The Durban University of Technology (DUT) is counting down to its second annual DUT International Week, hosted by the International Education and Partnerships (IEP) Unit from Monday, 17 August to Friday, 21 August 2026 in Durban.
Held under the theme “Inclusion, Innovation and African Agency,” this year’s International Week will bring together academics, researchers, students, international partners and higher education institutions from across Africa and around the world to explore the transformative role of international education in an increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing global landscape.
The week will also provide a valuable face-to-face platform for participants to connect with DUT’s “glocal” community, which includes colleagues, partners and institutions from across the region and around the world, while identifying opportunities for sustained collaboration, knowledge exchange and mutually beneficial partnerships.
Dr Lavern Samuels, Director of the International Education and Partnerships Unit at DUT, highlighted the importance of ensuring that African and South-South perspectives and expertise remain central to international higher education conversations.
“DUT International Week provides an important platform to strengthen meaningful partnerships, expand opportunities for international collaboration and ensures that African perspectives and expertise are central to global conversations. Through inclusion, innovation and African agency, we can build partnerships that create lasting value for our students, academics, researchers and communities,” reiterated Dr Samuels.
The programme will feature a diverse range of sessions and engagements throughout the week, offering participants opportunities to exchange ideas, share best practices and explore new avenues for collaboration across borders and disciplines.
“This week will provide an ideal segway into the transformed phase of ENVISION2030 and will give expression to creativity and innovative curricula and research, distinctive education, and an engaged university in profound ways, leading to us shaping glocal citizens who become our adaptive graduates,” added Dr Samuels.
According to Ms Serisha Letchmiah-Venter, Global Engagement Coordinator at DUT, the five-day programme aims to create a safe and inclusive platform for meaningful dialogue, knowledge exchange and collaboration, with a particular focus on advancing social cohesion, celebrating diversity and co-creating more inclusive and sustainable futures for Africa and the world.
“DUT International Week is about building real connections with our partners that strengthen our teaching, research, and the impact we have on society. It presents our academics, researchers, staff, and students with an opportunity to meet with local and international partners, share ideas, and explore new ways of working together, from establishing and activating new collaboration efforts through formal institutional agreements, joint research, and virtual education experiences that expose our university to teach and learn alongside peers from other countries,” said Ms Letchmiah-Venter.
The IEP, has intentionally structured the week thematically, moving from broader higher education discussions to hands-on action. Day 1 unpacks the shifting landscape of internationalisation, Day 2 turns to partnerships, research collaboration and innovation, Day 3 explores COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) and virtual education in practice, Day 4 – Diversity Day – celebrates inclusion and global citizenship, and Day 5 closes by turning opportunities into concrete partnerships.
DUT encourages academics, researchers and staff members who are interested in internationalisation, global engagement, research collaboration and partnership development to participate in this important week of engagement.
As the University continues to strengthen its global footprint, DUT International Week provides an opportunity to celebrate existing partnerships while forging new connections that advance knowledge, innovation and shared impact.
DUT looks forward to welcoming its local and international partners to Durban for a week dedicated to inclusion, innovation, collaboration and African agency.
Pictured: Dr Lavern Samuels, Director of the International Education and Partnerships Unit at DUT.
Photographer: DUT Multimedia
Simangele Zuma
