What began more than a decade ago as a promising connection between Stellenbosch University (SU) and Coventry University has grown into a partnership that both institutions now regard as distinctive, deeply rooted, and full of potential for the future.

At a celebration at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) on 20 March, leaders, researchers, students, and staff reflected on ten years of the joint PhD programme. They also remembered that their connection started even earlier.

The event was more than just an anniversary. Many speakers described the partnership as a rare example of international teamwork built on trust and lasting commitment.

“This partnership feels different,” said SU Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Deresh Ramjugernath. “It’s more than joint PhDs or staff and student mobility; it’s about working together for synergy and mutual benefit.”

Prof John Latham, Coventry University Vice-Chancellor and CEO, said, “This isn’t just about academic collaboration. It’s also about administration collaboration—many areas of common ground have emerged over the years.”

Latham said the relationship brought meaningful change to institutions and people. “Partnerships offering an international, global experience are something to be proud of.”

Where it started

The celebration highlighted the partnership’s origins. Former SU Rector Prof Wim de Villiers recalled that its momentum grew in 2015, after encouragement from Prof Tobie de Coning to connect with Coventry University.

What happened next was more than just an agreement between institutions. It became a partnership built on shared values and strong personal connections. “There’s a reason why this has been a very successful partnership,” De Villiers said. “It’s not only because of the quality of the work that has been done in the joint PhD programme, but it’s also the personal chemistry that has arisen and some of the friendships that have developed.”

A partnership grounded in shared purpose

Speakers often said the partnership works because both universities share similar values. “At Stellenbosch University, when we look at our vision statement, the last four words actually speak to what we want to achieve as an institution,” said Ramjugernath. “Those last four words are: in service of society.”

He added, “We work so well together because we share a vision for organisational impact on the world.”

Nick Sale, Coventry’s Board of Governors Chair, highlighted three strong themes: “impact, sustainability, and collaboration.”

“I’m impressed by our impact,” Sale said, noting cross-cultural engagement is key for societal growth and development.

Quality over quantity — and research that matters

A key theme at the event was how research has helped make the partnership stronger.

Prof Richard Dashwood, Vice-Provost Research and Enterprise and Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research at Coventry, described their research model as one based on collaboration, co-creation, and real-world impact. He explained that Coventry aims to focus on areas where they can make a real difference. 

“One of the things that we’ve pushed at Coventry University, when it comes to outputs, is quality over quantity,” Dashwood said. 

He argued that the most effective international research partnerships bring together people with different disciplinary backgrounds and lived experiences to solve real problems. “To do really excellent research, and when you’re trying to address global challenges, you need to bring researchers from diverse backgrounds together with different lived experiences.”

He said this diversity is one reason why international collaboration is important. It also gives staff and students more opportunities to work and study abroad, and helps universities make a greater impact beyond their own countries.

Stellenbosch’s research ambition — and a bold target

Prof Sibusiso Moyo, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Internationalisation, talked about the Coventry partnership within the University’s broader research strategy and future ambitions.

She stressed that impact remains central to SU’s research agenda and used one of the partnership’s early doctoral success stories to make that point tangible: Dr. Gestél Kuyler, the first Coventry–Stellenbosch joint PhD graduate from the Faculty of Science.

Now CEO and co-founder of SU’s spin-out company Nanosene, Kuyler’s work has moved beyond the lab into innovation with commercial and societal applications. Moyo used her example as a reminder that research partnerships can and should create visible impact in the world.

For Kuyler, the journey from doctoral research to entrepreneurship reflects exactly what such collaborations make possible. “The joint PhD shaped how I think about impact. It is something you build into the research from the start. Being able to move between institutions, perspectives, and contexts allowed me to develop solutions that are not only scientifically sound but also relevant and usable in the real world.”

Looking to the future, Moyo suggested a bold goal for the partnership over the next decade. With 19 joint PhDs already completed, she encouraged both universities to aim much higher. 

Investing in people

Prof Elena Gaura, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor: Research at Coventry, reminded everyone that people are at the heart of the partnership. Reflecting on the joint PhD programme at its 10-year anniversary, she called the gathering “a really, really very proud room to be in today”.

Gaura pointed out that in the room were the newest student, the latest graduate, 14 of the 19 current joint-degree students, and many supervisors and research leaders. She said this shows the partnership has built a strong and meaningful community.

She added, “The dual degree is just one part of our partnership, but it helped build a community. With a community, we achieve global impact. This model works because we invest in people.”

Co-creation across borders

Prof Francesco Petruccione emphasised that the collaboration centres on problem-solving that matters: impact is about solving a useful problem.

“Impact, as I see it, is the easiest definition: to solve a problem that is useful to someone,” Petruccione said.

He also encouraged a “transdisciplinary” approach, in which the problem comes first, and different fields work together to solve it. This idea aligned with what many others said throughout the day: research should be about shared goals, not working in isolation.

Students as proof of concept

While the first part of the celebration explained the partnership’s philosophy, the student presentations brought it to life.

Dr. Daniel Herring, now a joint research fellow, described his work on using mathematical modelling, machine learning, and AI to understand battery degradation and extend the lifespan of lithium-ion batteries. The research is highly relevant to rapid electrification in South Africa and the UK.

He described Stellenbosch and Coventry as offering "the perfect ecosystem" for this work. “This partnership and this fellowship spans continents, global north and south, and brings together disciplines in a way that provides the perfect ecosystem for groundbreaking work and meaningful outcomes,” Herring said.

For Magda Barnard, who is part of a collaborative PhD in higher education while working full-time at SU, the value of the programme lay not only in her research on creativity and curriculum renewal, but in the kind of doctoral journey it made possible. “What drew me to this programme was the opportunity to pursue a PhD through collaboration and not through isolation,” she said.

Barnard spoke about the strong community that formed among students, especially during COVID-19, and how spending two months in Coventry focused on her doctoral work made a big difference. “The programme really did more than just enable a PhD,” she said. “It created a space where scholarship, community, and partnership could genuinely emerge.”

Erica Geldenhuys, whose doctoral work explored resilience in undergraduate medical education, said the programme also affected her personally. “I am a different person from what I was before I started the process,” she said.

Her findings showed that resilience is not just a personal trait, but something built through relationships and support systems. This matched her own experience in the joint programme.

“My doctoral journey has reinforced that resilience rests on relationships,” she said, “and it depends on the people, the systems and the community around you.”

Next, Willie Knoetze gave a presentation about tabletop role-playing games, learning, and underserved communities. His talk added humor, originality, and warmth to the event.

His project showed that play can be a powerful educational tool, and his thoughts highlighted how open the programme is. “We are serious institutions,” he said, “but we will allow you to have serious fun.” He also pointed out the broader potential of his work. “We can scale this,” he said, “and can really make a difference. We can really change what’s going on at grassroots level.”

Why it works

The final panel moved from celebration to reflection, asking what keeps programmes like this going and what the future should look like.

For Prof Liezel Frick of SU, who supervises several joint PhD candidates, the answer begins with trust. “Trust does not happen overnight,” she said. “It’s built over time.”

Frick emphasised that trust is built on equality and mutual respect. She said she only joins collaborations if she and her institution are treated as equals, and that this has always been true in the Coventry partnership. “It doesn’t always mean that everything is equal in the partnership, but it does mean in terms of the ways that we work, that we see each other as equal partners in our engagements.”

Prof Sylvester Arnab of Coventry agreed, emphasising the importance of mutual trust, mutual respect, and the willingness to learn from different perspectives and make mistakes. “We are all coming from different backgrounds, and we are all coming with different expertise. “That is the beauty of it.”

From the administrative side, Dorothy Stevens, Director of SU’s Postgraduate Office, reflected on the effort that had gone into formulating the first joint degree agreement between the two institutions. She pointed to the value of flexibility, mutual respect for each other’s rules, and the importance of not doubling the burden on students through unnecessary duplication. “We can learn a tremendous amount from the Coventry approach to doctoral training,” Stevens said.

Prof David Beck of Coventry added another point: respect across all academic levels. He said he was impressed by the mutual respect shown at the event and how these programmes let different voices be heard. “We need every voice,” Beck said. “We live in a very, very fast-changing world, and these programmes have immense value.”

He also warned that too much bureaucracy can distract from the real purpose. He said universities should simplify their systems so students can focus on research rather than repeat tasks.

The next decade

By the end of the afternoon, the mood was celebratory and forward-looking. Both vice-chancellors reaffirmed their commitment to the partnership through a concrete pledge to invest additional funding to grow the joint PhD programme and expand future collaboration.

“We need to be bolder. We need to be more ambitious,” said Ramjugernath, underscoring the importance of scaling collaborations that deliver meaningful global impact. “We commit to funding additional joint PhDs as part of strengthening this partnership going forward.”

The Stellenbosch–Coventry partnership has grown far beyond a joint degree programme. Prof Liezel Frick called it “an ecology of research,” describing it as a network that includes student development, co-supervision, staff exchanges, joint research, and international collaboration.