With excellence in learning and teaching lying at the heart of the Durban University of Technology’s (DUT’s) commitment to ENVISION2030. The Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT), Research and Postgraduate Support, Technology Transfer and Innovation (TTI) and the DUT-led UCDP collaborative project (Doctoral Communities of Scholarship) are proud to launch its first combined Learning, Teaching, Research, Innovation and Engagement (LTRIE) Conference which takes place at Coastlands Umhlanga from 27th October 2025 to 30th October 2025.
The conference aims to bring together academics, researchers, postgraduate students and thought leaders to explore the dynamic intersections between pedagogy, knowledge production, transformative research, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Speaking more on the LTRIE Conference, Dr Shoba Rathilal: Acting Director of CELT said that the conference’s objective is to recognise that learning, teaching, research, innovation and entrepreneurship are not discrete domains but interconnected practices essential to achieving the transformative agenda of higher education generally and DUT’s ENVISION2030 intent of becoming a people-centred, innovative, entrepreneurial and engaged university.
The conference theme is Converging Horizons: Transformative Education, Research and Innovation. With a focus on innovation, entrepreneurship, collaboration and social impact, the conference will foster critical discussions and forward-thinking approaches that contribute to shaping the future of higher education in Africa and beyond.
“It will particularly highlight research and innovation that generate practical, scalable solutions to societal challenges-such as inequality, climate change, public health and digital disruption-while also contributing to entrepreneurship development through the creation of new knowledge, enterprises and innovation-driven opportunities that advance local and regional economic development, “ said Dr Rathilal.
The conference will entail workshops, paper presentations, poster presentations, panel discussions and critical dialogue sessions, fostering in-depth conversations among all participants, intending to generate new perspectives and collective insights.
The dynamic conference consists of keynote speakers such as Professor Puleng LenkaBula, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of UNISA, Prof Emmanuel Mgqwashu, Dean and Head of School, College of Humanities, School of Education, University of KwaZulu Natal and Prof Michael Twum-Darko,
Manager: SA Entrepreneurship Venture Builder (EVB),The Technological Higher Education Network South Africa (THENSA), Prof. Molebatsi Milton Nkoane, Professor in Foundations of Education, Department of Postgraduate Studies in Education, University of Free State and Mr Steve Farr Secretariat Executive Director the Alliance of Guangzhou International Sister-City Universities.
Topics of discussions will focus on research- led community engagement for enhancing innovation in Teaching and Learning, entreprenetics, showing how academic inquiry can shape more equitable and sustainable futures. Other themes include on fostering innovation and graduate adaptiveness, transformative pedagogies and disruptive curricula for complex futures, research for societal transformation. This sub-theme will explore how research can drive meaningful change by addressing real-world challenges and contributing to social, economic, and environmental justice; highlighting the power of engaged, interdisciplinary and contextually relevant research in shaping more equitable and sustainable futures.
Another sterling theme for discussion will be on the long-standing national call for a more responsive, integrated, and impactful higher education system in South Africa, a strategy that champions a dynamic ecosystem where the core functions of learning, research and community engagement converge.
Also being brought to the fore will be the theme pertaining to the digital revolution, supercharged by artificial intelligence and big data, which is fundamentally reshaping the landscape of knowledge production, learning and teaching.
“The conference will serve as a critical space for scholars, researchers, practitioners, students, thought leaders and community partners to engage deeply with transformative educational practices and innovations that respond to glocal challenges,” said Dr Rathilal.
Pictured: ML Sultan campus
Waheeda Peters
