University of Cape Town (UCT) became LSE’s fifth institutional partner and its first in Africa in May 2010. For some years, LSE has pursued a strategy of forming partnerships with a small number of high quality universities across the world. The objective is primarily to broaden our academic reach by creating innovative opportunities for students and promoting world-class research dealing with problems and issues that are relevant on a national and international scale.

Founded in 1829, UCT is a research-led university, widely regarded as the best in Africa. LSE and UCT have complementary expertise and foci, with strong track records in bridging research and policy communities. Both are located close to their national parliaments and produce evidence-based research that informs policy. The close relationship between LSE and UCT will allow for genuine, systematic and sustained institutional exchange and capacity development at both the intellectual and
organisational levels.

Academics from both institutions are already undertaking collaborative research in the areas of management, health, cities and constitutional law. PhD exchanges have also been set up to enable students from LSE and UCT to spend a term/semester at the other institution. LSE and UCT jointly deliver an intensive two-week “July School”  on an annual basis for African and international participants, to be held at UCT. The inaugural July School took place in July 2013.

Both parties hope to attract support for a range of collaborative capacity building and other initiatives across the African continent both on a bilateral basis and, with our other institutional partners, on a multilateral basis. These might include training programmes for African university teachers, visiting scholar fellowships and research workshops for
doctoral students.