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The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (Wits) is a leading national research institution, serving over 25 000 students, of which a third are postgraduates.
The National Aerospace Centre of Excellence was established by the SA Department of Trade and Industry (dti) in 2006 in collaboration with the Wits' School of Mechanical, Industrial and Aeronautical Engineering. The NACoE represents a national collaboration between government, industry, academia and research institutions around partnership principles for the provision and coordination of specialised skills, programmes and services for the improved competitiveness of the SA aerospace (aeronautics) industry. The NACoE operates in close partnership with several other government programmes, such as the dti's AISI and the DST's AMTS Aerospace Network.
The objectives of the NACoE are:
- To establish and maintain the core NACoE functionality at Wits, in collaboration with other leading Higher Education Institutions, industry and other stakeholders;
- To conduct leading edge commercially significant technology research projects in the field of aerospace (aeronautics) in a partnership model;
- To produce highly skilled human resources in the field of aerospace (aeronautics) in line with the requirements and expectations of the SA aerospace (aeronautics) industry;
- To conduct technology transfer activities, and
- To establish a national knowledge repository in the field of aerospace (aeronautics).
The NACoE undertakes Human Capital Development and Research and Development programmes in:
- Aerospace (aeronautics) manufacturing processes and materials
- Aeronautical dynamics-modelling, simulation and control
- Firm level competitiveness and supply chain optimisation
Formal agreements are in place for collaborative work between the NACoE and Airbus as well as between the NACoE and South African aerospace companies. Advanced work has been undertaken to develop linkages with key European Universities in the above areas.
The NACoE will be responsible for overall technical coordination of the project as well as specifically lead WP1 - mapping the aeronautics and air transport landscape.
Wits-E will, in a third party capacity and in accordance with the rules for participation by a foundation / spin-off company established by a beneficiary, act as the project coordinator on behalf of Wits and the NACoE, and will be responsible for WP5, the project and financial administrative tasks in the project.
Wits-E was established in 2002 as a commercial subsidiary of Wits, focused on promoting and marketing the specialist skills of academics to commercial and government organisations, including more than 200 short courses on offer at Wits. Wits-E provides project coordination, financial and administrative services to over 150 externally-funded research and consulting projects including Wits' FP6 and FP7 projects (CAPABILITY, HYVOLUTION, GRAINLEGUMES, GENBENEFIT, IST-AFRICA). Wits-E also acts as Wits' Technology Transfer Office (TTO) and is responsible for the management and administration of the University's intellectual property and patent portfolio. Wits-E is Wits' key contact point for the EU's Framework Programmes, responsible for promoting participation in FP7, and assisting the Wits research community in proposal development, contract negotiation and project management.
Wits-E is a participant in the IST-AFRICA FP7 project, and leads the FP7 Training Workshops and Post Workshop Support work package. In this capacity Wits-E is responsible for advising SA researchers on issues such as IPR and proposal development through an innovative Helpdesk function that will share both African and European perspectives. Wits-E has access to powerful networks within all sectors of the SA and African research community, and has the necessary expertise to provide regional support for SA and African participation in FP7, as well as the necessary resources to provide project management services to the AeroAfrica-EU consortium.
The NACoE together with Wits-E will lead WP5. The NACoE is also responsible for the execution of WP1 and will also play supporting roles (to a greater / lesser extent) in the other work packages. It should be noted that NACoE will as necessary draw on its formalised partnership with the top 5 universities in SA involved in aeronautics to assist in AeroAfrica-EU activities as relevant / appropriate.
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