What is happening in the student network?
SASUF+ has officially launched, and the student network is well underway with new projects and initiatives!
SASUF Student Network Paper
Currently, representatives from both South Africa and Sweden are working together on an academic paper. In it, we argue that our bi-national, student-led structure model challenges traditional top-down collaboration and fosters future researchers to build more equitable, lasting collaborations. Our model's success is reflected in its integration into SASUF+ through the co-led Work Package “Students as Gamechangers”. The manuscript has been submitted to a journal and will hopefully be published in the beginning of 2026.
Coffee Break Sessions
The Coffee Break Sessions offer a monthly hybrid platform for South African and Swedish students to connect. Each session features a lecture, organized by a student representative, focused on a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) and are open for all. For information about when and how to attend the Coffee Breaks, make sure to visit the Student Networks social media (Instagram and LinkedIn).
Research & Innovation Week 2024
Two satellite events and three on-site events were organized, which provided a platform for the participants to engage with each other and with established academics. The two satellite events, open for anyone to join, were titled “Climate Action and Biodiversity: A Comparative Perspective between Sweden and South Africa” and “Feeding the Future: Innovative Pathways to Food Security (Swedish and South African Perspective)”. The events open only to delegations of the Sustainability Forum were titled “Doing ethnographic fieldwork in rural southern Africa: Our approach and what we have learnt”, “The Hot Topic Debate Series – An analysis into the applicability and validity of the SGDs across 1st world and 3rd world countries (Are the SDGs attainable for all, by 2030)” and “Building a Sustainable Future: Students’ Role in driving change towards the attainment of UN Sustainable Development Goals”. Additionally, internal student network meetings were held which allowed fruitful discussion of strategic objectives of the network.
Student Summits – A timeline
2019: The first Student Summit held in South Africa discussed issues such as student housing and mental health, sharing insights and different approaches between the universities. From a student perspective, the need for universities to address shared global challenges in higher education was highlighted. The decolonization of education was examined in relation to identity and heritage, as well as its connection to internationalization and the need for both global and local perspectives in the curriculum.
2020: The pandemic forced a shift to a digital format of the summit. Discussions focused on the pandemic’s impact on education and mental health in both countries. The SASUF 2030 Action Plan was reviewed and the Student Network assessed own recommendations, emphasizing the need to address both present and future challenges through collaborative solutions. To build sustainable, inclusive, and equitable societies, the involvement of students and younger generations is essential.
2023: Student representatives from 27 universities met in Cape Town. Themes like gender equality, food security, and decolonizing education, were covered in student-led satellite events and sessions. The summit resulted in a more decentralized student network, stronger calls for student inclusion in grants and decision-making, and plans for future outreach.
2024: Internal Student Network meetings were held during the Research & Innovation Week in Lund. A clear description of the role of a student representative was assessed.
2025: Workshops, held in both in Uppsala, Sweden and two sites in South Africa, sparked valuable discussions on current issues and the network’s future within SASUF. Students collaborated locally on the first day to develop workshop agendas, then met virtually across borders on the second day to discuss key outcomes. To enhance collaboration, the SASUF Student Network will develop a database mapping research areas and connecting students with researchers across universities.
2026: Even greater things lie ahead, make sure to stay updated with the SASUF Student Network through our website and social media platforms. If you have any questions or inquiries, please contact our Student Network Coordinators or your university’s SASUF Coordinator.
Written by Anastasia Lundman, Student ambassador, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden