The Durban University of Technology (DUT), in partnership with the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), hosted the 2nd BRICS postgraduate conference in Cape Town, South Africa, from the 16 to the 18 August 2023. The event was co-organised by the BRICS Research Institute at DUT and the National Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS). TV BRICS is the forum’s media partner.

The first BRICS Postgraduate Forum was organised by the University of Campinas (Brazil) in 2022.

This platform is where emerging scholars from all BRICS nations’ masters and PhD attended in person and others online and presented their research papers. The forum received more than 300 registered participants, but after the abstract review process by senior scholars, only 160 were selected to present their papers, and only 105 participants attended in person. 

The event was attended by eminent professors from various BRICS nations and prestigious institutions such as University of Campinas, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Fudan University, Jilin University (China), St. Petersburg State University, MGIMO University (Russia), and the University of Kota (India).

“The conference also featured an engaging aspect for presenters, involving a panel of non-BRICS nationals as judges who remained present throughout the three-day duration. These judges attentively observed and evaluated presentations spanning diverse themes, encompassing Entrepreneurship, the New Development Bank (NDB), BRICS People to People, cultural Integration through tourism and air transport, Climate emergency and challenges faced by BRICS countries” said Lillie Prat, BRICS Research Institute at DUT Project Assistant.

Within these thematic categories, the conference acknowledged the top three achievers among master’s and PhD participants, culminating in overall winners.

This approach aims to transform the academic sphere into an enjoyable learning environment facilitated by mutual collaboration and enhancing writing and presentation proficiencies.

The project has been expanding since it started in 2021, just after the COVID-19 pandemic. Professor Sarah Mosoetsa, CEO of the HSRC, current Academic Track Chair for BRICS, (South Africa), gave a speech on the first day of the conference about the importance of the BRICS academic engagement for young scholars who want to make a difference.

They need such a platform to build meaningful relationships and a community of professors and PhDs who are willing to take time out of their busy schedules to support emerging scholars on their academic journey. The BRICS Postgraduate Forum was just such a platform.

On the last day of the conference, participants enjoyed the fun and educational activities, such as the red bus tour that took them around Cape Town. “This trip was also for our international participants to get a chance to learn more about South Africa and its historical stories, which was accompanied by a boat cruise in the middle of the bus tour, in which everyone got to enjoy the sea breeze of Cape Town” said Zamaswazi Cele (PhD Candidate from South Africa).

Photo: Second BRICS Postgraduate Forum