Durban University of Technology

Research at DUT

The Durban University of Technology (DUT) ranks among the top 6% of more than 32,000 higher education institutions worldwide in the 2026 Webometrics Ranking of World Universities, which also places it as South Africa's leading university of technology. This standing reflects a decade of sustained growth, with accredited research outputs increasing by 180% over the past ten years.

Guided by its strategic vision, ENVISION2030, DUT's Research and Innovation Blueprint identifies ten focus areas designed to scale impact and turn knowledge into solutions for pressing local, regional and global challenges, from poverty eradication to strengthening South Africa's innovation economy. These focus areas give direction to the University's research, while DUT's diverse community of researchers contributes knowledge across a wide range of disciplines that benefit society at large. That community includes distinguished honorary and adjunct professors based at institutions around the world, as well as a large cohort of postdoctoral fellows.

In September 2026, DUT launched a phased programme to establish 18 Research Institutes over the next five years. The Institutes will bring researchers from across the University together to work collaboratively on regional, national and global challenges, in fields that include artificial intelligence, hydrogen technology and smart agriculture. They build on DUT's internationally established research entities, including the Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology and the Institute for Systems Science.

DUT also hosts 11 DSI–NRF South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) Chairs. The Chairs strengthen specialised research leadership, deepen postgraduate training and develop the next generation of researchers.

This growth has been recognised nationally and internationally. DUT has received the National Research Foundation's Focused Research Advancement Award for three consecutive years (2024, 2025 and 2026), and in 2026 it was the top achiever among universities of technology in the category. The award recognises sustained five-year growth in research productivity, postgraduate outputs, doctoral staff capacity and NRF-rated researchers. In the 2026 Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Rankings, DUT rose from the 1001–1500+ band to the 401–600 band among 1,646 universities from 116 countries and territories, and was ranked 60th in the world for SDG 1: No Poverty.

Explore DUT's research outputs, institutes and researcher profiles to find collaboration opportunities across our growing research enterprise.