although there is “not much happening [in the network currently], it has a lot of potential.” There is a need for targeted communications to academics to create awareness, enable, and drive the hubs, he said.

Wits is very strong on infectious diseases such as HIV and TB, which is another network potential area, said Professor Yahya Choonara, lead on Hub 3: Healthcare, which has been successful to date, and flourishing. “I think there’s a lot of potential, the number of programmes we can lead on. The value of this is the relationships,” said Choonara.

Lang is committed to equal partnerships and to encouraging engagement and communication. “Things are not set in stone and there is a willingness to change; we can modify,” he said. He encouraged Wits academics to bring their ideas to the network. “It will be taken up, sooner or later. Staff exchange hubs are being built until October,” he said.

BIPs potential

CIVIS Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs) are co-led by three or four academics from different universities and culminate in the student visiting the host university for a week. BIPs comprise a 13-week course, a week at the host, a major assignment, and assessment.

Some of the BIPS are open to students enrolled at an university in Africa and credits are awarded for completion. ‘Dual’ – as opposed to ‘joint’ – degrees are being explored. “This year, Wits students will get their degree certificate, as well as individual certificates,” said Moolla.

One of the five successful BIPs is the . Dr Clare Cutland at Wits’ African Leadership in Vaccine Expertise (ALIVE) has been involved with CIVIS for eight months and coordinated courses with European universities. “Wits is the first host university of a CIVIS BIPs in Africa,” said Cutland.

The PolyCIVIS Success Story

PolyCIVIS is a project separate from CIVS but modelled on it. PolyCIVIS focuses on work packages rather than hubs. Most of the initiatives are online. PolyCIVIS developed a polycrisis handbook, launched at the in April, which is “making public what we’re producing beyond the network,” said Lang. “PolyCIVIS is one of the key success stories.”

Polycrisis, “a highly dynamic field” which demands different perspectives, said Lang. “Approaching these polycrises holistically is only possible if you have multiple cultures, but I think it is the answer. This is a big chance to bring in these different research traditions. Our experiences are different, but the vision and how to cope is together.”

Solidarity and partnerships the lifeblood of thriving universities

Professor Ruksana Osman, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic, leads Wits’ CIVIS association. She says, “We are excited to be associated with CIVIS, which gives us an opportunity to revisit how universities interact and collaborate and how knowledge and talent are shared globally. My sense is that a truly global network of universities must leverage the strengths of diverse educational systems while addressing local needs, and CIVIS provides the ideal vehicle in this moment in time. Now more than ever global solidarity and partnerships will be the lifeblood of thriving universities.”

Lang said, “CIVIS 3 is now a big chance to change the game. A new generation of funding is in preparation and the greatest vision that we have now is shaping CIVIS 3; the next generation CIVIS. We have the opportunity to shape CIVIS 3 together.”