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DUT to strengthen cooperation with France

DUT to strengthen cooperation with France

The Durban University of Technology (DUT) and France continue to enhance their strategic partnership in order to expose students to best international practices in the area of innovation, science and technology.

It is against this background that Ambassador of France to South Africa, H.E. Mr. Christophe Farnaud, will meet with the DUT Vice-Chancellor and Principal Prof Thandwa Mthembu, at Steve Biko Campus, DUT, on 05 June 2018, to formalise bilateral cooperation between France and DUT in the fields of higher education, research and the promotion of French language.

A new scientific cooperation will be developed in the field of nanotechnology, with the opening of a partnership with Montpellier University and its European Centre for Membranes. This cooperation will implement a high-quality bilateral research programme on the use of biological sensors for the detection of toxic fungi, a critical area for global food security. In order to kick start this partnership, the French embassy has offered a scholarship to Ms Kwanele Kunene, a South African PhD student from DUT to fund a 6 months training period at the University of Montpellier. This scholarship was granted to Ms Kunene to enable her to implement the first steps of this research.

France will also contribute to the launch of the Product Life Management Competency Center (PLMCC), a center of excellence for professional training at DUT’s Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment. This centre will be one of the several PPLMCC centres developed abroad by French ministry of Education with the French and world-leading company in the field of 3-D solutions Dassault Systèmes and partnering universities. DUT is to become the leader in South Africa for training students on innovative software solutions for the industry.

During this visit, Ambassador Farnaud and DUT Vice-Chancellor and Principal Prof Thandwa Mthembu will also sign an MoU, the first of its kind in South Africa, on the teaching of French for professional purposes at DUT.

Training students as future global engineers by giving them French courses in the field of sciences and technology is the goal of this new promising cooperation. The project will be funded by the French Embassy in South Africa and coordinated by the Alliance Française de Durban. A French language expert will be deployed to DUT to kick-start this project for duration of the MOU (2 years), starting on the second semester of 2018.

Pictured: Ambassador of France to South Africa, H.E. Mr. Christophe Farnaud.

Nduduzo Ndlovu

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