The Engaged University

Funded by the European Commission in terms of the Erasmus Plus Programme, EngageSDG aims to build capacity in Southern African Development Community (SADC) universities to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs in their local environments using participatory approaches (PAs). The project intends to promote the engaged university model by focusing on the use of PAs for the production of knowledge, and their potential to create innovative relationships between SADC universities and the communities within which they are embedded, in addressing the SDGs.

The project targets HEIs in South Africa, Mauritius and Zambia. It includes 6 SADC institutions, 5 EU HEIs, and 2 associations, SARUA and OBREAL Global. Beneficiaries include university leaders, academic staff, administrative and technical staff, and role-players in communities across the SADC region. The project which will commence in 2024 and run till 2027 aims to provide a sustainable set of capacity-building tools that will support our network members in the use of participatory approaches. We intend to embed the results of this project into our community of practice for engagement.

Specific objectives of the project are:

• To develop a report on the State of Play relating to the use PAs in HE in three SADC countries.

• To develop a conceptual framework, and supporting digital ecosystem, to support decision-making, capacity development and collaboration amongst HEIs in the SADC in the use of PAs for local engagement.
• To develop the capacity of HEIs in South Africa, Mauritius and Zambia, and in the SADC more widely, to adopt PAs for local engagement.
• To create a sustainable SARUA community of practice for the use of PAs in community-oriented knowledge production.

You can find more information about the project here.