Stellenbosch University (SU) founded in 1918 – is one of Africa’s leading research-intensive universities. With ten faculties as well as the School for Data Science and Computational Thinking and School for Climate Studies, SU drives world-class research, pioneering technological advancements, and transformative education. Our dynamic and diverse campus community (across five campuses) includes over 35,000 students and more than 4000 academic and support staff. Our undergraduate and postgraduate community includes over 4,000 international students from 100 countries.
SU’s research strategy—Research for Impact—is shaped by five research themes
- The natural environment,
- Health and human security,
- Social justice and development,
- Human creativity and innovation, and
- Systems and technologies for the future
These research priorities align with South Africa’s National Development Plan, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals—connecting local relevance with global responsibility.
SU has more than 350 partners across over 60 countries, and holds membership in several global and regional networks, including:
- EUTOPIA – European University Alliance
- Venice International University (VIU)
- International Network of Universities (INU)
- The Global Alliance of Universities on Climate (GAUC)
- SGROUP of Universities
- ANIME – Academic Network for Inclusion, Multilingualism and Excellence
- The African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA)
- South Africa Sweden University Forum (SASUF)
- Periperi U – Partners Enhancing Resilience for People Exposed to Risk
- AU- NEPAD SANWATCE- Southern African Network of Water Centres of Excellence
The University actively participates in EU related projects which include EU framework programmes, joint EU-SA programmes, EuropeAid projects, Erasmus+ Capacity in Higher Education (CBHE) programmes and COST Actions.
The SU Brussels Representation serves as a strategic bridge between SU and its European partners, facilitating research collaboration, policy engagement, and institutional visibility.
Key functions:
- Strengthen and increase SU’s visibility at the European Institutions
- Foster and develop partnerships with universities and national/regional liaison offices of research based in Brussels
- Collect and relay information on EU policies and funding programmes
- Facilitate contact with SU researchers for collaborative research and/or educational projects
- Coordinate academic visits and events
- Liaise with South African diplomatic missions in the region
- Support SU’s broader stakeholder engagement efforts in Europe