For three consecutive years, the Durban University of Technology (DUT) has received the National Research Foundation (NRF) Focused Research Advancement Award, marking three consecutive years of recognition for the University’s research development.
DUT received the award in 2024, 2025 and 2026. While each award recognised performance assessed over a five-year period, the consecutive recognitions provide a broader view of developments in research capacity, postgraduate outputs, research productivity and research support at the University.
The 2026 award, presented at the NRF Awards in Gqeberha on 3 September, saw DUT emerge as the top achiever among Universities of Technology in the category. The assessment considered doctoral staff capacity, postgraduate outputs, research productivity, NRF investment and growth in NRF-rated researchers.
The three-year record is significant because the indicators considered by the NRF extend across different aspects of the research environment. They include the capacity to develop doctoral researchers, support postgraduate research, increase research productivity and strengthen the pool of NRF-rated researchers.
DUT’s recent research output provides further evidence of this development. The University recorded 975.4 publication units in its latest Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) submission, compared with 702.62 in the previous reporting period.
The University has also recorded growth in its international positioning. In the 2026 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, DUT moved into the 401 to 600 global band, up from 1001 to 1500+ in 2025. DUT was also ranked 60th globally for Sustainable Development Goal 1: No Poverty.
The SDG 1 result places DUT’s research and wider institutional activities within an international assessment of universities’ contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals. It also provides an indication of how DUT’s work is being recognised in relation to a global challenge that extends beyond the higher education sector. Research advancement at DUT is supported by a network that includes researchers, postgraduate students, supervisors, faculties, Research Institutes, SARChI Chairs and professional support teams. Their work spans different disciplines and areas of research, with collaboration increasingly forming part of the University’s research activity.
Professor Fulufhelo Nemavhola, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement, said the impact of the NRF’s recognition extends beyond the awards themselves. “Receiving the NRF Focused Research Advancement Award for three consecutive years is more than an institutional achievement; it is a powerful affirmation of the sustained growth, resilience and ambition of our research enterprise. It reflects the collective excellence of our researchers, postgraduate students, supervisors, faculties, Research Institutes and professional support teams. Importantly, it demonstrates what is possible when strategy, talent, opportunity and institutional purpose are aligned. Our responsibility now is to translate this momentum into enduring research excellence; strengthening capacity, investing in the next generation of scholars, expanding strategic partnerships and ensuring that the knowledge we produce is not only globally relevant but also, responsive to the complex challenges facing our society. Therefore, this recognition is both a celebration of how far we have come and a commitment to where we intend to go.”
The three consecutive NRF awards provide a useful point from which to assess this development. The 2024 recognition marked DUT’s first Focused Research Advancement Award. The University received the award again in 2025, demonstrating continued performance against the NRF’s assessment criteria. In 2026, DUT received the award for a third consecutive year and emerged as the top achiever among Universities of Technology in the category.
For DUT, the focus now shifts to sustaining and building on these developments. This includes continuing to strengthen research capacity, support postgraduate researchers, develop NRF-rated researchers, increase research productivity, expand research partnerships and ensure that research findings contribute to broader societal and development priorities.
The three consecutive NRF awards provide more than a record of recognition. They offer a measurable account of a research environment that has been developing over time.
As DUT continues to implement its ENVISION2030 strategy, the University’s research trajectory will remain an important part of its institutional development, with continued attention to research quality, people, partnerships and impact.
THREE YEARS. ONE TRAJECTORY.
Pictured: DUT Deputy Vice Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement, Professor Fulufhelo Nemavhola receiving the Focused Research Advancement Award at the 2026 NRF Awards.
Photo credit: National Research Foundation.
Tiyani Mboweni
