Research

The University of Pretoria has an established reputation for research quality and excellence, with its research strategy focused on societal challenges, in particular the challenges faced by Africa and developing regions in the global south. We are a research-intensive university where quality, relevance and impact are central to our goals, and to the nature of the research that we pursue.

Our research strategy spans a broad spectrum of knowledge fields, with a deliberate emphasis on inter- and transdisciplinary, and collaborative work across knowledge and geographic boundaries.

A further emphasis is the theme-based focus of research at UP, aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and South Africa’s National Development Plan. Whether the frameworks are global, regional or national in scope, the message is clear: UP investigates, discovers and innovates through research that matters.

On the pages that follow, we provide a broad continuum of achievements and activity related to research and postgraduate education at the University.