The South Africa-Sweden University Forum

SASUF, the South Africa-Sweden University Forum, is a collaborative project involving 40 partner universities from South Africa and Sweden.

Launched in 2017, it aimed to strengthen ties in research, education, and innovation. The initial three-year phase (2018-2020) connected over 3000 individuals from both countries. In 2021, SASUF received additional funding, leading to a new three-year phase, SASUF 2030, starting in 2022. This phase focuses on addressing UN Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030 through innovative approaches, including virtual exchange grants and student involvement. SASUF's success has resulted in over 70 collaborative projects and international recognition, serving as a model for other countries like Norway and South Africa.

  • - Cape Peninsula University of Technology

    - Central University of Technology

    - Durban University of Technology

    - Mangosuthu University of Technology

    - Nelson Mandela University

    - North West University

    - Rhodes University

    - Sefako Makghato University Health Sciences University

    - Sol Plaatje University

    - Stellenbosch University

    - Tshwane University of Technology

    - University of Cape Town

    - University of Fort Hare

    - University of the Free State

    - University of Johannesburg

    - University of KwaZulu-Natal

    - University of Limpopo

    - University of Mpumalanga

    - University of Pretoria

    - University of South Africa

    - University of the Western Cape

    - University of Venda

    - University of Witwatersrand

    - University of Zululand

    - Vaal University of Technology

    - Walter Sisulu University

  • - Uppsala University (coordinator)

    - Jönköping University

    - Linköping University

    - Luleå University of Technology

    - Lund University

    - Karlstad University

    - Karolinska Institutet

    - Malmö University

    - Stockholm University

    - Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

    - Umeå University

    - University of Gothenburg

    - University West

    - Örebro University

How SASUF is funded

The SASUF collaboration is funded by the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT). The STINT grant is of great importance to the project, and is the main rock that makes implementation of projects possible. The anticipated level of activities within the scope of the project also requires additional funding, and the participating universities are therefore adding a further 18 million SEK to ensure the success of the project.

The budget for SASUF only includes co-funding from Swedish universities. South African universities co-fund the project through both in kind and in cash contributions. To allow for a wide participation of universities in South Africa, no fixed sum has been set as a requirement for South African universities to take part in SASUF 2030. The consortium is currently discussing options for co-funding SASUF 2030 with South African funding agencies.

Sub-themes within SASUF 2030

  • Theme 1: Climate change, natural resources and sustainability

    Covering anything from the future of sustainability, to planting, food security, conditions of waste and many more angles of SDGs.

  • Theme 2: Education for a sustainable society

    Covering e.g. the role of imagination, price of knowledge, innovations, sustainability, networking, leadership, development and many many more sides of education.

  • Theme 3: Social transformation through change: Knowledge and social development strategies

    Focusing on gender, human mobility and socio-economic issues - covering different contexts and perspectives of these topics.

  • Theme 4: Health - Understanding the burden of disease in Sweden and South Africa

    Focusing on a range of different perspectives of health; environmental, reproductive, mental - to name a few.

  • Theme 5: Sustainable urbanisation, travel and tourism in the 21st Century

    Concentrating on innovations and new approaches to create social, economic and environmental sustainability in rapidly urbanizing cities and eco-systems.

  • Theme 6: Digital technologies, big data and cybersecurity

    Covering perspectives of education, green transition and biotechnologies.