University of Fort Hare and GIBS Partner for Research Capacity Development Workshop

A strategic collaboration between the University of Fort Hare (UFH) and the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) is bearing fruit, with a particular focus on enhancing research capacity. This initiative includes a Research Capacity Development Workshop led by esteemed business research methods expert Prof Mark Saunders from Birmingham University Business School in the United Kingdom.

Currently in progress, the intensive two-day workshop commenced at UFH’s Alice Campus on July 1 and will continue at the East London campus on July 2. The primary objective of this workshop is to advance research and capacity building at UFH, across the Eastern Cape, and beyond, with the aim of effectively influencing policy decisions.

To ensure the workshop’s knowledge dissemination reaches beyond academic borders and empowers society at large, Prof Willie Chinyamurindi from UFH’s Business Management Department partnered with the Buffalo City Metropolitan Development Agency (BCMDA) and Eastern Cape Socio-Economic Consultative Council (ECSECC) to host the event.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Sakhela Buhlungu, warmly received Prof Saunders in a meet-and-greet session ahead of the workshop initiation, expressing anticipation for the collaboration.

Delivered in conjunction with GIBS’ Professor Motshedisi Mathibe, Prof Saunders’ presentation focuses on his unique «research onion» – a methodology that outlines the various decisions necessary during research methodology development.