Stellenbosch University (SU) is a public university located in the picturesque town of Stellenbosch in the Cape Winelands. The scenic beauty of the area and state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly facilities and technology, as well as visionary thinking about the creation of a sustainable 21st century institution, makes for SU’s unique character . One of South Africa’s leading universities, it is home to an academic community of more than 30000 students (including 3000 foreign students from 100 countries) and 3000 staff members (including 1000 academics) on five campuses. These are the “main” campus in Stellenbosch, the Tygerberg and Bellville Park campuses (both near the City of Cape Town), the Saldanha campus on the West Coast and the inland Worcester campus. Spreads across these campuses are ten faculties: Arts & Social Sciences, Science, Economic & Management Sciences, Medicine & Health Sciences, Engineering, Agricultural Sciences, Law, Theology, Education and Military Science. With its roots in the 17th century, SU emerged from the country’s troubled past as the most productive South African and African university in terms of research publications per capita and weighted research outputs (research publications, masters and doctoral degrees awarded) per capita. It is arguably the most innovative institution of higher learning in the country today and ranks among the top universities in the BRICS countries and other emerging economies. As a research-intensive university, SU processed 850 new research contracts in 2015, equating to a total monetary value of R1.187 billion. This amount includes incoming and outgoing contracts processed. In 2015, SU researchers submitted more than 36 new proposals for European Union (EU) funding – a very competitive funding programme which requires strong international research partnerships. By the end of the year, nine newly approved EU grants involving SU researchers had been awarded, representing a monetary value of ca EUR 1 890 000. The university was awarded five new Research Chairs in 2015 through the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) of the National Research Foundation (NRF), funded by the Department of Science and Technology. This brings the total number of SARChI Chairs at SU to 24. SU has the second highest number of National Research Foundation (NRF) rated scientists in the country, totalling 372 in 2015, including 12 A-rated researchers who are regarded as world leaders in their respective fields of research. SU hosted 281 postdoctoral research fellows in 2015. The University strives to be an inclusive, innovative and future-focused place of discovery and excellence where staff and students are thought leaders in service of all stakeholders. As a public institution of higher education, SU is governed in terms of the Higher Education Act (101, 1997) and the Statute of Stellenbosch University.