The 13th Zimbabwe International Research Symposium was held on 14 and 15 October 2024 at the Harare International Conference. The theme of the Symposium was: “Embracing Research and Innovation for Sustainable Industrialisation”. His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa officially opened the Symposium.
The objectives of the Symposium were to:
- Showcase Education 5.0 outputs and create a platform for local and international researchers to exchange information, research findings and ideas for innovation.
- Provide a platform for discussion of socio-economic solutions in Social Sciences and Humanities, Sustainable Environmental and Resource Management in Zimbabwe
- Promote and maintain Good Health and National Security of Zimbabwe.
- Establish understanding of who we are as a nation, what we want, need and where we want to be in the future through the social sciences and humanities thematic area.
- Direct research and deliberately shape the future.
- Improve the utilization of land, water, mineral and energy resources through a better understanding of human and environmental systems and the use of new production technologies, as well as aerospace and other sensing technologies.
The Symposium attracted more than 4 000 delegates, including young scientists from secondary and primary school levels, tertiary students, the academia, captains of industry, policymakers, diplomats and researchers.
The format of the Symposium comprised seminars and exhibitions that were running parallel. There were various presentations and plenary sessions covering specific thematic areas. A total of 80 papers were presented. Key presentations were made by representatives from South Africa (NSF), China and Ghana. SIRDC’s Executive Director Technical, Professor Tawanda Mushiri presented on Coal Beneficiation for the Metallurgical Industry. The presentation generated a lot of interest among players in the mining sector. Some of the presentations were virtual. The Scientific and Industrial Research and Development Centre (SIRDC) and the Technological and Commercial Information Promotion System (TIPS) took advantage of the opportunity offered by the Symposium and exhibited their range of products and services shown in the picture gallery below:
