Universities need the best physical infrastructure if they are underpin South Africa’s competitive in the global knowledge economy. For a long time, infrastructure developments were overlooked at UWC. But as its reputation as a research university has grown, so has its ambitions and its physical landscape. A number of major initiatives are currently in the UWC pipeline.
- The Bellville Medical Centre is a major new development in the works. Such a Centre will serve as a hub from where the University of the Western Cape and its Faculty of Community and Health Sciences can improve healthcare education, train more health professionals, and conduct postgraduate research. It will also significantly advance community and health sciences in South Africa, as well as expand the provision of healthcare, especially in poorer local communities.
- The University has also started on plans to establish and build a Computational Sciences Centre, which will serve as a technological nerve centre for academics, innovators and entrepreneurs. The Centre will continue the University’s work to translate its ground-breaking research and the intellectual property (IP) being generated around the campus into viable and valuable business opportunities.
- In addition, the campaign to fund the R104-million shortfall for the New Chemical Sciences Building (NCSB) – the latest addition to the University’s expanding science precinct – is underway. The NCSB sits right across the street from UWC’s New Life Sciences Building, which represents another large-scale investment in the University’s future.