TUT is the largest technical university in Africa, attracting more than 60,000 students annually. The university has 6 campuses, namely Tshwane, Soshanguve, Ga-Rankuwa, Polokwane, eMalahleni and Mbombela. TUT is a forward-looking institution advancing South Africa’s JET through strong capabilities in engineering, renewable energy, entrepreneurship, and sustainability research. TUT’s Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (FEBE) fosters innovation through its numerous centers, institutes, technology stations, and incubators (CITSI’s) such as the Center for Energy and Electronic Power (CEEP) and TUT Circular Economy Powered Renewable Energy Center (CEPREC) project. Three of South Africa’s eighteen technology stations are located within TUT FEBE, supported by the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA). This robust infrastructure, coupled with nine research chairs (including DSI-NRF SARChI Chair in Energy Solutions for Inclusive and Sustainable Societies), fifteen rated researchers, and two R&D platforms, positions TUT at the forefront of research and development.

TUT is also home to the Center for Entrepreneurship Development (TUT CED), which provides a broad-based innovation solution focusing on Small Business Enterprises, aiming to be more effective, efficient, and sustainable. At TUT CED, students, recent graduates, and emerging enterprises are provided a platform for mentoring, training, co-creation, and access to capital in order to promote job creation, peer support, research, policy planning, community engagement, and sustainable economic development. Over the years, TUT CED has supported over 750 SMEs and 800 students through partnerships with industries, and recently co-hosted the G20 Financial Inclusion and Women Empowerment Conference in collaboration with the South African government and the G20 to address gender disparities in financial access and economic opportunities.

TUT‘s recent achievements highlight its commitment to excellence. TUT has forged numerous Memoranda of Understanding and collaborations with industry partners, including Gibela Rail Transport, the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), MerSETA, GIZ-SAGEN-SANEDI, Astron Energy, Nedbank, Gauteng Province, UN WOMEN, Global Entrepreneurship Week, and Sandvik, among others. These partnerships have enhanced our research capacity, expanded our global reach and fostered the development of industry-ready graduates through active participation in Work Integrated Learning (WIL) programmes. Through these efforts, TUT not only generates high-quality research outputs but also produces well-rounded graduates skilled in addressing the techno-socio-political challenges central to the JET agenda. The Directorate of Research and Innovation through the office of the DVC: Research, Innovation and Engagement, actively supports the entrepreneurial ecosystem through grant management and research support, seed innovation, patent development and entrepreneurship, ensuring that scientific outputs are translated into scalable and socially responsive technologies.