The 2018/2019 NSTF-Lewis Foundation Green Economy Award was won by the Process, Energy and Environmental Technology Station at the UJ-PEETS. Technology Station Manager, Ms Nickey Janse van Rensburg, accepted the award, which was made to UJ-PEETS for ‘Enabling technology transfer and interaction between academia and small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) to stimulate and support technology innovation in the green economy by providing subsidised engineering services to SMMEs in the green economy’.

There is a constant flow of valuable research produced by academics in the science and technology field, yet most of it remains “locked” behind the walls of higher education institutions, instead of being put to good use to make a positive impact on South African communities.

This was a big reason for the establishment of the University of Johannesburg’s Process, Energy & Environmental Technology Station (UJ-PEETS) in 2010. UJ-PEETS is an externally funded entity that provides support to small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) working in the energy, water and environment sectors. (Read more about her in the Mail & Guardian article. Mail & Guardian is an NSTF media partner.)