Researcher development plays a crucial role in equipping next-generation researchers with the necessary expertise and capabilities they need to excel in their research endeavours, contribute to their respective fields and drive meaningful and impactful discoveries. By prioritising researcher development, Unisa aims to harness the potential of our researchers to propel research innovation, increase research productivity and advance scholarship through collaboration.

The Unisa RDA is a strategic project of the Department of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation and aims to support the advancement of scholarship and the personal and professional development of researchers.

Strategic objectives

• Coordinating and centralising researcher capacity-building programmes across the institution by providing an all-in-one information portal
• Providing researchers with an all-access information platform and central knowledge repository for professional development
• Creating a resource access point to identify career aspirations and designing a roadmap to achieve career goals
• Tracking, recording and monitoring progress

The RDA is grounded in the Unisa Researcher Development Framework (RDF).

What can the RDA do for you

• Assist researchers in determining their career goals by designing an individual development strategy
• Help staff build a successful academic career through planning, tracking and monitoring career goals via the RDF online planner
• Provide researchers with professional development opportunities specifically designed for each stage of their research careers
• Enhance and increase the levels of accredited research outputs by providing research support
• Make resources available for the further development of researchers