Unisa, China collaborate on new energy technology

UNISA is collaborating with top Chinese energy researchers in a bid to change lives through new technologies.

The College of Science, Engineering and Technology hosted the opening of the Unisa Institute for the Development of Energy for African Sustainability (Ideas), China Research Collaboration Centre and the UnisaHebei University of Science and Technology (HBUST) International Joint Laboratory of New Energy in Pretoria last weekend.

Ideas was established at Unisa in 2017 under the directorship of Professor Diane Hildebrandt with the vision to develop new energy processes tailored for Africa. It started as the Centre of Material and Process Synthesis at Wits, and has collaborated with China on many academic and industrial projects since 2004.

A joint research laboratory between Unisa and HBUST, established with funding from Hebei Province and HBUST, opens in China next month.

“As more staff and student exchanges occur, Ideas is to open the South African office of this joint research laboratory and will expand it into a collaboration centre with China, as collaboration with China has become important in terms of access to international researchers and institutions, equipment, students and funding,” said Hildebrandt.

Unisa principal and vice-chancellor Professor Mandla Makhanya congratulated the two institutions. “China and South Africa have similar problems,” he said, “and we both need new technologies that are green and internationally competitive, which can create jobs in our countries.”

In his keynote address Zhu Liguang, president of HBUST, thanked Unisa, saying the initiative had promoted in-depth research co-operation between the two universities in the fields of comprehensive use of biomass and clean energy.

The collaboration includes exchanges between teachers and students of the two universities, international curriculum construction and talent cultivation between the two.

HBUST is in Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei Province, 300km from Beijing and 200km from the Xiong’am New Area.

Six students from HBUST are registered at Unisa for their PhD and MTech studies, and are currently working in the joint laboratory, together with four postgraduates from Ideas.