Rhodes University PhD candidate in the Department of Economics and Economic History, Nandi Fumbata, is attending the BRICS Network University (BRICS NU) Research Seminar and Winter School, currently underway at the University of Campinas in Brazil. The five-day seminar started on 5 August and will end on 9 August 2019.

In 2015, the Ministries of Education of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) initiated the BRICS Network University to encourage the development of stronger links and improved collaboration between the universities of BRICS countries. The Network involves some of the top universities in the five association countries.

Its objectives include:

• the enhancement of academic collaboration between the universities of the five countries through joint research and mobility of students and scholars;
• in the medium term, creation of joint Graduate programmes issuing diplomas that will be valid for the five countries, and preparing high-qualified staff for the BRICS multilateral institutions;
• in the longer term, enhancement of scientific development according to the needs of non-central countries.

The BRICS NU is organised in six strategic axes: BRICS studies; computer science and informational security; ecology and climate change; economics; energy; and water resources and pollution treatment.

Fumbata is one of only three PhD candidates country-wide chosen to attend the programme convened under the Economics axis.