Director
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What we do The Capacity Development (CD) unit will focus on research and human capital development. It will address the need to develop individual and institutional research capacity for the social and human sciences. We will adopt a collaborative approach in developing research capacity and scientists within the HSRC, nationally and elsewhere on the African continent. Scope of work
Human capital development within the HSRC is not limited to developing scientists and scientific leadership and includes employees in research support functions who are essential in creating an enabling environment within the organisation. The unit has a strong emphasis on designate groups and facilitate HSRC progress towards a staff profile that is representative of the demographics of the country. The HSRC strategy for capacity development is informed by national and continental priorities, needs and other inputs, including the strategies of the research programmes and other cross-cutting units; institutional key performance indicators; individual key result areas; the HSRC equity and professional development programmes; the recommendations of the 2003 Institutional Review and the Researcher Forum. Focus areas
The Capacity Development unit will have four main thrusts The implementation of research capacity initiatives will be undertaken in close collaboration with the HSRC's International Relations, Business Development and the HSRC Press. Internships and post-doctoral associates
The internship programme will be expanded and centrally managed for focused development of researchers in South Africa and from other African countries. It will include training of researchers on masters and doctoral level. The associates programme will involve post-doctoral research training to prepare scientists to become independent researchers and programme leaders. Skills training and leadership development
A range of areas for skills training and leadership development were identified and included in the HSRC's professional development policy. Implementation of training and leadership development for HSRC staff will be linked to individual's key performance areas as contracted in the performance management system. International exchanges and visiting fellows
Researchers in South Africa are over extended and have limited time to mentor younger colleagues. In some areas there is a paucity of scientific leadership making it extremely difficult to train young scientists. A robust capacity development programme is therefore dependent on an international academic exchange and visiting fellows programme. Academics from Africa and elsewhere will be encouraged to spend time at the HSRC as visiting research fellows and to undertake research training in HSRC research programmes. Institutional collaborations and collaborative centres
The HSRC will engage with the higher education sector and enter into a memorandum of understanding paving the way for collaborative agreements and collaborative centres where necessary. This collaboration will include agreements on joint training programmes for students, pre- and post-doctoral scientists, sabbatical placements, joint appointments, and collaborative research projects.
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