Professor Tshilidzi Marwala
The Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority (Merseta) has announced funding support to the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and its consortium partners to fortify the research, innovation and advancement capacity of rapid technology towards delivering a response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
This collaboration came to fruition with the recent signing of a memorandum of agreement between UJ's Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment and Merseta.
“This collaboration aims to assist the healthcare industry with critical care technology development in response to the Covid-19 crisis. The pandemic has revealed deeply entrenched weaknesses in our public institutions, particularly in the healthcare sector. Given the vast shortage of ventilators worldwide, part of this collaboration will work toward the rapid development and manufacturing of non-invasive ventilators.
"The collaboration will also see our students being equipped with essential future skills for the design, prototyping, testing and certification of bi-level positive airway pressure ventilators, and support future industrialisation efforts through continuous professional development in the manufacturing sector,” says UJ vice-chancellor and principal Professor Tshilidzi Marwala.
“The Merseta funding will be supporting 125 students across four universities in this initiative. Of great interest to Merseta is how new support programmes and qualifications will emerge to define the support required to rapidly localise and sustain the manufacture of new products in emerging sectors of the economy,” adds Merseta acting CEO Wayne Adams.