NWU value chain
Discovering new possibilities for creating value
A challenging but exciting journey awaited our stakeholders in 2022 as we invited them to consider new possibilities and discover the many opportunities the NWU offers to add value.
Because we believe in our students’ potential, we invested (our input) in in their skills and talents, encouraging them to discover unknown horizons so that they can grow and flourish (our activities), become critical thinkers (our output) and eventually enter the labour market and society as value creators (our outcome).
Across our value chain, we access, use and transform our capitals. As part of our input, for example, we use our sources of income (financial capital), skilled staff (human capital), buildings and equipment (manufactured capital) and academic programmes (intellectual capital) to create value for our students (human capital).
We strengthen our social and relationship capital through our community engagement initiatives and by applying our research results (intellectual capital) to find solutions to problems in society and in our country.
Our value chain also depends on the responsible use of our natural capital, such as water to sustain the lives of our staff and students (human capital) and land to build on (manufactured capital).
As we show in the following discussion of our value chain, we consciously draw on our various capitals as inputs and, through our activities, convert them to outputs and outcomes.
Our students
Our students are a vital input into our value chain. The table below shows the composition and size of the student body
in 2022 as compared to 2021:
– Investing in our students
Student recruitment – and in particular attracting top-performing students – was a priority in 2022. We resumed our visits to schools and again began hosting schools at our campuses.
In 2022, the NWU’s financial aid offices administered R3,067 billion in financial aid for students. Government funding for bursaries amounted to R2,56 billion (83% of the total amount for bursaries), while we contributed R229 million to student bursaries, which is 7% of the total funds allocated for financial aid.
In addition, we offer non-academic support aimed at developing our students holistically. This support consists of psychosocial, health, sport, arts and cultural services.
We also provide ongoing and focused academic support to our students, enabling them to succeed academically.
For more information about our academic support activities for students, turn to the section Increase student access and success.
Our staff
Our complement of 4 228 permanent employees, consisting of 1 678 academics and 2 550 support employees, is a significant input into our value chain.
The following table shows how our number of permanent academic staff compares with those of other South African higher education institutions (Please note that this is based on 2021 audited HEMIS data):
| Institution | Total |
| University of South Africa (Unisa) | 1 781 |
| North-West University | 1 648 |
| University of KwaZulu-Natal | 1 222 |
| University of Johannesburg | 1 309 |
| University of Cape Town (UCT) | 1 182 |
| University of Pretoria | 1 260 |
| University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) | 1 215 |
- Investing in our staff
The primary focus for 2022 was to create a nurturing environment for staff at the NWU to flourish within the workplace.
The NWU has a comprehensive employee health and wellness programme that consists of psychosocial support, health awareness as well as organisational wellness interventions.
The NWU Wellness Unit provided various training opportunities focused on overall workplace well-being, supervisory training, stress management, resilience, gender-based violence, substance abuse and interpersonal relationships. These activities will continue in 2023.
All employees have opportunities to develop their careers and we invest substantially in developing the capacity of our employees to excel. This includes training and development in digital skills needed to execute the NWU’s Digital Transformation Strategy.
We also have promotions and awards programmes for academics. For 2022, 115 promotions were approved. While this was 22 fewer than in 2021, we are encouraged by the progress made towards building the seniority of our academic staff and the representivity of our professoriate.
Our People and Culture division presented the Purple Race on 15 and 16 September 2022 as part of the Leadership Development Programme and the NWU Way Values campaign.
Seven teams participated in the race, with each team representing one of the seven core values of the university.
The teams, comprising staff from the University Management Committee, along with executive and deputy deans and chief directors, participated in various activities across all three of the NWU’s campuses. Read more.
Funding as input
- Research funding
Research funding of R111,7 million was received in 2021 and R110,5 million in 2022. The table below shows funding received from the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and the National Research Foundation (NRF):
| Grant programme | Number of awards |
Total amount |
| SAMRC funding | 6 | 3 021 613 |
| Thuthuka | 24 | 2 687 136 |
| Other grant-holder awards | 186 | 34 225 887 |
| Grant-holder linked bursaries | 21 | 2 348 333 |
| Block grants | 2 | 360 000 |
| Freestanding bursaries | 351 | 49 270 027 |
| Freestanding postdoctoral bursaries | 12 | 2 950 000 |
| Freestanding postdoctoral funding | 12 | 590 000 |
| SKA student bursaries | 1 | 144 700 |
| SKA student equipment | 0 | 0 |
| SKA student travel grants | 0 | 0 |
| Grant deposit | 0 | 14 900 000 |
| Total | 615 | 110 497 696 |
Owing to Covid-19-related research disruption, researchers in some NRF programmes were permitted to move their 2022 funds to 2023 or any future year.
The grant-holder linked and block-grant bursaries were still being phased out in 2022, making way for the awarding of freestanding bursaries in future.
- Funding for technology transfer and innovation
The funding landscape remained constrained in 2022. Only three innovation projects were supported, comprising one pre-seed project and two Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) Seed Fund projects.
More information about our efforts to increase research funding can be found under Six goals to realise our strategy.
- International funding
The table below shows the international funding each faculty received during 2022. The total amount, R23,7 million, compares to R28,8 million received in the previous year.
| International funding for research | Actual as confirmed from faculties |
| Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences | R703 261.21 |
| Faculty of Education | R0 |
| Faculty of Humanities | R0 |
| Faculty of Engineering | R2 220 050 |
| Faculty of Health Sciences | R10 798 764 |
| Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences | R9 985 580 |
| Grand total | R23 707 655.21 |
| * | No funding was secured internationally |
The Setswana and Sesotho word “naledi” means star and the NWU’s solar car, Naledi 2.0 is indeed a shining star as she won the Structural Design Award at the 2022 Sasol Solar Challenge.
Naledi 2.0 also secured fourth place in the top category known as the Challenger Class, where vehicles built for optimal efficiency and endurance compete.
The Sasol Solar Challenge took place from 9 to 16 September, covering an estimated distance of 2 500 km from Johannesburg to Cape Town.
Naledi is constructed of a variety of materials including kevlar, carbon fibre and aluminium. The solar array is mounted on a lightweight aluminium wing to improve cooling and therefore efficiency to increase energy production. Read more.
Click here to watch our NWU team putting our solar star, Naledi 2.0, through her paces during the 2022 Sasol Solar Challenge.
Teaching-learning activities
2022 saw the piloting of block teaching, as opposed to time-tabled periods, in selected programmes in the faculties of Economic and Management Sciences, Engineering and Health Sciences. Students spend time on a selected module for a set period and then focus on group projects and skills development. The pilot continues in 2023.
We have introduced a new timetabling system, Celcat, and begun discussions on rethinking academic scheduling to make provision for new ways of learning and teaching.
For more information, refer to the section on how we performed against our strategy and increased our intellectual capital.
- Greater student access and success
Adding to our existing mechanisms for supporting first-time entering students, such as peer mentoring, reading development and supplemental instruction, we introduced a new online tool in 2022. The First Year Navigator provided first-year students with just-in-time, essential academic information at key moments during the academic year.
These different forms of support were also extended to our distance learning students.
- Promoting continuing education
In 2022, the Unit for Continuing Education and the NWU Business School presented 126 short courses for a total of 6 092 participants. This was well above the previous year’s 4 567 learners.
Both private and public companies are requesting virtual classrooms due to the cost and productivity savings. The hybrid approach is also popular as it combines contact sessions, virtual classrooms and online content.
We are preparing to launch the fully automated short course administration system in April 2023.
- Academic and professional development
Newly appointed academics attended the induction programme for new academics and all academics had the opportunity to participate in the University Teaching Excellence Awards. Other professional development opportunities included the annual Teaching and Learning Conference.
During 2022, the Centre for Higher Education Professional Development in the Faculty of Education appointed its first director.
Research activities
Sixty research entities were operational in 2022, consisting of nine research chairs, seven hosted entities, one commercial research unit and 43 NWU research entities.
These entities undergo regular external and internal evaluations. The internal evaluations went ahead in 2022, focusing on quality, productivity, sustainability, and good management practices.
We took our PhD review online, resulting in a self‑evaluation report and improvement plan.
The current NWU research landscape is shown in the following figure:
Teaching learning output
Our contact success rate has been above 84% for the past three years. In 2022 our contact student success rate (for undergraduate and postgraduate students combined) was 84,7%, while our distance student success rate (also undergraduate and postgraduate combined) was 91,6%.
The undergraduate degree graduation duration factor stood at 1,08 in 2022, lower than in 2021, and indicates that most students complete their degrees in the minimum time.
In the case of the first-time entrants, the dropout rate for contact degrees increased from 8,96% in 2021 to 9,79% in 2021 but remains low in comparison to sector norms.
The following graph shows the number of graduates per field of study for 2021 and 2022:
The following table shows how our number of graduates compare with those of other South African higher education institutions (based on 2021 audited HEMIS data):
| Institution | Total |
| University of South Africa | 64 423 |
| North-West University | 15 454 |
| Tshwane University of Technology | 14 897 |
| University of Pretoria | 12 852 |
| University of Johannesburg | 13 035 |
- Teaching Excellence Awards
The NWU Excellence Awards are held annually to acknowledge and celebrate the exceptional output of our academic staff in teaching and learning practices and innovation.
In the 2022 award cycle, 80 portfolios were considered, and 58 awards were made. Most of these, 53, were Faculty Teaching Awards. The other categories were for teaching with information and communication technologies, innovation in teaching and learning, novice teacher and university teaching excellence.
During the 2023 awards cycle, we will focus on continuous mentorship, withdrawals from the process and the distribution of population groups participating.
We also intend to prioritise publication as an aspect of the 2023 awards and to create a platform for an even larger group of academics to display their excellence in various fields of teaching and learning practices.
Dr Claudine Roos of the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences was honoured with the University Teaching Excellence Award.Research output
The following table confirms that the quality and quantity of research at the NWU continue to improve:
| 2020 | 2021 | |
| Journal articles | 1 264,32 | 1 366,3 |
| Conference proceedings | 38,84 | 66,9 |
| Books and chapters | 233,43 | 222,90 |
| Total article equivalents published | 1 536,59 | 1 656,1 |
| Master’s degrees conferred | 722 | 698 |
| Research master’s | 521,605 | 509,962 |
| Research master’s weighted | 521,605 | 509,962 |
| Doctoral degrees conferred | 251 | 264 |
| Doctoral degrees weighted | 753 | 792 |
| Total weighted research output | 2 811,1914 | 2 958,062 |
| Postdoctoral fellows | 215 | 212 |
| Publication units per permanent academic staff member | 0,93 | 0,99 |
| * | Please note that there is a two-year lag with regard to the approval of research output by the Department of Higher Education. |
NWU Research and Innovation Excellence Awards
The joint 2021-2022 awards were held in-person on 24 November 2022 to celebrate our researchers’ hard work and exceptional output. We presented 34 awards for new or upgraded NRF ratings, eight Research and Innovation Excellence Awards and one International Scholar Award.
Prof Olubukola Babalola
of the Faculty of Natural
and Agricultural Sciences
was named the Most
Productive Senior
Researcher.
Our inputs and activities are the first links in our value chain and our outcomes are the last links in the chain, geared towards creating longer-term value.
This future focus goes hand in hand with sustainability: after we have taken care of immediate and medium-term needs, there must be sufficient capitals left to use for future value creation.
When the NWU is financially stable, for instance, we are in a position to generate other outcomes, such as delivering skilled graduates for the knowledge economy.
Similarly, our research output strengthens our reputation so that we can attract high-quality scientists and develop solutions to real-life problems.
In the same way, community engagement creates outcomes by empowering people to improve their lives in a sustainable way.
DR BISMARK TYOBEKA
CHAIRPERSON OF SENATE